This seasonal guide to waterfalls in Northern Zealand recommends the best time of year and the
best time of day to visit each waterfall using hydrologic knowledge to get the most out of your visit.
It ensures you have the best chance of seeing water flowing over the falls in full sun.
Compiled by hydrologist Brad Neal, the guide also includes information about
how to get there, facilities available, viewing angles, waterfall dimensions, swimming
opportunities, a photo/video and my personal impressions. This website only includes
waterfalls that I have personally visited and photographed, which in New Zealand at the current time consists
of waterfalls in the Cantebury Region of the South Island.
Select Your Waterfall:
Click on each waterfall title or picture to find your next day trip, holiday destination, bushwalk, photo shoot or
picnic location.
Acland Falls is a lush grotto on a little creek in the midst of the Peel Forest. The walk is short but steep, and you will be
rewarded with an up close view of the falls that allows you to peer into the forest understorey to try and find its origins…
Avalanche Creek Falls is only a few minute walk from the tourist centre on the main road in Arthur's Pass. You can view
the falls by day, or bring a torch to guide your way along the forest path to the viewing platform by night, when the falls are
lit up by spotlight…
White water wraps around a rock outcrop and then flows down in a curtain in a shape similar to a bridal veil. However, like watching
a wedding from the back row of a grand cathedral, the view from the lookout is elusive, but the walk through the forest to get there is pleasant…
One of the main tourist attractions in Arthur's Pass, this 130 metre drop from an elevated narrow gorge is an impressive site from
the viewing platform that straddles the creek below. Includes a walk across a suspension bridge through an ancient forest…
Visible from the highway across an open and exposed rocky and tussocky valley floor, this waterfall of more than 100 metres in
height is less frequently visited, and more difficult to access than Devil's Punchbowl, with a little access track off the Temple Basin track…
If you are planning a visit to New Zealand, be mindful of the variable topography and climate.
Waterfalls in New Zealand are mostly located along the ridge of mountains that run along the spine of the country.
On the south island, rainfall is highly reliable, with snow melt also feeding some waterfalls throughout the summer period. In
wet weather in winter, there are a number of driving hazards including falling rocks, landslips, black ice and sleet/snow, particularly
at higher altitudes. Having said that, in fair weather in winter the roads have been readily navigable on my previous trips around
New Zealand, with road closures well signposted. In summer, some waterfalls can dry up, particularly on the north island.
