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Mokoroa Falls

Mokoroa Falls is a curtain-style waterfall standing 11 metres high, located in the Goldie Bush Scenic Reserve between Muriwai and the Waitākere Ranges on Auckland's west coast.

It sits at the northernmost edge of the Waitākere Ranges Regional Park and is reached via a roughly 1 hour 15 minute return walking track from a parking area on Horsman Road, Waitākere, accessed by a 2-kilometre gravel road.

The site actually comprises two waterfalls: Mokoroa Falls on Mokoroa Stream and the nearby Houheria Stream Falls. Both are most dramatic during the rainy season.

An upper lookout platform — accessible to wheelchairs and strollers with care — offers a clear view of Mokoroa Falls, while wooden stairs descend to the base of both falls.

The trail passes through bush containing kauri trees and involves multiple stream crossings, with a hanging wooden bridge connecting to the Goldie Bush walkway for a loop return.

The waterfall carries deep cultural significance: it was known to the Te Kawerau ā Maki iwi as Wairere, and the name Mokoroa ("long lizard") refers to a taniwha, Te Mokoroa, whose lair was said to be the pool beneath the falls.


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