Sup Friends! Welcome to episode 1 of #mightyfinefalls New Zealand edition.
We all know that Aotearoa is a country overflowing with natural gems and I could not believe it took me 2 years before I thought of taking the time to experience some of these sparkly streams and vexing views. I am going to kick off this series with what I consider one of the most enjoyable trails I have walked.
This is Mokoroa Falls.
Looking a bit dry? This was a good thing! I will tell you why in a bit. Located in just a few kilometres above the well-loved Waitakere Ranges, we got to the gravel car park off Horseman road. [Remember to park as much to the sides as you can to give way to passing vehicles as were big trucks passing by at the time we were there].
A gravel walk path will start the trail towards a sign that splits the track into two. One will take you through Goldie Bush walkway which is a nice cool stretch of gravel and wooden walkways with the occasional man-made wooden stairways. The other leads to a short walk towards a lookout with a great view of the falls and a short descent to the base where it can definitely get up close to appreciate the cascade of water falling from a fair height.
Turn your back from the Falls and you will be greeted by a 2.5-hour trail by the streams which involves multiple stream crossing which was fairly easy for us because? you guessed it, the stream was shallow! [Many reviewers from Google Maps suggested to use waterproof hiking shoes but I used aqua shoes/beach shoes/water shoes/reef shoes instead as your feet will be submerged in the water anyway so waterproofing is not really going to matter] The trail was also forgiving enough for thin footwear so even if you feel the rocks beneath your feet, it will not be enough to hurt the precious soles of your feet.
The stream route terminates below a hanging wooden bridge that will take you to the Goldie Bush walkway to complete the loop back to the parking area.
[The 1.5-hour walkway back via Goldie Bush path to the parking lot is mostly uphill so if you are of low-level fitness, remember to take it slow or take the loop the other way around so that you will take the Bush path on a decent and finish the trail via the stream route]. I really had a lot of fun traversing this place and even if we did not see a lot of people along the way, we did meet a couple of our mates from the animal kingdom.
I hope you get the chance to visit this place. I know I will definitely come back. [The trail is family friendly but please take extra care when taking small children through the stream crossings as there are some parts that are deep].
Camera: Vivo V5