Side trip: Whangarei Falls

Gushing water, crunching of leaves, insects in the trees and birds singing away. I’m staring through the trees in the bush at the beautiful Whangarei Falls, just a few hours north of Auckland, the perfect pit stop on a road trip.

Coming back from the Bay of Islands to the dreaded Auckland City (I’m not a city person despite all my attempts), I stopped in like a lot of people on the public holiday to check out Whangarei Falls. They had people directing visitors to their car parks and providing information on the waterfalls, so it was pleasantly organised and surprisingly not too busy.

I’m learning New Zealand’s nature can constantly surprise me, it’s usually free and gorgeous to look at, unlike many attractions in other parts of the world.

You can do a simple 30 minute walk around the falls and get views from all angles, in and out of the bush. All you hear is gushing water and the sound of birds. Not a bad way at all to break up the driving!