We left the park after making breakfast and taking our camp down. We went back downtown to the shops and bought a few things. It was Boxing Day so most shops were having big sales and this day was kind of like NZ's Black Friday. The streets were busy and the traffic was even worse getting to the mall afterwards. Of course inside was a complete zoo. We went to a few stores there too and I was relieved to vacate and get away from the shopping frenzy.
I knew of a few waterfalls within an hour radius of Tauranga so we made our way towards one of them, called the Omanawa Falls. From reading about it, I knew it was easy at the beginning of the hike to it but difficult for the second half. It took us awhile to actually find since sometimes Google maps can be a pain. We finally found the pull out for it and walked passed the gate that said Park Closed. After walking down what was more of a gravel driveway, we came to metal gate that had a hole broken through it and next to it there was a steep trail going downhill. We went through the gate and on a path along a cliff that overlooked the small blue lake and the waterfall. It was so gorgeous and I wanted to be down near it badly. I was excited to have finally found the place I had been reading about.
We walked further down the path and it came to some rocky stairs that lead down to a big steel door but it didn't have a handle on it. There were people on the other side of it but they didn't speak English and it appeared that there wasn't a handle on that side either. And it looked like that would be the quickest way down to the waterfall. Near the stairs, there were more rocky and steep steps going up to another tall, red metal door that had a lock on it. So now the options were to either go down the trail that we saw back by the metal gate or go over the door. We talked to a local that was there also and he confirmed our two options and explained that both ways are steep but doable. Next to the red door, there was a really steep section with trees and dirt that I tried to climb up and over but only made it half way.
Meanwhile, another group of kids were making it over the door, so we thought if they could do it so could we. Michealla knelt down so that one of the girls could use her back to get a boost over it and then she helped me too. Where the lock was, the door had a small cut out and that's were I put a foot while getting the other one over it. I held on by the two poles on either side of the door. So on the other side of this door, the rocky stairs continue but since the doors so high, the stairs are far below you and there's no way you would want to get over the door and just jump right onto the stairs. So I scooted myself to where I could get a little footing on the rock wall next to the door and then somehow grabbed a hold of that then got myself down onto the stairs. Cassela got over and then Michealla and all of us started climbing up into the bush.
It was a steep climb over trees and under trees and through the jungle. Finally, we were at the top of a ridge for a moment, then it started to descend. I'm glad I wore my more rugged Teva sandals that have decent tread instead of flip flops since this hike was quite intense, but short. At one point, the steep trail going down came to a hard packed cliff that had a small rope to help guide people down. I hoped that getting back up the cliff would be easier than getting down. After going through the jungle some more, we came to a couple sets of sketchy metal ladders. And after some stairs we finally made it to the pool and waterfall!!! What an adventure just to get to this single spot.
We undressed down to our swimsuits and got down into the water up to our thighs and waded around the edge so we could get to the big open cave behind the waterfall. This spot was just too beautiful for words, so green and lush, the lake was a gorgeous color, and the waterfall was gentle and pristine. The water however, was quite cold and I wasn't too interested in it as I was in soaking up the amazing area and trying to get the best pictures I could. We hung out for a little bit then headed back up the trail. The climb was alright and getting back up that cliff went fine.
We took our time making our way down to the metal door. The side route that I attempted earlier is the way Michealla went down while Cassela went up and over the door. Either way didn't look fun but I chose to take the cliff/tree way. I scaled the side of the little cliff until I was able to grab onto a tree and from here I swung myself down to a ledge and then to a tree that I used to help myself onto the ground. Wow, we survived breaking and entering and a crazy trek through the jungle, all for a waterfall and a big cave. Worth it.
Back at the car, we headed for Rotorua. We stopped at McDonalds for Wifi and then went on to a holiday park. Unfortunately they were booked up so we went to the next one. This one, the Cosy Cottage, had two small geothermal water tubs that we got in after making dinner. We met a New Zealand couple in the tub as well as a couple who live in Malaysia, the husband was from Costa Rica and the wife was from the UK. All of us talked about life in each other's countries and how expensive it all is.
After rinsing off and getting ready for bed I hung out in Cassela and Michealla's tent with them before going to mine and going to bed. I didn't sleep well because I was too lazy to blow up my stubborn sleeping pad and a night on the hard ground didn't treat me well.
