Vivian Falls Te Wai Heke O Maoa is one of the loveliest and historically more interesting falls near the Waikato and South Auckland border. The falls are about 12 metres high and are broken into several tumbling streams about halfway down by a large mass of rocks.
They are also a little trickier to get to than the others in the region. Head southeast from Pukekohe to Tuakau, then across the Waikato River on the Tuakau Bridge. Follow Tuakau Bridge Road to Onewhero, then onto Kaipo Flats Road, then Miller Road till you reach a gate. Park by the gate, then walk a few metres past it to access the short track to the falls.
Shortly after entering the track, there is an interesting sign with the story of Maoa, who freed the people of the Waikato from a particularly tyrannical ruler in the 1700s. The Māori name for the falls reflects that history, but there was no indication of where the more prosaic but pretty name Vivian arose from. Continue down a short set of steep steps to the base of the falls.
After the falls, you can continue to follow the road through a farm into the native-forest-clad Harker Reserve, which the Harker family gifted to the public in the early 1980s. The route terminates on Tuakau Bridge Rd and takes about an hour each way.
