Aratiatia Rapids

Aratiatia Rapids

Aratiatia Rapids
4.5
Bodies of WaterPoints of Interest & Landmarks
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience Aratiatia Rapids and nearby attractions

See what travellers are saying
  • Julia @Scrumptious Solent
    Southampton, United Kingdom4,370 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unexpectedly fabulous!
    Saw this by chance and I was so glad we stopped to watch the water in the dam being released down the rapids. It happens three or four times a day (first one at 10am). And you can watch the gorge being transformed as gallons of water surge down the stony ravine for 15 minutes. The best place to watch it from is the mid point viewing point (follow the track across the road through the trees for 5 minutes). The view is better from this stony outcrop than from the dam bridge or from the top viewing point which is too far away to get a good view. Get to the viewing point ten minutes before to reserve your spot! There’s a toilet in the car park but no cafe facilities.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 March 2024
  • Mouzouris
    Detroit, Michigan2,142 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Hidden Gem
    We forgot all about this one but stopped by because we saw some school busses at the parking lot. If you’re in the area look up The times they open the dam and trust me it’s worth seeing. Highly highly recommended.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 April 2024
  • JaneMLondon
    144 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit - fascinating. View from one of the lookouts rather than the bridge
    You need to time it for about 20 mins before the dam opens to have time to park, see the river before the dam opening, choose your favoured lookout point and then experience the water being released down the gorge. We chose the highest lookout which is the furthest away from the dam, as we could see the whole gorge from there, but the lower one would also be good as you are closer to the water in the first gorge section. You can see the lower lookout in my picture, taken from the higher lookout. The bridge is probably the least interesting viewpoint, as you see the release but not the gorge. Each section of the gorge fills up and then overflows to the next section so it isn't immediate. It is fascinating to watch the change and we also stayed to see the water level go back down again afterwards. Quite a unique experience all round and well worth visiting.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 May 2024
  • TheLeongOhana
    United States7,753 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Powerful
    We arrived before the first release of water that day from the dam. We split the family up and stationed ourselves across the three viewing areas: on the bridge overlooking the dam, midpoint about half a kilometer away and the highest view of all (10 minutes uphill from the midpoint). Being on the bridge was the closest to the action and all the sounds as the water rushed over the dam. The midpoint was the best view overall since you could see the water flows as it filled and then here and feel the power as it rushed by their location. The farthest site was good for the complete view of all the action but I think it was just too far away.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 23 June 2024
  • evenstar944
    New York City, New York297 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic Viewing of the Dam Release From the Midpoint
    I would suggest to arrive 20 minutes or so before the dam release so that you can get a good viewing spot. There are three viewing areas. A great spot to watch is the midpoint area where you can get to by following the tracks that are not too far from the bridge. I found the dam release a lot more interesting to watch than my visit to Huka Falls, and it was significantly less crowded. So, if short on time and if you could arrive right before the release to get a good viewing spot, I would choose this bar none over Huka Falls.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 5 July 2024
  • Crayeater
    Hamilton, New Zealand129 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful spectacle - on a sunny day
    The scheduled water releases are a beautiful, free, and very easy to access detour just outside of Taupo. We were lucky enough to be there on a sunny winters day and it kept the nephews entertained for half an hour. The champagne bubbly water is an amazing blue and we enjoyed the view from both sides of the bridge. I would go again to see it from one of the lookouts just down the river as I think each view would be quite different.
    Visited July 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 20 July 2024
  • Emma H
    Parkwood, Australia48 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful water release from the dam
    This was an easy drive from Taupo, well signed. The water release was worth the wait, with a number of view points to see. Walk to the viewing area was an easy track. A great free experience
    Visited August 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 August 2024
  • andreasam91
    Auckland Central, New Zealand2,813 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    For enthusiasts
    If you are a fan of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit you cannot miss this attraction. Keep in mind that the locks have fixed opening hours. Convenient free parking just a stone's throw from the bridge in front of the locks. Seaview point on the rapids reachable in 5/10 minutes on foot. With a little imagination you can see Bilbo and the dwarfs in the barrels
    Visited January 2025
    Travelled solo
    Written 17 January 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,250 reviews
Excellent
782
Very good
406
Average
58
Poor
3
Terrible
1

These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
This service may contain translations provided by Google. Google disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to translations, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from forgery.

