Cyclone Gabrielle changed Te Ana Falls in Tāngōio Forest. Its height appears to be dramatically reduced, affecting the shallow pool at the bottom. Photo / Supplied
Cyclone Gabrielle changed Te Ana Falls in Tāngōio Forest. Its height appears to be dramatically reduced, affecting the shallow pool at the bottom. Photo / Supplied
New photos seen by Hawke’s Bay Today reveal a dramatic transformation of what was once one of Hawke’s Bay’s most loved and visited waterfalls, most likely caused by the sheer force of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Te Ana Falls was, pre-cyclone, a 15-minute walk from the carpark up the Tāngōio Falls Scenic Reserve tracks. The closest significant waterfall to Napier, it was one of two falls along the track, with Tāngōio Falls a bit further uphill.
Lindsay Tallman, senior ranger community for DoC, confirmed the tracks were still closed until further notice as the area was unsafe due to flooding damage, slips and tree falls.
“DoC has not yet re-evaluated the site, as we are focusing our limited resources to evaluate and restore other sites at this time. We do not currently have an estimated reopening date for the Tāngōio Falls Scenic Reserve tracks,” Tallman said.
Hawke’s Bay Tourism describes Te Ana as a “breathtakingly beautiful” 20m waterfall on its website.
But a group of walkers who appear to have breached DoC’s strict rules about accessing the site, found a far smaller waterfall than they were expecting.
A local woman, who declined to be named, compared photos of the waterfall before Cyclone Gabrielle with photos she took on her recent excursion through the ruined track at the end of last week.
She said she and the others she went with were very curious to see the track and waterfalls for themselves after hearing about what happened to them from someone else they knew who had seen it.
The original carpark and entrance to the track has been washed away, along with the swing bridge used to gain easy access over the river to the falls.
The group could not reach Tāngōio Falls but believed they found where the track used to lead up to it. Photo / Supplied
The woman used to visit the falls fairly often with her family when she was younger, but she said the area appeared to have changed “quite a lot” since then.
She was “shocked” by how different Te Ana Falls looked. She said her photo showed half of the rock wall eaten away by the rushing water, leaving a far shorter fall.
“Part of the river is actually dried up, there is no water where there used to be water, it has changed quite a bit,” she said.
“Before there was a pool of water so you couldn’t walk [right up to the fall], but now you can get right in there and look up at the cliff walls and see how high they are. It is kind of daunting and a bit spooky as well.”
It was unclear whether the dried-up river and pool were seasonal or caused by the ongoing impact of Cyclone Gabrielle on the surrounding landscape.
The group did not reach Tāngōio Falls.
“There are a bunch of rocks that have fallen down and a little waterfall. We think that is where the old track was because that is where the other waterfalls were leading up to,” the woman said.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
