Whangārei Falls repeatedly trashed: Whangārei District Council foots $92k cleaning bill

Otuihau Whangārei Falls area hit by tagger. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Prolific tagging and vandalism at one of Whangārei’s most boasted scenic tourist spots costs around $90,000 per year to remedy.

Otuihau Whangārei Falls (Te Wai Tiketike o Waiangā) features on the bucket lists of most visitors to Northland keen to explore the region’s pristine beauty.

Avid photographers, families with young children, dog walkers, adventurers and more are some of those who come to marvel at the picturesque 26.3 metre-high waterfall that cascades over basalt cliffs.

But repeated vandalism often turns Whangārei Falls from the belle of the ball into a diamond in the rough.

Two weeks ago the park’s public toilets, an information board and other general signage were scarred with spraypainted tags. A rubbish bin bore the symptoms of having been set alight.

A significant sculpture installed in mid-2020 is missing its plinth. Equilibrium was a symbol of unity and wholeness for both the Whangārei community and its natural environment.

Graffiti on the walls of the public toilets at Whangārei Falls.

A tag covers most of an information board at Whangārei Falls.

The sculpture, Equilibrium, installed at the Whangārei Falls in 2020 is now missing its plinth.

Carvers David Snowden and Tash Nikora received a Whangārei District Council Supreme Award and Creative Northland People’s Choice Award for the now-missing sculpture.

But the falls’ mistreatment is nothing new. Google reviews dating back years described toilet paper strewn through the trees and bushes, litter everywhere, or just simply: “trashed”.

Whangārei District Council’s parks and recreation manager David Lindsay said tidying the area around the falls is a constant work in progress.

Last year council spent $92,000 on removing graffiti at the falls.

“This is a similar amount to previous years,” Lindsay said.

He explained how this year there had been 16 “episodes” of tagging in the wider falls area - “not an unusual number” - and the latest were removed on August 28.

Police were also informed about the person usually associated with the tag, Lindsay said.

“The toilet cleaners and parks maintenance staff visit the location regularly and report graffiti and other vandalism to the appropriate contractor.”

As for the missing Equilibrium, Lindsay said the council has offered to cover the cost of a new sculpture and its installation. They are working with Creative Northland to liaise with the artists.