Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Waireinga (Bridal Veil Falls)
Just past Te Mata (a short drive south of the main Raglan-Hamilton road) is the turn-off
to the 55m Waireinga (Bridal Veil Falls), 4km from the main road. From the car park, it's
an easy 10-minute walk through mossy native bush to the top of the falls (not suitable for
swimming). A further 10-minute walk leads down to the bottom. Lock your car: theft is a
problem here.
Magic Mountain Horse Treks
( 07-825 6892;
www.magicmountain.co.nz
;
334 Houtchen
Rd, Te Mata; 1/2hr rides $50/80)
runs horse treks around the hills, plus a ride to Waireinga
(Bridal Veil Falls, $100).
Pirongia Forest Park
its 959m summit clearly visible from much of the Waikato. The mountain is usually
climbed from Corcoran Rd (three to five hours, one way) with tracks to other lookout
points. Interestingly, NZ's tallest-known kahikatea tree (66.5m) grows on the mountain-
side. There's a six-bunk DOC hut near the summit if you need to spend the night: maps
and information are available from Hamilton DOC (
Click here
)
.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Te Awamutu
POP 9800
Deep into dairy-farming country, Te Awamutu (which means 'The River Cut Short'; the
Waikato beyond this point was unsuitable for large canoes) is a pleasant rural service
centre. With a blossom-treed main street and a good museum, TA (aka Rose Town)
makes a decent overnighter.
Sights
Te Awamutu Museum
MUSEUM
(
www.tamuseum.org.nz
; 135 Roche St; admission by donation; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm
Sat, 1-4pm Sun)
Te Awamutu Museum, 'where history never repeats', has a
True Colours-
painted shrine to local heroes Tim and Neil Finn. There are gold records, original lyrics,
Finn memorabilia and oddities such as Neil's form-two exercise book. There's also a fine
