On the walking trail up to the top of Wairere Falls

If you've been following me on social media recently you will have seen that I have started a #GreatWalkWaikato series where I am trying to complete as many nature walks in the Mighty Waikato as possible. We have been through a crazy few months & it has made me a bit more thankful for what we have, so I thought I would take the opportunity to get out of the house and start exploring our beautiful region.

We are blessed to be surrounded by various natural attractions that are unique to our little corner of the world. My aim for the series is to showcase our natural beauty on social media and raise awareness for the importance of conservation in New Zealand. I hope in doing so it encourages us to explore the local attractions that we have perhaps taken for granted in the past, but also to bring awareness to how precious our environment is and how we must protect it.

The first walk I completed was Wairere Falls (a favourite of mine), which is the tallest waterfall in the North Island & a magnificent local attraction, near Matamata. Although there are a lot of steps, I guarantee the views are worth it!

Standing at the top of Wairere Falls overlooking the Waikato

I have often thought that it would be fantastic to one day see an official 'Great Walk' from Mt Te Aroha, along the Kaimai Range to SH29. This would be a massive tourist attraction, boosting the local economy & helping our focus on local conservation work. It would be the closest Great Walk to the Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, ensuring strong usage. I’m looking to engage with stakeholders to understand other potential views on this, so feel free to get in touch!

If you’d like to see my progress and some photos of my walks, including Wairere Falls, follow me on Facebook at facebook.com/TimvandeMolenWaikato. Feel free to get in touch via Facebook or via [email protected] with any suggestions for walks you'd like to see me do.