Rainbow Falls (Waianiwaniwa)
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow Falls, Māori name Waianiwaniwa, (Waters of the Rainbow), are a single-drop waterfall
located on the Kerikeri River
near Kerikeri
in New Zealand
.
Unlike most New Zealand waterfalls which are created by the erosion of soft rock, the Rainbow Falls are sited on a hard basalt layer of rock beside softer mudstone. The falls were formed when water eroded the mudstone. The 27 metre waterfall is popular with tourists and is regularly photographed from an adjoining Department of Conservation area.
The Rainbow Falls Walk is along a track which takes about 10 minutes to traverse to connect to the Kerikeri River Track which is about 3.5 km long and takes about 1.5 hours to walk. It leads to the Kerikeri Basin where Kerikeri's old buildings are sited, the Stone Store
, Mission House
and St James Church, plus Rewa's Village and historic Kororipo Pa. The track follows the north bank of the River and passes through kiwi
habitat and regenerating native trees such as stands of young kauri and totara.
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
located on the Kerikeri River
Kerikeri River
The Kerikeri River rises in the Puketi Forest inland from Kerikeri and flows into the western extremity of the Bay Of Islands in northern New Zealand....
near Kerikeri
Kerikeri
Kerikeri, the largest town in the Northland Region of New Zealand, is a popular tourist destination about three hours drive north of Auckland, and 80 km north of Whangarei...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Unlike most New Zealand waterfalls which are created by the erosion of soft rock, the Rainbow Falls are sited on a hard basalt layer of rock beside softer mudstone. The falls were formed when water eroded the mudstone. The 27 metre waterfall is popular with tourists and is regularly photographed from an adjoining Department of Conservation area.
The Rainbow Falls Walk is along a track which takes about 10 minutes to traverse to connect to the Kerikeri River Track which is about 3.5 km long and takes about 1.5 hours to walk. It leads to the Kerikeri Basin where Kerikeri's old buildings are sited, the Stone Store
Stone Store
The Stone Store at Kerikeri in the Bay of Islands is New Zealand’s oldest surviving stone building.Part of the first Church Missionary Society station in New Zealand, the store was designed by John Hobbs to replace an earlier wooden store house. The Stone Store was erected between 1832 and 1836 by...
, Mission House
Mission House
The Mission House at Kerikeri in New Zealand was completed in 1822 as part of the Kerikeri Mission Station by the Church Missionary Society, and is New Zealand’s oldest surviving building...
and St James Church, plus Rewa's Village and historic Kororipo Pa. The track follows the north bank of the River and passes through kiwi
Kiwi
Kiwi are flightless birds endemic to New Zealand, in the genus Apteryx and family Apterygidae.At around the size of a domestic chicken, kiwi are by far the smallest living ratites and lay the largest egg in relation to their body size of any species of bird in the world...
habitat and regenerating native trees such as stands of young kauri and totara.