Everyone has a bucket list right? You know, a list of things you want to experience... like maybe taking a gap year abroad, watching your favourite sports team play, swimming with dolphins, seeing the northern lights, skydiving (if you’re the thrill seeking type) getting a dream job or maybe even just making it two hours without loosing your phone if you’re the Sabina type... As a couple travelling together, can we really say that we’ve done everything on our bucket lists though? The honest answer is no, but are we always making the most of every opportunity to do the things we love?... also no.
On Thursday however we at least checked off another activity that both of us can be glad to say we’ve done. After days of camping in a car with no running water, we decided we’d wake up early, go out, and have a nice hot bath... Now don’t get us wrong here, we’d like to make it very clear that we have had baths before (although you would probably question that if you’ve ever been around Liam after he’s been to the gym) but this wasn’t just any bath, this was a geothermal hot springs bath and wow!, what a nice way to start the day...
The hot pools by Waikato River are free to use, and simply amazing. We can’t really imagine a more relaxing way of kicking off the morning then bathing under a hot waterfall, whilst sitting in knee-deep pools of crystal clear volcanic water. If only we had been there for sunrise.. now that would be even better, but that’s not to say we weren’t extremely lucky to have such a great start to the day.
If there is one criticism to say about the hot pools though it’s their popularity; even on the cold cloudy days you can expect the area to be fairly busy, but we don’t blame people for coming here - it’s absolutely something everyone should be able to experience, like that moment when you find forgotten money in your coat pocket, or if you’re Sabina, that moment when you just find anything in general... Remember of course that these springs are heated by underground lava, so it’s always a good idea to check the temperature before jumping in, unless you want to experience what it’s like to be a fried egg.
How to get there using google maps:
Search for “Huka Falls Walkway”, if you type in swimming pool or spa park hot pool then it’s possible you’ll be directed to the far side of the river as that is technically the closest road to the pools. It’s not worth parking on the other side and then trying to cross the river because one... you’ll likely die due to the strong current that sweeps everything towards the falls, and two... if that’s not bad enough the river is also really, really cold.
After having a hot bath, it was time to move on with our day. Something to mention here is that on the previous night, Liam had a flipflop-related accident and badly injured his toe, giving him temporary permission to limp everywhere and moan a lot. We weren’t sure if his injury would affect our ability to go on long walks, yet somehow came to the conclusion that committing ourselves to a 10 km trek would be a good way of testing this.
We planned to walk along the Waikato River to the Aratiatia Dam and back, passing Huka Falls on the way. The first part of the walk, to Huka Falls is around 3 km through the forest and should take around an hour. We really enjoyed this part of the walk. You can stop at countless viewpoints above the river and at one point we could even look down on the campsite we were staying at. Close to the falls (you’ll be able to hear when this is) there is a narrow path to the river, leading to a great photo spot.
Once you get to the falls, you won’t want to leave. A unique feature of these falls is the sheer velocity of the water falling down to the river below; the river first takes path down a series of smaller drops, then narrowing from around 100 metres wide into just 15, the river accelerates through the restriction and flies off the edge of the rock to it’s final 6 metre plunge at a staggering rate of 1.3 million litres per minute. To put that in perspective, it’s enough to fill up an Olympic sized swimming pool in around 10 seconds. It’s one of those places that makes you realise how powerful nature can be.
If you don’t fancy walking to the falls they are also easily accesible by road, but unless you are short on time, we recommend taking the walk. We really can’t recommend the walk to Aratiatia Dam though, and if we did then we would be bad people, as our overall experience of it was pretty poor. It’s a further 7 km to the Dam from the falls, the first third of which is a fairly nice walk. After arriving at red bridge though, the track starts to become less and less interesting, until eventually it’s about as enjoyable as waiting in line at the post office.
That’s not to say that there isn’t reason to give it a try though... firstly, it’s good exercise - particularly the part that goes needlessly back on itself for around 15 minutes with no justifiable reason, and secondly because it’s one of few times you’ll ever get to see the roof of a not only a power station, but also a prawn park, something instantly identifiable by the nauseating smell that hovers around the track somewhere near the halfway point (We like prawns as much as the next people but this was too much). If you haven’t picked up on the sarcasm by now, we didn’t really enjoy the walk all that much. Did we mention that it’s also a one-way track, meaning that you’ll have to endure all of this not just once, but twice... and for the duration of this you won’t pass a single shop or water fountain. It was a hot day when we chose to do this walk, and the track offers no shade, so if you’re still planning on going, at least bring sun cream and plenty of water... and possibly a peg for your nose.
Aratiatia rapids themselves though (next to the dam) are definitely worth a visit. Whether you get there by foot, bike or car, the flooding of the valley below as the dam opens will be equally as impressive either way. This part of the river actually used to be flooded permanently until the New Zealand government built a hydroelectric dam there. At set points during the day, the flood gates open and water smashes down into the rocks below, flooding the entire valley in minutes.
This entire spectacle can be watched from 3 viewpoints overlooking the action - a nearby bridge, an upper viewpoint, and a lower viewpoint, the latter of which being where we stood for the show that lasts around 15 minutes. If you would like to see it from another point of view, it’s possible to run between viewpoints as they are all within close proximity, or alternatively, there is nothing stopping you from coming back another time - it’s free after all. Don’t forget to plan your visit according the time of year, as the opening times are seasonal dependant.
The times are as follows:
October – March: 10:00; 12:00; 14:00 and 16:00
April – September: 10:00; 12:00 and 14:00
After the show had finished, we began our walk back to the hot pools. We were looking forward to another hot soak and there were talks of grabbing a few bottles of beer to enjoy as the night came in. Liam’s toe was holding up well despite the dusty conditions, but the walk was draining the enthusiasm from us... It may have been just 10 km but it felt more like twice that. Eventually we got back to the car but by then both our motivation and energy levels were tremendously low. At this point it was hard to decide whether we just needed a strong coffee, or 2 weeks of sleep.
The car park at the pools shuts at 20:00, although there is always the option to park by the gate and walk 1 km to the pools. Nevertheless, after all the walking we had done that day, we were feeling too tired and decided to leave it for another time. It was the end of another good day, and despite the uninspiring walk we had enjoyed it for the most part, and we were also happy to have ticked off one more thing from our bucket lists.
Up Next: Moon Craters and Giants
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