Haruru Falls

We decided against our usual walk down the lane and back again today, and went to see a local waterfall. It was the first time Little Man had seen one, and although he wasn't bothered by the roar of the water, he wasn't too keen on getting too close to the edge. To be honest, that was a good thing as there are no rails or fences, and you can literally stand right on the edge....

 

I'm glad I have two sensible children, as I wouldn't fancy keeping an eye on lively ones near that!

 

You have to mind where you stand, as the force of the water has worn holes in the rock....

 

In summer you can often walk on the rocks above the falls and kayakers approach right up to their base. We had quite a bit of rain last night, so there was no chance of that today! The name 'Haruru' means big noise, and they certainly lived up to that name today....

 

How scary is this - the kids have put some wooden 'steps' on a tree which overhangs the river. There was a boy climbing down from it when we got there....

The wide basin below the falls was New Zealand's first river port and an important transport junction in the early days of European settlement. Today it is a popular holiday spot with resort hotels and holiday parks around its perimeter.

 

After we had seen the falls, we went for a walk down the Waitangi Track. 

 

Like at the falls, there are no fences, and for most of the beginning of the walk there are sheer drops at the edge of the path with around a twenty foot drop down to the water. I was glad Little Man wanted to hold hands, although sometimes the path got quite narrow and it was hard to walk side by side holding hands. Even when we got into the forest areas there were quite steep slopes at the edge of the path so I made sure he was always positioned on the inside....

 

There were a few obstacles for little legs....

 

 

 

  It says online that the track is suitable for families. Some spots are quite flat and open, but several times there were rocky slopes and quite steep steps, not really suitable for little legs and definitely no good for prams or the elderly....

It's a 6km, 2.5 hour walk to the Treaty grounds at Waitangi, but we didn't get far into the forest before a certain little man decided he'd had enough and wanted to go back. I didn't push it, as I didn't fancy having to carry him back!

On the way back, the water had gone down, so we walked down to the river bank and sat on the branches of a pohutukawa tree....

All in all a pleasant afternoon walking with my little people

Xxxx