Karekare falls track is a beautiful bush track in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park ending with a spectacular waterfall. Suitable for anyone of varying walking abilities and is loved by young families, day trippers, and dog walkers. This popular Auckland waterfall sits within a cluster of well-loved walking trails, waterfalls and large black sand beaches in Auckland, New Zealand. Karekare waterfall is a short distance from Karekare beach and a great option for those wanting a bit more space to run around, fly a kite, or tire out the kids or dogs.

Karekare waterfall and Karekare beach are a short drive from Piha and Kitekite falls. Karekare beach sits between the black sand beaches of Whatipu and Piha.

Caution should be taken when swimming at any west coast beaches as the waves, undertow and current can make for a deadly beach trip, only ever swim between the flags and don’t swim further than your abilities allow.

About Karekare Falls

Karekare falls is one of several waterfalls in the Waitakere ranges; sitting south of Kitekite Falls and west of Waitakere Falls. The track takes a maximum of 10 minutes to walk and is on a gentle decline to the falls. Standing at 30 meters tall it’s one of the smallest waterfalls in the Auckland region and the smallest waterfall in west Auckland. Depending on recent rainfall in the area, water trails down the side of the cliff gently falling into the freshwater pond below.

The pool at the bottom of Karekare falls isn’t incredibly deep and is easy to walk into as long as you don’t mind the rocks. The freshwater pool doesn’t have a large outlet or undertow so it’s a great place for young kids to swim or for those who aren’t overly confident in the water.

Related: Love bush walks? Check out Mercer Bay Loop for another West Auckland hike!

The water is cold all year round no matter how high the temperatures get in the day, but swimming at Karekare waterfall is better on a cooler, more overcast day, rather than a hot summer’s afternoon where the sun is beaming down. It’s less of a shock when you’re getting into below freezing temperatures if you haven’t been cooking in the sun all day.

How to get to Karekare Waterfall

Getting to Karekare falls is a pretty easy drive if you know your way around the Waitakere Ranges. Karekare walking track is a popular waterfall in Auckland because of its’ easy accessibility by car or on foot; you don’t need any special vehicles to get to the start of Karekare walking track.

Auckland to Karekare Falls

The drive out to Karekare falls is around 40-minutes from Auckland city depending on traffic. Travel along Piha Rd from Titirangi until you hit Karekare Rd on your left.
Karekare road is very narrow and has a large low-hanging tree halfway down the road, so if you’re driving a bus it’s best to not travel this route and use Lone Kauri Rd instead, which is 2km before the Karekare Rd turnoff.

Keep as far to the left as possible and look out for other cars coming up the hill, the locals can be quite quick on Karekare Rd as they know this route like the back of their hand. Also, be aware that there is a decent drop on the left side of the road as you’re traveling down.

Once you reach the one-way bridge you have made it to the bottom, follow the road until you reach a large car park on your left for Karekare Beach. You can either park here or continue across the next one-way bridge and park in the small lot on the corner at the base of Lone Kauri Rd.

Karekare Falls Track

How long is the Karekare walk?

The track for Karekare falls is well sign posted as La Trobe Track at the bottom of Lone Kauri Rd. La Trobe Track is a super easy walk from the roadside and takes around 5 minutes to reach Karekare falls. The path is gravel and has a slight downgrade to the falls. Continue past the first small rocky waterfall until you reach a large clearing where Karekare falls sits. The only seating at the falls is the ground so prepare a blanket if you don’t want a dusty bum.

Related: Want more West Auckland walks? Check out 4 Best Waterfalls in West Auckland

Native Forest at Karekare Falls

The path which leads to the top of Karekare Waterfall has been closed off to try and stop the spread of  Kauri Dieback Disease. Kauri Dieback is a non-curable disease slowly killing off our native Kauri trees. It can be carried via water droplets or through the dirt on the bottom of shoes and hiking gear. This is why the shoe-cleaning stations at the beginning of each track are really important to use.

The only way to prevent and slow the spread is by sticking to walking tracks and scrubbing your shoes at each cleaning station, on entry and exit. Please help protect our native trees and landscape by not breaching any fences ooff-track off track.

Are Dogs Allowed at Karekare?

This is a popular question, and the easy answer is YES – You are allowed to bring your dog to Karekare falls, but they should be on a leash if they have a bad recall or are likely to sprint off into the bush. A lot of locals bring their dogs to the falls during summer for a swim and are usually off-lead, so keep that in mind if you’re bringing your dog for a trip to the falls and they either aren’t properly socialized or are a naturally very anxious dog.

Please keep in mind that not all tracks in the Waitakere ranges allow dogs, as there is currently an incurable tree disease being spread around the rainforest and is slowly killing off our native Kauri trees. The disease is spread by particles being transported through the dirt on boots/feet and down streams, so the less you or your dog stray off the path and into the bush, the better.

Nearby West Auckland Walking Trails and Waterfalls

Hillary Walking Trail

Enjoy a multi-day hike? The Edmund Hillary trail is a hiking trail made for those who want to experience Auckland’s west coast on foot. The 75km path takes you from Titirangi to Muriwai and can take around 4 days to complete. This track isn’t for the faint-hearted and a fair amount of preparation is required. However the Hillary Walking Trail can be completed in parts at your leisure, the track is visibly signposted with a picture of Sir Edmund Hillary which marks out sections of the track.

Mercer Bay Loop

This short west Auckland hike has views worth driving for. Mercer Bay Loop is a great short walk in the Waitakere Ranges for incredible views above the wild west coast ocean. The track is easy enough for anyone to enjoy, some people might just take a bit longer than others when walking back up to the carpark as it can be steep in some areas. The views from the lookout points show a sheer drop down to the water below, so be careful on some of the ledges as only small parts of the track have railings. Mercer bay Loop is worth the effort for a sunrise or sunset walk. Be sure to bring a hat and some sunblock as there is very little shade once you get down to the main viewing platforms.

Kitekite Falls

Kitekite Falls is the longer but more popular waterfall hike in West Auckland. Hundreds, if not thousands of people swarm here every summer to take a dip in the freshwater which cascades down 40 meters to the pool below. The walk is much longer than the track for Karekare, but it is extremely rewarding as you can probably tell from the pictures below. You can check out my post on Kitekite falls if you’re interested in exploring this part of Auckland’s rainforest too.

Raglan: The best coastline and amazing Bridal Veils Falls

Access to Karekare Beach

Head back across the road from Karekare falls to the carpark at Karekare beach and take the walk to Karekare beach. It’s a great black sand beach to stretch your legs and get some sun, but swimming at Karekare is only advised during patrolled hours due to the dangerous surf, otherwise it’s a great beach to walk along and explore.

West Auckland is known for its rough and wild beaches along the west coast. Local TV shows like Piha rescue (which you can find on youtube) will give you a fair idea of how rough our coast can get, and swimming at beaches like those is only recommended if you’re a confident swimmer. If you’re not a fan of wild beaches with big waves, Cornwallis beach is perfect for small families or for those people who want to swim rather than survive. The almost perfectly flat body of water is great for kayaking or small children learning to swim in the ocean.
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