Aratiatia Rapids

Well worth a visit. Four times a day they open the sluice gates at the dam and the already pretty gorge fills with water. It is an amazing sight + and totally free. Arrive 30 mins prior to release times to scope out the place and get to the viewing points. Plenty of parking available at the bridge. Very little parking near the side view but saves most of the walk from the bridge.

We came to watch the dam open, we checked the schedule and arrived about 20 minutes early to get a good spot on the bridge. However, the dam was already open. The dam doesn’t always follow the schedule posted. Nice picture spot, large parking lot. Was not crowded December during weekday. There are some walking trails from here along the river.

Wow, we timed it right after historical rainfall in the area The dam was nearly overflowing so gates were open all day. Gorgeous blues and whites of water better looking than any spa water. You can stand on the bridge to watch from both sides, kind of scary at times. No children stop your shoulders please.

A must visit, definitely! I recommend coming at like 15:55 so you can see the water release at 16:00. Also I would stand on the other side, without views of the dam (on the bridge). Stunning 🤩

Amazing and beautiful views, the opening gate of the dam is every 2 hrs, catches the time and wait at the bridge. U can enjoy the ever flowing water from upper

A piece of advice: Show up early. The bridge and the view points can get very busy and, although it wasn't true during my visit, I can only assume parking can also be difficult during the peak tourist season. With that said, this is a great stop on the way to any number of other sites or activities in the area and it's pretty amazing to witness the landscape change once the doors are opened.

A fun, free outing. The dam wall opens daily at 10am, 12, 2 and 4pm. You can stand on the road footpath overlooking the dam itself, or at the lookout which is where we stood. You get to watch it go from empty to rushing rapids over the space of 10 minutes or so. The water was really blue and very impressive to watch, especially for free! We got to the lookout at 9:45am for the 10am one and were first there so we got a good spot. The lookout is sloped so even if you get there later you can still see ok. There are two lookouts over the dam, both easy to access by a short walk through the woods. There is also a third lookout over the hydro power station. There is a single drop toilet with no toilet paper in the car park. If you are going into Huka Falls afterwards, wait and use the toilets there as they are much nicer.

Stunning display of the power of water. Deep blue pools of water running into churning cauldrons of white water. Really amazing. It is about 10 minute to the top lookout, and 5 mins to the lower look out. Both have great views.

Incredible flood of water from the flood gates showing off the mighty Waikato river. A magnificent sight from empty canyon to raging torrent in 5 minutes.

I found this place online and decided to check it out. The rapids are in a narrow canyon and are interesting by themselves. But if you come at the right time (10AM, noon, 2PM, etc), they open the floodgates - literally. Upstream there is a reservoir and they let water spill from that into the rapids, and it's incredible. Was was once a small stream transforms in a matter of minutes into a raging river with lots of rocks in it, creating the rapids. Seeing the transformation was truly impressive and really cool. If you get there a few minutes late, it's ok! You will still see the rapids raging. Definitely worth a short detour when driving between Rotorua and Taupo.

Come here when they open the dam if you really want to see some action. It's a good short hike to see the rapids.