SHBBB
Cape Town Central, South Africa450 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023 • Couples
The release of large amounts of water at the rapids is an interesting illustration of how the rapids have looked before the build of the hydropower station. The event happens daily at 10am, noon, 2pm and in summer also at 4pm and last about 15 minutes. It is a good idea to find a spot at the upper viewpoint before the gates open. Within the next few minutes the river starts filling up and about 10 minutes later the rapids are in full flow. From the lower viewpoint you have a nice view over the pools and the gate. It is worthwhile to observe it from all the viewpoints.
Written 8 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Maria M
Brisbane, Australia77 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Family
Awesome sight to watch the river below the gates rise within 5 mins. Great short walk to a couple of vantage points. Would recommend staying in one place to watch the water rise and fall again once the gates are closed.
Written 7 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Simon C
Ashtead, UK773 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2023 • Couples
Four times a day the sirens sound and entirely for the benefit of the tourists, two sluices holding back the waters from Lake Waikato are partially opened for 15 mins. It’s a great spectacle to watch the water quite slowly fill up the original path of the river and within 5 mins, it’s a raging torrent.

The best place to watch is either the mid of the upper lookout, much better than the bridge where most people gather.
Written 2 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Janka K
Brno, Czech Republic9,250 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
Check the times in advance when the reservoir releases the water. Otherwise it doesn't make much sense to visit the place.
There are multiple viewpoints from which you can see the immersing water, and I recommend to get to one of those. The process of emptying of the water reservoir is no so fast as I had thought and it takes few minutes till water gets to the viewpoints.
No need to buy a ticket to see the place.
Written 14 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hillrun1
Lahaina, HI204 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
I had no real idea what to expect when we arrived at the parking lot. We just kind of followed everyone across the street and picked a spot to watch.

In the summer, the dam releases a ton of water every two hours. The canyon below it goes from near empty to raging river. They do this four times a day so you need to be on time to enjoy it.

My wife stopped at the first lookout, which is closer to the water.

My daughter and I walked the extra 10 minutes to the high lookout. We were not close to the water but we could see the entire event.

When the water starts coming out, it's all white water by the dam. It takes a little while to fill up every pool coming down the little rock valley. From above, you can see the water level rise before it starts to become a raging river.

Once it fills the entire canyon, it flows into a lake behind it that I think you can take a tourist boat to see.

This is pretty awesome and something I wouldn't miss. The other good thing is that Huka Falls is close by and a must see.
Written 10 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andrina P
London, UK190 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Friends
Watching the dam spill into this magnificent basin was a fantastic experience. We watched at the 12pm release and it was breathtaking. Our viewpoint was from the bridge and even though this isn’t the main viewing platform it still provides a wonderful space to watch the force of the water. We then walked about 5 minutes to the lower viewing platform where we saw the water cascading down the rocks. Wear good walking shoes for this walk as it’s rocky and uneven but a beautiful walk none the less. I highly recommend going to see this area and watching the dam release is a must see.
Written 23 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tim K
110 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
We might have never gone but were directed there by person at the hotel. There is a dam on the Walkaito river for power generation that is opened 3-4 times daily to let out excess water down a gorge with rapids. It is an unusual site and kept us entranced for about an hour, watching the level in the canyon go up and rush down the rapids. There are a couple of spots for watching and a parking lot close by. The bridge get most people, looking at the dam and downstream, but there is a short, easy trail to an overlooking rock ledge (fenced for protection) with both up- and downstream views. Check on line for release times, close but 20 min or so drive from downtown.
Written 14 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Taylor
Mount Maunganui, New Zealand144 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
A great experience watching the dam open on the hour to see the water rushing through. Water flow starts off slowly and gradually builds up until the river is at max capacity. Definitely worth the wait for the dam to open.
Written 11 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael T
Formby, UK1,129 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
The rapids are generated every two hours from 10.00 to 16.00 every day when the damm opens its gates. I believe that a condition of building the dam was that they preserved the rapids as a spectacle by these regular releases. They can be viewed from the downstream side of the bridge or if you get there early enough there is a rough track to an elevated viewing spot 50-100 yds downstream of the bridge. The river boat cruise is timed so that you can see the discharge and still have time to get on the boat. There is a large car park right there.
Written 24 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Corinna S
1,139 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023 • Couples
This is my second or third time to visit the Dam Rapids/Aratiatia Rapids and it is definitely worth a stop if you drive by at the right time.
The dam's opening hours can be viewed online (every two hours from morning to afternoon).
You can either look at everything from the bridge by the dam or from the lookout, which is a short walk away. Parking is available (limited) and toilets. Other hiking trails
Google
Written 29 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 1,178
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Aratiatia Rapids - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2025)

All Taupo HotelsTaupo Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Taupo
All things to do in Taupo
Amusement Parks in TaupoZoos & Aquariums in Taupo
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars