Wainui Falls

Wainui Falls is a waterfall on the Wainui River in Abel Tasman National Park, and one of Golden Bay’s best-known falls. The water drops through a granite gorge into a deep pool. Reaching the view takes a 3.4 km return walk from Wainui Bay car park; allow about an hour at a steady pace. The easy-to-intermediate track crosses a short stretch of farmland and an unbridged stream, then enters nīkau palm, rātā and fern forest. It follows the river past large granite boulders, crosses a suspension bridge and ends at the pool and waterfall. Return by the same route.

The stepping-stone stream can rise quickly and become impassable during or just after heavy rain; the falls viewpoint can also flood. The river runs fast, rocks by the water are steep and slippery, and some trackside drops have no barrier. Rockfall is more likely after heavy rain. Stay on the track, keep children within arm’s reach and do not cross a flooded stream. Dogs are not allowed.

The present suspension bridge replaced an older single-person crossing during a 2015 track rebuild. DOC notes that logs can collect below it after major floods, an unmistakable sign of the river’s force.

DOC asks walkers to look for Powelliphanta, a giant native land snail among the world’s largest. Keep an eye on the forest floor as you pass through the damp bush.

A Tākaka Māori legend tells of Ngārara Huarau, a taniwha whose severed tail fell into the pool below the falls. In the story, reddish-brown staining downstream is linked to its blood; it is folklore, not an explanation of the rocks’ geology.