Tarawera River at Kawerau

Ready for whitewater fun? If you’ve got play boats, slalom kayaks, or maybe a couple of old car inner tubes, you’ll have a great time in Kawerau. The Tarawera river passes right by the town. Alongside Boyce Park and Firmin Field, there’s an 800-metre-long stretch of grade 2-3 rapids, with kayak slalom gates.

If you’re not an expert, start at the bottom where the rapids are easier, then move upriver as your skills improve. With several access points, you can easily portage boats between runs.

Trip time

A skilled paddler can easily play in the slalom course rapids for half an hour each run. A straight run down takes under ten minutes. The Tarawera has a good flow all year round.

Refreshment/car parking

You’ll find toilets and shops within 1 km. There’s unlimited parking in and around the tree-lined riverside parks of Kawerau.

To get to the main part of the slalom course, turn down River Road and onto Waterhouse Road, then head left onto the dirt road just before the Tarawera Bridge. Access the top end of the rapid from Boyce Park.

Other paddles

Upstream of the rapids, there’s handy flat water, good for multi-sport kayak training or a cruise. You can put-in at Roy Western Park, which is at the end of Poirritt Drive.

The river moves fairly swiftly in places, but there are no rapids. It’s a lovely bush-edged paddle, with glimpses of Pūtauaki/Mt Edgecumbe. An experienced paddler can go around 40 minutes upstream, 20 minutes return.