Rerekapa Falls

I like hiking and I find waterfalls beautiful and fascinating. I also tend to gravitate towards things that are labeled as "a bit off the beaten path." So when I was looking for somewhere new to go that could be done in a day trip, I was delighted to stumble on this particular place. It was within a 2 hour drive of home, a reasonable 90-minute hike, or longer if you wished, and was said to be overlooked by most tourists because they got to Mt. Damper Falls first. It sounded like just what I was after.

So one sunny day during our Christmas break from work, T and I packed a picnic, some sunscreen, and lots of water and off we went. Now, those of you who have kept up with some of these posts, and stories through out my travels in general, will know that while have a good sense of direction and will happily read maps or ask for directions, I do seem to pick things that turn into a different or bigger adventure than was anticipated. This is rarely a bad thing, but it certainly changes the expected outcome of the day.

We knew from the directions that we would need to park right off the highway. It was pretty easy to find the post, because there was a clearly marked parking area with a Doc sign pointing the way down a gravel road. So off we go through a farming area. At first we are mainly in woods or pasture areas, but with an easily walkable gravel road. So I'm thinking "yay I picked a good one this time!" because it was too hot for extreme hiking. Pretty soon we see cow pastures, with the occasional sheep. Then we come to a gate, which leads further down the road to a dilapidated homestead. The directions had mentioned you would pass a homestead (their word, not mine), and that the waterfall would be not far past that, viewable from the road and accessible by an easily noticed side road.

Well. Pretty soon after we have passed the house, just about going through their front yard, we see a small attempt at a waterfall, which looks nothing like the photo I had seen, and we saw no side track so we thought we must need to keep going. On we walk through a pasture full of sheep. Then one full of cows. Then over a creek and into the woods. On a now very narrow dirt track. Seems ok at first but the further we go the narrower and more overgrown it gets. I actually thought I was swimming through ferns at one point. After about half an hour of battling nature, we decided to turn back.

When we got back to the point that we thought surely was not our destination, we noticed a hardly used "path" that looked as if it was frequented by sheep more than humans. But down we went and what do you know, we found our waterfall. Unfortunately the drought had dried it up so much that from the road it did not look like much of a stop. But we enjoyed a nice picnic at the base of it, and visualized its beauty when we have had plenty of rain.

Although at the end of it we decided we did enjoy the day, I think I can see why it is not top of most tourists' list :)

Cozy!

 

Rural passing lane?

 

Really this should say "enter at your own risk"....