Kitekite Falls

Very nice & sweet trail. Felt like I was at Rain Forest Café in America! :) would definitely come back for this hike again. Walking through nice green scenery while listening the the streams made my mine clear up a bit from stressful life back at home. Much needed vacation and throughly enjoyed my time at the Kitekite Trail & Falls!

It was New Years Day this year that I went to this place for the first time, along with ample other people and a few dogs! It is an easy walk to get to the falls if you are in average to good fitness. Although tempting, I didn’t go for a swim, I did however thoroughly enjoy my time here. Piha is an absolute gem overall and this little treasure is one of the reasons why. Looking forward to going back some time.

Park at Glenesk Road and take the walking track to the bottom of this gorgeous multi-​step waterfall. Bathrooms available as well as outdoor picnic tables here. The first thing you pass on the tramp is this cool Kauri tree trunk eaten by termites that is hollow and you can stand inside it– very neat. Cool rainforest walk that follows a beautiful stream and passes a wooden bridge and past the old milling area.
A great wooden picnic table that overlooks the waterfall from a distance– great place to stop for a breather or proper meal. You know you’re nearly there when you reach the wooden staircase to the rocks that is a little slippery. Be careful.
A large lake-​pool at the base that is gorgeous for swimming. Water is quite cold but still so nice. Definitely worth taking a dip. We spotted a giant eel so beware. You are able to climb to the top but it’s steep going but still well worth it. Cool several level-​led private pools that you can climb down to enjoy– need to come back to nab one of these gorgeous spots.
Must see– and not too intensive or long of a walk either. Winner

Even though I have to the Waitakere ranges for about 5 – 7 times, I have never been to Kitekite falls before. When I had such opportunity I agreed.
The track itself is low to moderate level of difficulty, and it takes about an hour to get to the fall. The falls are such a breath-​taking experience, that you would want to just sit there and watch it all day. During summertime, people swim right at the place where the water from the waterfall falls down.
If you continue the track further, in 15 minutes, you will be standing right on top of the Kitekite falls. Instagrammers, don’t miss this opportunity.

This is one of those special places I’ll forever associate with some close friends of mine, and the lovely Sunday we shared when we happened upon it whilst exploring the area. The falls themselves are accessed via a relatively steep loop track, and they fall in three gorgeous cascades. I just have a thing for waterfalls — the way they look, sound, the energy they radiate. Anyway, the other thing I love about this place is the swimming hole which you have to venture up over rocks to get to — it’s a bit of a mission to get to, and the water is freezing, but the seclusion is wonderful. The mates and I finished off that Sunday afternoon doing bombs into the swimming hole and getting increasingly cold doing it, but man it was nice!

OMG what a discovery. I was excited to see that we were going on a tramp to a waterfall when I was recently at camp with my daughter and what an amazing place it turned out to be. I know there’s a lot of secret little places in the Piha/​Karekare area and this is one of them. Although I’ve since discovered that most people I’ve talked to already know about it. Oh well. If you drive to the end of Glenesk Road in Piha the tramp is clearly signposted.
The walk is fairly steep in places and takes about 45 minutes (many more with many many children in tow) each way. I thought I was fairly fit and coped really well at the time but my legs felt like jelly at the end and I literally couldn’t walk properly for several days — something to do with the steps coming down and the way they affect your calf muscles. Anyway, whatever, it’s SO worth it. Remember this though: go right at the fork and come back on the other side (doing an anticlockwise loop). Trust me if we had done the reverse I’m not sure I would have made it out.
If you go in the morning as we did the water in the pool will be freezing cold — I truly thought I was having a heart attack. Later in the day the sun comes over the cliff-​face which I imagine would warm it up a bit.
There’s also an amazing rock canyon just down from the swimming hole that can be abseiled into. Just having a peek down there blows your mind, it’s very cool.
This is one of those idyllic Auckland spots that just has to be seen to be believed and the walk through the bush is so peaceful, even as you are killing your legs.