Devils Punchbowl Falls

The signed car park is at the north end of Arthur’s Pass Village, just off SH73, and parking is free. The route crosses the Bealey River bridge, then Wardens Creek, which has no bridge and can flood after heavy rain. Do not cross if the water is fast or muddy. There are no marked mobility spaces, and the stair climb is not a gentle walk. Check track and highway conditions before setting out; SH73 can close in snow.

There is no drinking water at the track, so bring your own. A picnic table and seats sit in a clearing after the Bealey River bridge. The nearest toilets, including an accessible toilet, are at the park’s Visitor Centre, a five-minute drive away. Food and petrol are limited in the village, and dogs are not allowed in the national park.

The falls flow year-round, with the strongest show in spring snowmelt. At full force, spray reaches the viewing platform and the sound fills the canyon. From the platform, keep some of the dark cliff and boulder-filled creek in the frame to show the height; the second bridge is a useful viewpoint if you stop short of the climb.

The waterfall spills from a high glacial hanging valley, left above the main valley after ice carved the Arthur’s Pass landscape. The surrounding U-shaped valleys are another sign of that glacial shaping.

The Māori name Te Tautea o Hinekakai honors Hinekakai, a renowned weaver. Ngāi Tahu likens the twisting white water to dressed flax fibres, or muka, used to weave fine garments and mats. That image gives the waterfall’s falling threads a story as well as a shape.

The waterfall became a tourist stop after the coach road linking Christchurch with the West Coast through Arthur’s Pass opened in 1866. Until the early 1900s, “Devils Punchbowl” referred to the pool below; the waterfall itself was known as Zealandia Falls.

The climb passes through native mountain beech forest. Look and listen for rifleman, bellbird, fantail, tomtit and grey warbler; great spotted kiwi, or roroa, are more likely to be heard calling at dusk than seen.