kitekite falls

kitekite falls

DURATION: Up to an hour return

Kitekite Falls is located in the Piha region, around half an hour from central Auckland.

As alluded in the intro, Kitekite Falls is incredibly accessible to most people., so is often busy on a hot day.  The track is sealed until you get to the actual falls.  There is a bit of an incline as you make your way above the valley of which you are rewarded with beautiful views.  But other than that, the track is pretty easy going.

Just before the descent to the base of the waterfalls, there is a window between the trees providing you a full glimpse of the impressive five tier falls.  This is the best view you will get of the falls in their entirety and there's even a seat placed perfectly for you to enjoy them for a few minutes.  But definitely continue on to the bottom of the falls for a different persepctive.

Once at the bottom, you will need to hop across a stream trickle to get to the rocky area that is perfect for setting up a picnic.  The pool at the bottom of the falls is great for swimming but be warned, there has been the odd eel found in there and it's usually pretty fresh!  

If you are up for a bit more of an adventure, you can look for the little goat track to the left of the falls (be sure to follow the goat track, not the sealed track that is further along) to head up to the upper tiers.  The goat track heads straight up and you will see where it leads to the different tiers off to the left.  The first one is the least popular to visit so you might get lucky and have it all to yourself.... swim in behind the falls and have a natural shower.  You might also find a little rope that will let you down to another pool that isn't accessible otherwise...be brave and stand on the edge of the pool looking out over the many revellers enjoying the pool below and the valley beyond. As you go further up the goat track to the other tiers, you will see that it meets up with one of the other main tracks (Winstone Track) in the Piha Valley which you can head down (link with Home Track) to get back to the carpark.