Sometimes we do things we aren’t proud of while traveling, and my walk through the bush to see the Kitekite falls is one of them.
Sure, the views were beautiful, but I feel like I dishonored the sacred land by making the hike.
Here’s some background: the Kitekite falls are located near Piha Beach, which is about an hour’s drive west of Auckland. They’re stunning and beautiful, and open to the public. You see, normally there is no reason for anyone to feel guilty about going to see them. But right now, I am going to advise you to not do what I did and avoid this area for the time being.
You see, the area around the falls is home to a Kauri forest and Kauri trees are considered kings of the New Zealand forest by the Maori people. They are giant and beautiful, and unfortunately, a lot of them were chopped down by European settlers when they first arrived in New Zealand. However, in recent years, the New Zealand government has taken measures to protect the remaining trees and the forest is slowly coming back to life.
Unfortunately, over the last few years, many of the trees have fallen ill due to a parasite which is referred to as Kauri dieback. There’s no cure for the dieback, and in order to keep the parasite from spreading, several people in the area have petitioned the government to close the forests to visitors until it heals. And to their credit, a lot of the trails have been shut down, but many are still open. And while there are places to wash your shoes before continuing into the forest, the move doesn’t fully protect the trees and an area considered sacred by the Maori.
I knew none of this when I started my hike to the falls, but one-third of the way into the hike, a volunteer at the entrance to the shoe cleaning station did explain why the station was there, and why we should consider turning around. I will say I felt as if I should turn back, but didn’t listen to my gut and went anyway.
The hike itself is beautiful. The walk through the forest is fairly easy and breathtaking, and it only takes about an hour and a half round trip to get to the falls and back, although you can continue onwards if you choose to.
The falls themselves are worth every single second of the walk. They stand about 130 feet high and can appear even larger if you continue to the lookout, as there are a smaller waterfall and pool directly above it. They are beautiful and stunning and I am happy I saw them in person.
Still, its been a few weeks since I went on the hike, and I have yet to get over the fact that I did something that could harm the forest, and furthermore, disturb a sacred area because I know better. I strive to be an eco-conscious traveler at all times, and also do my best to adhere to the customs and beliefs of the people the country I am visiting. And while in this particular instance I was with other people I still could’ve spoken up and not continued.
Unfortunately, this is in the past and is something I can’t change. But I can tell you the story and try and prevent someone from making the same mistake. While there are some news stories about the paths that have been closed to the public, there is not a lot out there is written about the Kauri trees and the forest around Kitekite Falls that I can find. I think that’s a shame because it is a popular attraction, and people should really know what’s going on before they get there. After all, if you drive all the way out there to see the falls, chances are you aren’t going to want to turn around halfway through. But now that you know at the very least you can go there and make a conscious decision either not to go, or to take some precautions, such as cleaning your shoes of any soil before arriving onsite.
To learn more about the Kauri trees and the disease killing them and how you can help save the trees, please check out this website: https://www.kauridieback.co.nz
Nice place, Great Photos 🙂
Thank you. I wish I had a happier story to tell with them.
Interesting conundrum. Either see it before it’s gone forever or speed up the process to its extinction. Glad to see this beautiful wonder, I hope there’s a better way to save the terrain than washing your shoes.
Oh, it’s such a conundrum! And yeah, I wish there was more we could do too, but with no cure, it seems like the only option one has is either to be very careful or not go on the hike at all.
I think the waterfall looks amazing, but maybe they should close all the trails. Don’t give people the option to hike – shoe cleaning or not. The best thing would be to just close all trails until the trees have healed.
I kind of agree with you, but I think maybe it would be hard to enforce since there are so many trails in the area and so many visitors. It’s such a hard call to make.
This waterfall looks amazing. I’d love to try this hike too
Its a pretty waterfall, but I would maybe wait awhile before taking the hike if you can.
Wow this is stunning! You gotta love a good waterfall!
Thanks! Yes, the waterfall is quite beautiful.
