Kitekite Falls

“Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” – Albert Szent-Györgyi, M.D.

I can’t imagine living in an area where water is not abundantly surrounding me – be it in rivers, lakes or the ocean. Having it coming out the tap is pretty changing for humanity too!

Revisiting the walk to Kitekite Falls the other day, we see the water loaded from the mountain streams, amalgamating into rivers and as above, occasionally tumbling off cliff edges.

Flowing from the waterfall, back into a river and finally finding the mouth to the ocean.

We take water for granted – and really notice quick when it does not flow so easily. Only about 2.5% of all the earths water is fresh, and this is reducing with climate change. We can desalinate (as some countries and towns already do), but that takes a lot of energy.

“Water is the engine of all nature.” – Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo and Albert (above) are pretty bang on. It’s a precious thing that humanity is inherently tied to forever. We just need to take care of it.

Footnote – As mentioned in the image. Image 1 is edited and altered. It was a super busy day at the falls with dozens of people there. Just for a little experimentation, I played around with removing some of the audience and swimmers, leaving the one person in solitude to take in the beauty of Kitekite Falls.

Final note – Haha! its 2026… not 2025 as edited on the photos. Silly me!

“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” – John Burroughs April 3, 1837 – March 29, 1921

Whilst the modern take on science was not there in Mr Burroughs time, the concept of the restorative nature of trees and the forrest was well ingrained in human nature.

I read that in Japan, doctors prescribe nature walks, or “Shinrin-yoku” (forest bathing)to aid mental and physical health benefits of reduced stress, improved mood, better sleep, and boosted immune function -a recognised part of preventative healthcare.

Modern science tells us trees Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)or phytoncides, boost immune systems (increasing our natural killer cells), reduce stress, improve mood, and lower blood pressure. Inhaling these plant-emitted compounds enhances well-being, whilst also filtering and creating a healthier environment in general.

All this aside, for many of us, it just feels right, rejuvenating, peaceful.

Photos taken on the Lumix GF1, location: Kitekite Falls Walk, Piha, Auckland.

My last posting from the Piha area, for now. Krishna asked yesterday if I had any shots of the Kitekite Falls. With the beautiful green and dense growth on the surrounding track to the falls, it was hard to get a clear view. I did find a slight clearing however and took today’s shot. Aside from this walk I had taken my filter set with me all morning – it would have been ideal here also to assist with the blown out grey sky.

As can be seen in the image, the falls in full are made up of a number of units. The final being about 40m, the other 40m is built from several smaller falls, gathering into pools.

In post processing I adjusted the levels a little and lightly tinted the blown out sky. There was nothing there to rescue, so its all I could do with limited time.

I think the final image really highlights well the lush green environment of New Zealand bush. A great place to visit when in the area!

About a 5 minute drive from Piha is a track leading to the Kitekite Falls – a 40m drop waterfall (or 80m if you count the 3 tier of pools above it). A beautiful, well maintained bush walk, well worth visiting whilst in the area. There are several tracks to choose from, the shortest taking one about 20minutes of fair pace walking to reach the falls. Here you can take a cool dip in the chilled fresh water.

The falls were used once in attempt to transport felled trees downstream for processing. A fairly commonly used method in New Zealand, dams were built at the top of falls and rivers, logs floated, dams opened, and logs rushed down to the mouth of the river. This practice always damaged a number of logs, but in the KiteKite case, more logs were ruined than saved and it was not used again in the same manner.

Today’s image was shot downstream on my journey back. Leaning out at a corner, I focused upstream and captured the river straight on, disappearing into the bush. Using Gimp, I cropped the aspect a little, adjusted the levels and used the ‘National Geographic’ plug-in.

Tag: Kitekite Falls

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Out from the Kitekite