About Purakaunui Falls
Purakaunui Falls was probably the one waterfall in the Catlins area that received the most attention because it seemed to have fronted postcards and calendars more so than the others in the area that we had seen.
The falls itself had “character” as Julie liked to say largely because its three-tiered 15m drop fell in steps that was really friendly for long exposure photos that would better display its texture.
Plus, this waterfall was pretty easy to visit once we got to its car park.
Accessing Matai Falls and Horseshoe Falls
Indeed, our visit was pretty straightforward. Once we got past the trailhead sign (saying it was a 10-minute walk to get there) onto the well-developed walk, we were in a lush bush setting.
Along the way were a handful of interpretive signs talking about some of the flora that was growing in the area like tawhai (“TAW-fai”) and matai among others.
Shortly thereafter, we followed along the Purakaunui Stream where we got a look over the top of Purakaunui Falls at an upper overlook.
Then, we descended elongated steps leading to a wooden viewing deck with the frontal view of the falls you see in the picture above.
With the viewing deck, we didn’t necessarily need to have a tripod and could have used the sturdy wooden railings to take the long exposure photos, but I brought my tripod anyways just in case.
The view of the falls was partially obstructed by foliage flanking our line-of-sight so it was never really completely open.
However, I did notice some scrambling tracks (I doubt the Department of Conservation would approve of this) that led closer to the waterfall shortly before the start of the wooden lookout deck.
I’d imagine those alternate shots of Purakaunui Falls that we saw in the literature were probably a result of photographers bending the wilderness ethics a bit.
That was probably why we saw the informal tracks to get that “unusual” or “non-cliche” shot.
Julie and I had been to this waterfall in December 2004 and December 2009, and in each time, we spent roughly 20 minutes round trip, which made the sign’s estimated walk time pretty spot on.
Authorities
Purakaunui Falls is administered under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.
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