Whangārei Falls, North Island, New Zealand

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Whangārei Falls, New Zealand

This beautiful location on New Zealand's North Island has been a popular place to bring a blanket and basket and enjoy lunch since at least the 1890s. Whangārei Falls is part of the Hātea River. At the waterfall, the river drops 26 metres over a basalt lava flow. The surrounding park provides a loop trail ideal for a hike along the edge of the river.

English horology enthusiast Archibald Clapham purchased the land here, including the waterfall, during the 1920s to save the landscape from commercial exploitation. It was later purchased by the Whangārei Businessmen's Association, which turned the space into a public park.