Parking
Start at the end of Cowan Street in Franz Josef/Waiau. No named lot, parking capacity or fee was verified in the sources checked.
Overview
About Callery Gorge Walk
Why go
- The bridge gives a close view of the gorge and river.
- An old gold-mining water race adds interest to the rainforest approach.
Heads up
- Most of the approach stays under forest before the gorge payoff.
- The return retraces the route and climbs back from the bridge.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Westland Tai Poutini map
Full mapElevation145–236 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Westland Tai Poutini alert
- CautionActive landslide zones on Copland TrackDo not stop in either of Copland Track’s signposted active landslide zones; take extra care during and after heavy rain.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide
Your drive to Callery Gorge Walk, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Westland Tai Poutini 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.
See the Westland Tai Poutini audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Cowan Street Walks: Callery Gorge0:00 / 0:20
“You're approaching Cowan Street, the starting point for the walk to Callery Gorge. Choose this for a forest outing of about an hour and a half return, with the historic bridge and narrow gorge at the far end.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Westland Tai Poutini Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- West Coast Wildlife Centre: Finding the Kiwi
- Terrace Walk: Glowworms Among Fallen Trees
- St James Church: the Peace Stamp View
- Westland Visitor Centre and Waiho Hot Tubs
- 49 audio storiesacross Westland Tai Poutini’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Kea, Blue Duck, Kererū, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 31 trails, 53 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 Callery Gorge Walk
The walk and its payoffCallery Gorge Walk is a 3.2-mile (5.
Callery Gorge Walk is a 3.2-mile (5.2 km) return out-and-back from the end of Cowan Street in Franz Josef/Waiau to the historic bridge over Callery Gorge. It climbs gently out of town, then winds through rainforest beside an old gold-mining water race. Allow about 1½ hours, a little more if you stop at the river. The gorge is the main payoff; most of the walk is a quiet forest approach.
Start and routeThe first five minutes share a gentle climb with the Tatare Tunnels Walk, rising to a high…
The first five minutes share a gentle climb with the Tatare Tunnels Walk, rising to a high terrace behind town past water pipes and tanks. Follow the Callery Gorge route from there; it narrows through the rainforest and tracks the old water race. The walk ends at the bridge and returns the same way, so the descent near the end becomes the climb back out. Dogs aren't allowed.
The old water raceThe water race and scattered rusty relics are among the last visible reminders of the area’s…
The water race and scattered rusty relics are among the last visible reminders of the area’s gold-mining era. It gives the forest stretch a bit of history beyond simply reaching the gorge.
At the gorgeThe historic bridge is the turnaround, with a close view into the narrow gorge and the Callery…
The historic bridge is the turnaround, with a close view into the narrow gorge and the Callery River. Gravel deposits have raised the riverbed and changed the gorge's older profile. Take a moment on the bridge: the river is the reason to keep going through the mostly forested approach. A few visitors report sandflies near the water, so insect repellent can be useful.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Westland Tai Poutini
89 sightingsKeaMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBlue DuckMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
80 sightingsKererūMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
38 sightingsTūīMost seen around 5 AMSighting map
10 sightingsNew Zealand FalconMost seen around 10 AMSighting map
28 sightingsYellow-crowned ParakeetMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Westland Tai Poutini. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
