Bridal Veil Falls

Raglan, North Island, New Zealand

About Bridal Veil Falls

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Waterfall Safety and Common Sense

Bridal Veil Falls was one of the more picturesque waterfalls we had seen in the North Island.

This particular waterfall was located near the surfing town of Raglan (which helps to differentiate this from the other waterfalls of the same name in New Zealand or in the world for that matter).

What made the falls stand out to Julie and I was that its waters seemingly jumped off a 55m cliff then spent most of its time in air before crashing into its deep plunge pool below.

Bridal_Veil_Falls_005_11192004
Bridal Veil Falls

In fact, the Maori name of the falls was Waireinga, which was said to mean “leaping waters”.

Indeed, this name seemed to be far more descriptive of what a visitor would be likely to see here than the very common name of Bridal Veil Falls.

Accessing Bridal Veil Falls

Our visit here was pretty straightforward. From the signposted car park (see directions below), we briefly walked onto a bush track that then reached a T-junction.

We first went left at this junction to get right up to the top of the waterfall.

Afterwards, we then went the other way on the T-junction and immediately encountered the next overlook, which yielded the view of Bridal Veil Falls that you see in the photo at the top of this page.

From this angle, we could best appreciate the plunging nature of the falls as well as the depth of both the cliff and the underlying alcove (suggesting that this was indeed an older waterfall).

Bridal_Veil_Falls_040_11192004
Direct look across the base of Bridal Veil Falls

After having our fill of this lookout, we then continued on the 10-minute trail (20 minutes return) leading down steps all the way down to a dock-like observation area right at the fringe of the plunge pool opposite the waterfall.

When we showed up here in the late afternoon in November 2004, we saw a rainbow arcing across its base just above the plunge pool, further adding colour to the scene.

Authorities

Bridal Veil 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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Tagged with: hamilton, raglan, auckland, surf, wairenga, waikato, north island, new zealand, waterfall



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Bridal Veil Falls has some hidden history January 2, 2012 11:57 pm by Roger Martyn - My Grandfather and in turn my father farmed land that backs onto the reserve that the Bridal Veil Falls is situated, the same farm that I was brought up on. My father related the following story to me when I was a just boy, some 40 years ago. In pre-European times, a Maori warrior from… ...Read More

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