Atlas › North Island - Coromandel
Rangihau Stream
verified
Ungraded
High flood risk
Coroglen
A two-step Coromandel descent: Bulls Run feeds into the Lower Rangihau Gorge, ending with three of the widest waterfalls in any NZ slot and a natural rock-arch dive platform.
First descended Apr 2021 by James Judd's party. Cross-reference flow with kiwicanyons before going. Didymo Check Clean Dry between catchments is mandatory. Coromandel sandflies present but mild compared to the West Coast.
Logistics
| Manager | DOC Coromandel Forest Park (access road on private land) |
|---|---|
| Permit | No permit required. Access road (Rangihau Road) is private and maintained by local landowners, not council. The community asks visitors to drive slowly and avoid the road during or after rain to limit damage. |
| Time | ~6 hr round trip for the Bulls Run into Lower Rangihau combo |
| Technical | Two-canyon link on the Coromandel Peninsula. Bulls Run is the upper section at v3a2II per kiwicanyons, then drops into the Lower Rangihau Gorge at v3a3II. Longest pitch 33 m. The lower gorge has three big 25 m wide waterfalls and deep jump pools, with a rock arch that doubles as a dive platform. Multiple rappels, slides, jumps. |
| Season | Dec to Apr. Recent trip reports log normal to lower flows in Jan and Jun, but the committing lower section is unforgiving in high water. |
| Flood risk | High. Large catchment feeds the lower gorge, and once into the committing section there is no quick exit. Do not descend with rain in the upper Coromandel forecast. |
| Vehicle access | 2WD car suitable in dry weather to the Rangihau Road end. Avoid wet conditions out of respect for the private road owners. |
| Crowd | Low to moderate. Increased traffic in 2024 to 2025 raised landowner concerns. Keep the group small. |
| Coordinates | -36.9973, 175.6835 |