Wow what a story!! Something similar (kind of) happened to me and my boyfriend. We went on a road trip and found ourselves on a road we shouldn’t have been on. It turned into a death defying roadtrip with us struggling to make our way back to safe land. We ignored our gut instincts. Never again!! But we have great stories to tell our friends now 😮
Oh, well I think that’s quite a bit different than my story. I wasn’t in danger myself at all… I just might have hurt the trees. But hey, thanks for sharing your story.
Oh wow this place looks pretty. I would love to visit Kitekite falls, such a bucket list location for sure x
They are beautiful but I would make them a bucket list destination in about 10 years so the trees have some time to heal. In the meantime I have lots of photos of them though. 🙂
Wow that is so sad to hear. As beautiful as this site is it should be respected and not disturbed if it’s harmful for it. They should definitely close the trails until the forest has had time to heal and then take some kind of measures to keep it from devastation again. I’m glad you’re telling the story truthfully and warning others to do the right thing.
Thanks so much! I agree with you; they’ve closed quite a few others so I find it strange they left this particular one open. I do hope my mistake inspires other to not do the same!
First of all, the name Kitekite falls is so cute haha. And waterfalls are always so elegant, even if it small ones or the Niagara. Your pictures tell me it’s a beautiful place to enjoy nature, and hiking is one of my favorite activities <3
Thanks, the name is quite cute. And yes, it is a nice place to enjoy nature, but as I said in the post I think its best to wait a bit before doing so in order to protect that same nature.
I love waterfalls and this is a great place to be. I want to go to New Zealand already. in my country we mostly have problems with deforestation and things like that, I’m sad too
Thanks! It is a nice place to be and they do do a lot of conservation here in New Zealand, but this particular instance they might not be doing enough. I’m sorry to hear about deforestation in your country though, maybe you can get some people together to champion a movement to change that?
Thank you for being so honest. I work in conservation and wildlife biology so I understand the importance of not continuing on the hike. However, I also have a strong wanderlust for nature and natural beauty so I would be very tempted to also continue on to see this incredible beauty. I love your photos btw 🙂
Thanks, I’m glad you liked the photos! And yeah, sorry I wasn’t a good ambassador this time around for conservation, but I hope this post is a the turning point!
It’s great to hear that the government has made concerted efforts to attempt to increase the numbers of Kauri trees by aforestation. Hope they find a way to get rid of the dieback and meanwhile control tourist numbers to prevent their efforts from going to waste!
Yes, I am glad they are doing something; so many governments would choose to do nothing. Your hopes are my hopes as well. 🙂
Wow, the waterfall is beautiful! Please don’t beat yourself up for continuing to hike. Sometimes we get so excited to do something that we don’t think properly. Also, on a positive note if you didn’t take that hike we probably would not have this post and you wouldn’t be sharing this your experience/saving the forest.
Oh, that is a good way to look at it. Thanks for offering me that perspective; I will try not to beat myself up too much!
We just hiked to a waterfall in the Caribbean. I can’t even remember the country. Ha! (We went to 8!) It’s always a beautiful sight – and the sound of water is SO peaceful and relaxing. <3
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed your hike! Waterfalls are beautiful to see… I sure hope you didn’t endanger the forests in the waterfalls you went to though like I did with this one.
The photos are so beautiful! 😊
Thanks so much!
Thanks for letting us know, we will be sure to avoid this location on our trip at the end of the month.
It’s great to see new places, but not at the expense of extinction. I appreciate the honesty in your story.
Thanks, I am glad my story is at least helpful to others. I am glad you are choosing not to go on this particular hike but if you do go to the Auckland region know the coastal areas are still quite nice and open for walking. (The Kauri trees are all a bit more inland) 🙂
Grear pictures.Really talks a lot of respecting the ecosystem .
Thanks! Yeah, I hope my experience helps inspire others to think twice before taking the walk.
Wow, waterfalls has always been my favorite nature’s wonder and traipsing my feet here would make me very happy.
I can never get enough of waterfalls! Although, in this particular instance, I wasn’t too happy when I slipped in and got my right leg soaking wet!