Wairua Falls and Power Station
Hundreds of thousands of years ago, hot lava flowed here. Now cold water does - but not in the spectacular style it once did. In fact, the Wairua Falls were once called the 'Niagara Falls of New Zealand’.
Located at the end of Wairua Falls Rd, near Titoki, the falls have been impacted by a power station that harnesses the power of the water to create energy for Whangārei residents.
Wairua Falls Power Station, source Northpower.
Before that, the might of the water was used to float logs downstream during the kauri logging days. It is said that the bigger logs would sometimes back up at the top of the falls, and then when it rained they would all go over at once.
These days very little water flows over the waterfall, especially in summer—but come the rains it is a sight to behold.