Parking
The route starts at Jacksons Retreat campground / bush-track access. It crosses holiday-park grounds; no separate public day-use parking arrangement was confirmed. Register and check access with the retreat before starting.
Overview
About Ngarimu Waterfall Track
The property also calls this the Glow Worm Waterfall walk, but the name isn't a promise of sightings at the falls. Glow-worm viewing is associated with creek-bank dells nearby; their presence at the waterfall itself isn't established. Treat any sightings as a bonus, and don't count on them when deciding whether to make the walk.
Why go
- A waterfall payoff on a short native-bush walk
Heads up
- The short climb is fairly steep
- Day-use access on private grounds is unconfirmed
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Arthur's Pass map
Full mapElevation201–285 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Arthur's Pass alerts
- CautionFlood damage and rockfall risk on Harper Pass RouteFlood damage and an active slip affect the Harper Pass Route below Kiwi Hut and near Locke Stream Hut.Official details
- CautionFlood damage on route to Sudden Valley BivvySignificant flood damage makes the route to Sudden Valley Bivvy passable only when rivers are low.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Arthur's Pass Tour Guide
Your drive to Ngarimu Waterfall Track, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Arthur's Pass National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this area
The Giant Buttercup’s Rain Bowls0:00 / 0:31
“If you see big, glossy leaves holding little pools of rain on an alpine walk, look for Mount Cook buttercups. The leaves form shallow bowls and can grow wider than your hand.”
Plays on the road 0.3 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Arthur's Pass Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Rain Cape Made from Daisies
- What Makes Rātā Flowers Red
- The Eel’s Last Ocean Journey
- The Taramakau Pounamu Route
- 42 audio storiesacross Arthur's Pass’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, New Zealand Falcon, Blue Duck, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 49 trails, 59 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Ngarimu Waterfall Track
A short waterfall returnNgarimu Waterfall Track is a short out-and-back from the bush-track access inside Jacksons…
Ngarimu Waterfall Track is a short out-and-back from the bush-track access inside Jacksons Retreat to the falls. The mapped route is about 0.7 miles round trip and takes roughly 40 minutes. It's a good add-on if you're already staying at the retreat. If you're visiting for the day, confirm permission first: this walk crosses the holiday park, which requires visitor registration and may refuse entry or charge unregistered visitors.
Through the bushThe path climbs from the campground through native bush, with ferns, ponga tree ferns, tōtara…
The path climbs from the campground through native bush, with ferns, ponga tree ferns, tōtara and rimu, then reaches the waterfall and returns the same way. It's unpaved and climbs about 275 feet over the short approach, so expect a brief, fairly steep uphill walk rather than a level stroll. The route is not wheelchair accessible. A separate, longer Quartz Mine Site walk follows another route and isn't part of this waterfall outing.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Arthur's Pass
982 sightingsKeaMost seen around noonSighting map
39 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
190 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
20 sightingsKākāMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
15 sightingsWekaMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
15 sightingsParadise ShelduckMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Arthur's Pass. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
