Purakaunui Falls

Top choice in Fiordland & Southland


If you only see one waterfall in the Catlins, make it this magnificent cascade down three tiers of jet-black rock. It's an easy 10-minute clamber to reach the falls from the small parking area.

Purakaunui Falls are almost equidistant between Owaka and Papatowai (respectively 15km and 12km by road).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Fiordland & Southland attractions

1. Matai & Horseshoe Falls

3.65 MILES

Two falls for the price of one! A fork in the road leads you, on the left, to the graceful drop of Matai Falls, while stairs to the right bring you to…

2. Lost Gypsy Gallery

5.34 MILES

Fashioned from remaindered bits and bobs, artist and 'organic mechanic' Blair Somerville's intricately crafted automata are wonderfully irreverent. The…

3. Florence Hill Lookout

6.22 MILES

Three kilometres southwest of Papatowai, a short gravel road leads to sweeping Tautuku Bay, which can be viewed from on high at the Florence Hill Lookout…

5. Teapotland

6.76 MILES

Get a selfie in this wacky collections of teapots and statuettes arranged in Graham Renwick's garden.

6. McLean Falls

10.56 MILES

A lovely walk along wooden walkways and fern-fringed tracks brings you to the attractive McLean Falls, named for an early 20th-century settler renowned…

7. Cathedral Caves

10.77 MILES

Cutting back into cliffs right on the beach, the huge, arched Cathedral Caves were carved out of the limestone by 160 million years of waves. Named for…

8. Roaring Bay

12.61 MILES

Your best chance of spotting rare yellow-eyed penguins (hoiho) is from a hide at Roaring Bay, 8km south of Kaka Point's main drag. The hide is accessible…