Purakaunui Falls — New Zealand

About this spectacle

Purakaunui Falls is one of New Zealand's most photographed waterfalls, cascading in broad, fan-like tiers through a dense podocarp forest in the Catlins region of Otago. Visitors follow a short rainforest walk through towering rimu and kahikatea trees, the air heavy with moisture and birdsong, before the falls reveal themselves in a series of wide, stepped curtains of white water. The multi-tiered drop creates a gentle roar that fills the gorge, and the surrounding canopy filters light into soft, diffuse beams, making the scene luminous even on overcast days. Mosses and ferns drape every surface, intensifying the vivid greens that frame the pale rushing water. The viewing platform offers a direct, unobstructed perspective of all three main tiers simultaneously, a composition that rewards both the eye and the camera.

When to go

Year-round

Getting there

Nearest airport: DUD. Nearest city: Dunedin.

Booking options

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