NZ Rainbow Falls walk

S/V TETHYS

Touring New Zealand by Car
December 2000, February, March 2001

KeriKeri	Rainbow Falls Walk

Twenty-three metre high Rainbow Falls is the goal of a four kilometre walk along the Kerikeri River. There are several sets of rapids along the way as well as tranquil stretches of water for swimming.	Wharepake Falls, a five metre falls stretching across the river, is a picturesque spot for a rest.

A lilypond along the way

The first electric generating station in the area is about three kilometres downstream from Rainbow Falls. This historic generating station was built in 1923 to provide 17 homes with electrical power. The original generator has been reinstalled but does not function. Originally, a weir above the falls diverted some of the Kerikeri River to a ditch, aqueduct and finally a pipe to drive the generator.
The impetus for the building of the generating station was to attract settlers to the area. British men who had been working in South East Asia wanted to retire to NZ but their wives refused to go to a place where no servants were available, unless electric power could be provided.
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