Purakaunui Falls Walk
Alerts
Check the DOC website for current alerts and conditions before you go. This site gets current alert info from DOC, but is not an official source of information.
Walk to the well known and often photographed Purakaunui Falls.
Elevation
Cover mapped summer 2023/24.
Description
The Purakaunui Falls is one of Otago's iconic, most-photographed sights.
The track through mature beech forest, and then beech and podocarp, is suitable for wheelchair users to the top viewing platform. From there the track descends to give the view of the three-tiered falls that’s often seen on calendars and postcards.
There is a carpark, toilets and picnic area.
Getting there
Purakaunui Falls can be accessed from two roads off the Papatowai Highway. Turn off onto Purakaunui Falls Road 6.3 km south of Owaka, or turn off onto Warnock Road 10.8 km south of Owaka. The falls are signposted at both turn offs.
Weather
Forecast at the start of the track