I loved this walk, it’s easy, on a great track with so much to see. I walked alongside the Kaituna River to view the famous Okere and Tutea Falls and finished off walking through stunning New Zealand native bush before arriving at the Kaituna Trout Pool.
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- Location: Okere Falls Scenic Reserve is a 23.3 km drive from Rotorua, North Island NZ
- Distance: 3 km round trip
- Time needed: 1 hour
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Wheelchair Access: No
- Route: Double back
- Elevation: 56m
- Wet Feet: No
- Toilets: Yes, at the main carpark
- Dogs: No
- Mobile Coverage: Yes
As you can see in the photos above, there is no problem finding a carpark. This is a great place to stop for a picnic and to stretch your legs, there is plenty of grassy places. The toilets are just a minute’s walk inside the bush.
The walk to Okere Falls to the lookout is so easy, five minutes is all it takes from the track. Walk up to Turbine Junction and turn to your right you will be at Okere Lookout before you know it.
Back on the main track and walk another 500m, take the turn off to the right, follow your nose to Hinemoa’s Steps and onto Tutea’s Cave.
Be very careful the steps can be extremely slippery. You can also walk down some wooden steps to an overlook and look back to Tutea’s Falls.
Back on the track again, a 15 minute walk will see you a track on your left. This track will take you to the bottom carpark.
Go to your right and onto the viewing platform. We arrived just in time to see two boys take the plunge.
Look to the left, take the steps down to the river, stick your toe in the water and see how warm the water is!
Continue along the track to the trout pool. This will take around 5 minutes. Keep looking to your right, you will see a good view of the trout pool falls from the track.
Follow the track to the carpark. We decided to walk back to the start of the walk along Trout Pool Road for a change of scenery and to get back out into the sun and warm up. But you can double back the same way if you want.