On New Year’s Day, Glenn and I packed up the car and just started driving.
Our road trip around New Zealand’s North island had begun. Little did we know that a few hours later we would be swimming in the ice cold Waiohine River and be walking across Waiohine Gorge’s swing bridge.
I mean, is there a better way to start a new year and get over the usual hangover that follows New Year’s Eve?
So this blog post is about how we spent a lovely afternoon at the wonderful Waiohine gorge.
During the post we’ll share information about the road, the campsite, the river, and the swing bridge at Waiohine gorge. So if you’re planning to visit this lovely little place in New Zealand, we’ve got you covered. Now let’s get started!
The road to Waiohine Gorge
The road to the gorge is literally named, “Waiohine Gorge Road”, and it follows the Waiohine River. So I don’t think it’s possible to get lost as long as you keep on following the road.
It’s just one way straight until the Waiohine Gorge Campsite appears, which is where the road ends.
Now, we wouldn’t say that the road is bad… BUT we did have some troubles with our little plum (the name of my sister’s small purple city car that we borrowed). We had to drive strategically and slowly in order to not scratch the underneath of the car. Beware of this when you drive.
- Related blog post: How to drive in New Zealand with confidence
So from Greytown it actually took us a small hour to get to the Waiohine Gorge Campsite – instead of the 30 minutes that 20 kilometers should normally take.
But we made it there in one piece, and luckily there were no cars behind us – so we didn’t slow anyone down… We know how annoyingly slow the tourists in New Zealand are driving, and we would like to apologize for our kind.
We found that the landscapes at the beginning of the Waiohine Gorge Road were pretty beautiful, but the further we made it towards the campsite, the thicker the forest became. So make sure to stop at the beginning of Waiohine Gorge Road if you want to take some nice pictures.
Arriving at the Waiohine Gorge Campsite
We knew when we had arrived at the Waiohine Gorge Campsite. Since it was just the day after New Years Eve, the place was completely full of tents from families and friends who had been celebrating the day before.
We were lucky to find a parking spot at the end of the road. Somebody had just left – thanks mate!
We learned that the Waiohine Gorge Campsite is managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), so staying here is pretty cheap. You can pay with cash at the self-registration stand and you’re good to go. The price for adults is just $10 per night.
- Read more about the campsite: Waiohine Gorge Campsite
We had a walk around the campsite, and it’s honestly a super cute place to set up camp for the night. There are even flushing toilets – nice!
However, it was really crowded because of the holidays, so we couldn’t decide who to put our tent next to. There were absolutely no available tent spots that were just a tiny bit secluded.
So instead of making a decision about where to sleep tonight, we made ourselves forget about the upcoming night, and went down to the Waiohine River to just enjoy the now.
How to spend an afternoon at Waiohine Gorge
This is how we spent an afternoon at Waiohine Gorge. It turns out that there is actually a lot to do in the area. So even if you’re not staying at the campsite, you should still pay a visit to this beautiful little place in New Zealand.
A picnic on the rocks
Before driving up the Waiohine Gorge Road, we stopped in Greytown to pick up some food. There is a Fresh Choice Supermarket in Greytown and a New World Supermarket in Carterton. So it’s easy to pick up some snacks on the way to Waiohine.
We walked down the little path to the Waiohine River with a blanket, a french baguette, and our bathing suits in hand. We were ready to just have a sit and enjoy the river view before moving on with our day.
The riverbank is full of pebbles and rocks, so don’t expect to find a patch of sand.
We actually gave up on finding a comfortable place to sit. Instead we just threw our blanket over some rocks. I mean, when you’re hungry, you don’t really care about how comfortable your butt is.
Having a picnic at the Waiohine River was very peaceful and we can totally recommend it.
Swimming in the Waiohine River
Since I’m from Denmark, it must mean that I have viking blood running through my veins, right?
Well to be honest, I’m a real chicken when it comes to water. It’s not that I don’t like swimming… but I prefer water to be a nice temperature, and I don’t like to get too much water in my face. I’m the kind of person who gets in the water, do 10 breaststrokes, and then call it a day – completely pathetic, I know.
Well if you’re swimming in Waiohine River, you can expect it to be rowdy. No breaststrokes possible here.
The stream is very strong, so really focus on your steps.
Also, it is COLD! I think that the fast stream makes it feel even colder on the body. Let me explain the temperature of the river in Glenn’s words, “I think that one of my balls froze off and is floating down the stream…”
But it was honestly the perfect way to wake up after New Year’s Eve. Swimming in the Waiohine River gave us the strength and renewed energy to keep ourselves going for the rest of the day.
Waiohine Gorge swing bridge
After our little swim, we decided to go check out the swing bridge that’s hanging over Waiohine gorge. To this day, we still don’t know how high it is – we’re guessing around 20 meters high.
The swing bridge is only 2 minutes away from the Waiohine campsite, so it’s super easy to find.
It’s a suspension bridge, where you are allowed up to 8 people at a time. There are warning signs about crossing the bridge during strong winds, so please have that in mind before you start walking across to the other side.
Since we’ve already established that I’m a chicken with water, I might as well be honest about my fear of heights – yes, I’m also a chicken when it comes to heights. I also wrote about this when we were crossing the swing bridges at Hooker Valley Track.
So walking across the swing bridge and passing the Waiohine Gorge from the air was admittedly a bit scary. But one thing I actually found really cool (and terrifying) is that if you look at your feet, you look straight down into the river. So it’s like walking in mid-air.
All things considered, walking across the Waiohine gorge swing bridge was quite the beautiful experience. The views over the gorge are just stunning! It would certainly have been ridiculous not to experience it because of an irrational fear.
Waiohine gorge walks
One thing we didn’t get to do was to go on one of the walks around Waiohine gorge. There are a few different walks that you can follow from the campsite into Tararua Forest Park.
I wish I could write more about the walks, but since I didn’t experience any of them, it’s pretty hard to comment on. It just means that we’ll have to return to Waiohine Gorge in the future, do some of the walks, and update this blog post.
Why we didn’t stay at the Waiohine Gorge Campsite
We ended up leaving the Waiohine Gorge Campsite and drove to Holdsworth Campsite instead.
We would have loved to stay a night at Waiohine gorge, but the cars kept on coming in. I think Waiohine Gorge is a very popular place to spend a night or two during the holidays in New Zealand. For us, it just became too crowded.
People literally placed their tents right next to the road. That just wasn’t for us.
So instead we drove towards Holdsworth DOC campsite in search of a little more space. The drive from Waiohine Gorge to Holdsworth is only about 40 kilometers, so it’s a great alternative.
New Zealand is known for its majestic landscapes full of volcanoes, glaciers and mountains. And we love that! However, we really like to discover the smaller and lesser-known places that are a little less majestic, but a little more secluded. We feel like Waiohine Gorge is one of these places.
Have you ever been to Waiohine Gorge or some other place in the woods of New Zealand that you can recommend on a road trip? Feel free to share it in the comments.
Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for some other unique places to visit in the North island, we can recommend the Red Rocks Walk in Wellington.
Is it your first time in New Zealand? Check out: Great things New Zealand is famous for
Love your article. Hope Glenn found his missing ball in the end 😆
It was sadly never retrieved… May it rest in peace.