We think sticking to the lakes and rivers you’re used to is so overrated! Many people miss out on going to the Catlins when they visit Aotearoa, New Zealand. We are here to show you that these waterfalls in the Catlins are too good to not go chasing them.
That’s exactly what we did when we visited the Catlins.
We spent a few days literally chasing waterfalls going from one to the next taking in the beauty and getting covered in spray from these impressive falls! We really think you should visit each one of these waterfalls in the Catlins, but just in case you are pressed for time, we have ranked them for you.
We’ve scored each fall out of 10 based on what we think are the five most important aspects of the falls. They are all awesome, and we did really struggle to set them apart, so don’t think that a low score means a bad waterfall, it just means it’s not as cool as our favourite ones.
So pick the best one or two, or just go all in and check out every single one of them like we did. We promise you’ll be glad you went chasing these waterfalls!
Be sure to check out our Instagram to keep up with our amazing adventures in Aotearoa!
Koropuku
Overall Score: 9/10
Breakdown
Hiking Track: 2/2
Waterfall: 2/2
Lookout Point: 1/2
Crowds: 2/2
Surrounding Bush: 2/2
Easily the most memorable fall of the lot and one of our favourites in terms of just the beauty of the actual waterfall. The coolest part of this one is that the track out to the falls was made by “Two old guys who wanted to give back”,
That’s a direct quote from Wayne and Peter, who we were lucky enough to meet when we went out to the falls! They made and maintain the track, as DOC had let the original track out to the falls be forgotten. So if you’re lucky, you may run into the two old guys on this walk and have a good chat about their efforts in keeping this waterfall accessible to you.
The hike out is magical with lush bush, moss and vines everywhere and a real untouched feel to the area. This stems from the track being narrow and left to nature where it can be. There is a bit of a climb over some rocks to get to the waterfall, which really adds to the adventure. It’s this little scramble over the slippery rocks that lost this fall 1 point in our scoring system.
Whilst we didn’t mind this and appreciate the rocks shouldn’t be moved, we do know others have struggled with this part of the walk. Don’t worry though, if you have sturdy shoes on you’ll be fine, They even provided a stream on the way out to clean off any mud!
Waipohatu – Two Falls For The Hike Of One!
Overall Score: 8/10
Breakdown
Hiking Track: 1/2
Waterfall: 2/2
Lookout Point: 1/2
Crowds: 2/2
Surrounding Bush: 2/2
If it weren’t for the super muddy track to get out to these falls, they would be on par with Koropuku falls in our opinion. The track out to the falls is incredibly muddy and not overly well maintained, making the 6.5km round hike to the falls take longer than it should.
When doing this hike, make sure you go to the lower falls first, this saves the incredibly impressive upper falls for last. When you hit the tree marking the two falls, walk to the left first then retrace your steps to the right to come to the incredible roar of the upper falls. If you are feeling brave and have on some good hiking shoes, cross the river and climb the slippery rocks to see the falls from the vantage point we have shown photographed here.
It’s this tricky climb to a good viewing area that lost Waipohatu another point in our scoring system. We had good hiking boots on and Nathan still slipped on the way down! If you can manage the river crossing then carefully cross the rocks on the other bank and get close to the falls, you’ll truly feel the might of these falls with a blast of windy and icy cold spray to your face from the closer rocks.
Purakaunui
Overall Score: 7/10
Breakdown
Hiking Track: 1/2
Waterfall: 2/2
Lookout Point: 2/2
Crowds: 1/2
Surrounding Bush: 1/2
Purakaunui is one of the more popular falls in the Catlins area, so whilst it is still beautiful, it missed some points for the number of people there. The walk down to the falls is easy enough but nothing super interesting so we chose to mark it down on the hiking track and the surrounding bush.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s still an awesome waterfall, and you should definitely check it out, it’s just not as untouched as the first two falls on our list.
Horseshoe & Matai
Overall Score: 6/10
Breakdown
Hiking Track: 2/2
Waterfall: 2/2
Lookout Point: 1/2
Crowds: 0/2
Surrounding Bush: 1/2
The hiking track out to these two falls boasted some history from an old train line, so it scored highly there! Make sure you take the little detour down to the cut stone and old railway station before continuing on to the falls here.
The lookout on this track for Matai falls was excellent, however the horseshoe falls lookout doesn’t offer you a great vantage point and people have started to leave the track to get a better view, which is not great for the surrounding bush. These two are extremely popular too.
You’ll be lucky if you manage to get the falls by yourself for more than a few minutes, as people keep coming and going at these. We had to time our photos in between groups of people, which isn’t that big of a deal, but not as cool as when you get the place to yourself.
McLean
Overall Score: 5/10
Breakdown
Hiking Track: 1/2
Waterfall: 2/2
Lookout Point: 1/2
Crowds: 0/2
Surrounding Bush: 1/2
Definitely the busiest waterfall in the Catlins region!
We pulled up to the car park that was almost full of cars and watched as a huge group of people just started the walk to the falls. Seeing that, we decided it was a good idea to have some lunch in the van and wait to see if the crowds would thin out a little before walking out to the falls. We are so glad we could wait out the crowds at this one, as we managed to time it perfectly so we had the falls to ourselves for a good 10 minutes! We crossed paths with a lot of people on the way there and back, though, so we just got really lucky with our timing.
The hiking track out to these falls is ok, but there is a point where it’s slippery and a bit difficult to navigate, so make sure you are wearing good shoes for this one. The lookout point leaves a little to be desired, as you have to climb up some rocks to get the view we’ve photographed here. The climb up is ok but getting back down the rocks was a little tricky!
Barr
Overall Score: 5/10
Breakdown
Hiking Track: 2/2
Waterfall: 1/2
Lookout Point: 0/2
Crowds: 1/2
Surrounding Bush: 1/2
The walk out to Barr falls is rather easy, if not a little steep on the return walk. However, the viewing of the falls whilst still nice leaves a bit to be desired.
As you can see from the photo, you have a lot of trees in the way of the falls from the lookout platform. This one is also best after a bit of rain, which we were lucky enough to have the day before we came out here!
If you are going to miss any of the falls in the Catlins then this would be the one to skip. However, we still enjoyed the short walk, in our opinion any waterfall is a good waterfall!
Bonus: Niagara Falls!
If you really want to see all the falls in the Catlins area, then you’ll want to make a quick stop at the southern hemispheres Niagara Falls!
Don’t be fooled by the name, though, these falls are nothing like it’s namesake. Whoever decided to call this Niagara Falls clearly had a good sense of humour!
It is technically a fall in the sense that water is falling down a small section of rocks, but it definitely isn’t your typical idea of a waterfall. Still, it’s quite funny to go out and see the falls purely for the humour of the name.
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- Waterfalls in Waikato That You MUST Visit
- 5 Free Things to do in Christchurch
- Best Short Walks in Nelson/Tasman Region
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