Who doesn’t love a waterfall? Especially one that’s so far from civilization you might as well be lost in the jungle.

The Coromandel in New Zealands’ North Island is a popular holiday destination, known for its beautiful beaches, camping locations and abundance of bush walks. The Coromandel is more nature than it is civilisation. Most of the land is engorged with native bush, hills and jagged landscape, meaning there is no shortage of adventurous day trips and hikes to choose from.

Complete with some interesting gold mining history, the Coromandel will have activities and adventures to suit everyones needs and expectations while on holiday.

Waiau Waterfall

10.6km from Coromandel Township / 14-minute drive

Waiau Falls is one of my favourite waterfalls in the Coromandel. It is super easy to access from the roadside carpark with an easy 5-minute walk. Waiau falls is relatively small, perfect for a quick dip and relax, but not quite enough to do laps in or work on your cardio.

When we arrived there was a family leaving, so we managed to get the waterfall all to ourselves for about 30 minutes before another family turned up wanting to get pictures of the falls.

How to get to Waiau Falls from Coromandel Township

Travel south on state highway 25 for 5 minutes and turn left onto 309 Road. Stick to this road, watch out for any free roaming pigs and piglets or even stop by and say hi to Stuart on your way through. After about 10 minutes you should see signs for Waiau Falls, the small carpark is on your left and the track leads you down to the waterfall which is a short distance from the roadside.

Stuart and the Pigs

I really meant it when I mentioned above to watch out for pigs. There is a 99.9% chance you might have to slam on your breaks to avoid hitting several piglets.

We stopped on the side of the road next to a dilapidated fence, and within minutes Stuart came out carrying a piglet and put it in my hands. His land isn’t one of lush rolling fields and large ponds but is more or less the type of environment where you would expect to find generations of thriving pigs all living together. The ground is covered in fish bones and skin which were donated as feed by local butchers and fish shops. And it seems that Stuart has accumulated a collection of old cars.

And I say that with the utmost respect…Stuarts family has owned this land for decades and it has slowly evolved into a haven for pigs and chickens to roam freely, without the fear of being used for meat. Unfortunately, Stuart has a hard time with some locals who come by at night and steal several large pigs instead of hunting their own in the bush, so Stuart often sleeps on the farm in a van rather than in his house on a different part of the property to look after his stock.

Pauanui Waterfalls

3km from Pauanui / 3-minute drive

Pauanui waterfall is a great little place to visit if you’re wanting a fresh water dip while staying in Pauanui township. The waterfall is well hidden in the bush, and if you blink you’ll probably miss it. The waterfall is about 3km along Hikuai Settlement road from Pauanui, keep an eye out for a small layby which will take you to a overgrown path which leads to the waterfall.

The pool at the bottom of the falls isn’t very large, and the waterfall itself is a large stream which gushes down the rocks. This wont be the most impressive waterfall you’ve been to but it’s a nice time spent in the bush none-the-less.

Broken Hills Walking Trails

417.9km from Pauanui / 20-minute drive

Broken Hills is where you can dive into some of New Zealands’ gold mining history, indulge in one of the many hiking trails through Broken Hills and explore old mining shafts, caves and left over railway lines and natural wildlife like weta.
These Coromandel gold mining caves are surrounded by waterfalls big and small, the 8 different hiking tracks of varying distances from 400m to 3.5km will encourage you to explore well beyond you comfort zone, especially if you don’t like confined spaces like caves or mine shafts.

How to get to Broken Hills from Pauanui

Travel west on Hikuai Settlement Road until state highway 25. Take a right onto SH25 then straight away turn left onto Morrison Road. Follow onto Puketu Valley Road and follow signs for the Broken Hills Campground and hiking trails.

Other Things to do in the Coromandel

Accommodation in the Coromandel

Hush Boutique is a great place to stay in the Coromandel for a romantic getaway. Sitting a short drive from Coromandel township, Hush Boutique Accommodation has several individual log cabins that sit among native forest. With a private pathway that lead to each cabin, you’ll look out your front door and feel like you are in a isolated paradise.

The communal outdoor kitchen allows the space to cook and prepare your own meals, it has everything you need from chopping boards to cooking oil. There is a small fridge in each cabin otherwise you are welcome to use the large fridge-freezer in the kitchen for larger items.

Driving Creek Railway Tours

Driving Creek is a great place to go if you have a young family, or you find yourself house bound because of bad weather. Driving Creek Railway Tours offers a small train ride through native bush where you are told about the history of Coromandel and also the very land you are exploring.

Driving Creek also offers zip line rides and a pottery class, pay a small fee to learn how to throw clay and make pots and cups on a pottery wheel. We both walked away having made two items each and a new found love for pottery. Your creations then get fired in the kiln and glazed and sent to your home address, we received ours within a couple of weeks and couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.