Haruru Falls today is a small residential settlement, about three kilometres inland from its larger neighbour, Paihia. You can walk to Haruru Falls along the Waitangi walking track, or drive to Haruru Falls township - which is only 3 kilometres from Paihia.
Haruru means "big noise." The water falls in a horseshoe shape - very rare and quite spectacular - and Maori legend states that a taniwha (water monster) lives in the lagoon below.
In the 1800s, there were over 100 Maori villages along the Haruru Falls river. Haruru Falls was also New Zealand’s first river port for Maori Tribes and early vision boats.