I've been told that Raparahoe Falls was once a hidden gem - a local's swimming hole where the walk down to the waterfall was as much part of the adventure as it is being brave enough to swim in the cold waters. It's still a gem, but judging by the 30+ people already enjoying this beautiful spot when we got there, and the steady stream of people after us, the cat is well and truly out of the bag.

Sam and John pulled into our driveway just before 10am. It had been awhile since we'd been on a hike together, so it was cool they could join us. Plans for the day were pretty fluid - swim and lunch at the waterfall, and if we still had more left in the tank, we could also check out Ōtanewainuku or Te Rerekawau (Kaiate) Falls nearby.

The Raparahoe Falls carpark is about 40 mins drive from Edgecumbe, or an hour from Whakatāne. A quick Google search got us to the No. 4 Road car park in Te Puke sweet as. There's limited parking, but if you carry on around the corner, you might be lucky enough to park on the side of the road.


Sam, John and I on the way down to the river.

This was our first time walking to the falls. There was no easing into it - the first 10 mins was straight down towards the river. It's a rooty, windy track that gets the glutes firing, plus throw in some near vertical wooden steps just for fun! Once you get down to the river, turn right towards the waterfall, or left for other swimming holes. The track follows the river upstream - watch your step as the track is narrow, rooty and eroded. That said, it's family friendly enough that I counted more young kids than adults so that's saying something.

Sam and John were the first to get in. After exploring downstream for a bit, I walked back and settled on a nice spot at the water's edge. Initially we were going to leave our lunch in the car since we had plans to check out other waterfalls, but I'm glad we brought it anyway because it was a great spot for a picnic.

View of Raparahoe Falls from the rocks at the end of the track.

After lunch I decided to go for a quick dip - I didn't bring my togs, but it was warm enough to dry in the sun. Holy moly, I was not prepared for the cold shock that hit my body when I went in! I'm a confident swimmer, but the cold definitely kept me closer to the shallows.

It was early afternoon when we made our way back to the car. We met a few more people on their way down - I did my best to crack a smile so not to scare them with my loud panting. The burn was temporary, and the waterfall was worth it I reckon.

Aaron enjoying the warm sun at the water's edge.