On Thursday 23 March 14 members of the Hikers 2 group had an outing to the Wairere Falls near Matamata.
The track to the top of the falls started with a pleasant walk through bush and alongside a river featuring huge bolders, wooden bridges and stairways. However it gradually got steeper and involved one and half hours of rocky paths, steep wooden steps and heart pounding exertion to keep going. We had a welcome rest at the half way stage where there was a deck constructed to give an excellent view of the falls.
The second stage took us to the river side and then a short walk to the edge of the precipice were the river plunges what seems like a couple of hundred feet to the valley below. There is viewing platform right by the river on the edge of the falls with a great view of the flat Waikato farmland in the distance. The walk back down the track although obviously mutch quicker is a challege to our dexterity and a bit hard on the knees.
We found a cafe on the road out from the falls where we enjoyed a well earned rest and refreshments.