wainui falls

The walk to the falls takes you across a great suspension bridge (one at a time) and the sight, whenyou reach the final point, is well worth the effort.

Hot to start but much cooler in the bush. The falls are very spectacular and plenty of photo spots to shoot from. Quiet a popular place today too. Thoroughly recommend this walk. We did it an easy 25 minutes each way.

The walk was pretty varied with slips to negotiate, trees to clamber round and a one-person swing bridge to cross. Be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Falls are worth the walk though with plenty of rocks to access a good photo.

Great family walk, well worth it - the kids ranging in age from 6 to 14, all went swimming in the pools at the end (need close supervision though). The single person swing-bridge got quite congested - a 20 minute wait! A very easy gradient and great on a sunny day to enjoy the cool river.

Loved our early morning weekday hike to see the falls. It was a great way to start the day. The trail is mostly easy and crossing the swing bridge was fun. Didn't pass a single person on the trail, though we had read that it can get busy on weekends.

Approx 40 min walk into spectacular falls. Parts of the track are hairy due to high rainfall in the area. Great swing bridge halfway along track. Not recommended for elderly or small children Enough adventure to keep teenagers engaged.

Depending on the season, there are up to 4 small creeks that need to be crossed to get to the waterfall. There's also a couple of steep parts along the way, and a swing bridge with a 1 person limit that's pretty cool. Other than that, it's a fairly easy walk to the falls. If you're lucky, you might see some four legged animals along the way. The falls themselves are beautiful and are well worth the walk.

Great little trek through the bush to a stunning waterfall over a great rope bridge. Take a picnic and find a wonderful smooth river rock to perch on as the beautiful clear water rushes by. Well worth it.

A great walk through forest until we eventually reached the "Indiana Jones" swing bridge - very scary! The falls are beautiful - well worth the trip.

Lovely walk, great falls, but to get to them you have to cross a precarious one-person swing bridge with only slats for flooring. Good to get one's adrenalin flowing!

I don't do heights but this was worth it. Wear decent shoes. Not great for very small kids unless in a pack

Quiet..peaceful..beautiful native bush and birdlife. Not a long walk but well worth it when you get to the Falls

Correction to the information at the end of my review on 13 May 2014 - the cafe we stopped at for refreshments after our visit to the Falls was "Plan B Cafe" at Pohara.

A very easy walk the whole family can do, even in Winter! Gorgeous scenery with a breathtaking destination

The approach road east of Pohara along the Abel Tasman Drive around Ligar Bay and Tata Beach took us past the continuing major works to stabilise raised ground at the side of the highway which had been effected by flash floods and landslides in December 2011. Work vehicles manoeuvring, etc necessitated traffic control in some spots, albeit there isn’t a huge amount of traffic in this area. There is a short section of gravel road to reach the Wainui Falls car park just off the highway where there is a toilet however it’s very basic indeed (hold your breathe before entering!).The initial trail is flat and in open countryside as it follows the river - there seemed to be a couple of options running parallel and the track we were on was a bit rough in sections. It definitely becomes a rough trail as you head into the forest, climbs steadily and narrows, leaving the river below the path at sections. As warned at the car park:- “The track has four large slips on it. Sturdy footwear and a sense of adventure is necessary”! We had to navigate our way around these slips which had taken out the trail in sections however the alternate path is a reasonably worn route. It’s all very tropical jungle-like going along the track however the biggest surprise for us was the narrow suspension footbridge crossing the river at one place quite far up the route. We only met a few other couples doing the trail but everyone commented on that section with a smile on their face!Not far beyond this we could hear the roar of the water at the Falls and as they come into sight the path ended fairly abruptly - we were caught in quite a spray from the cascade as we tried to capture a few photos which don't really capture the view.The route is 2km each way and the DoC give 40 minutes each way as a guide to timing. I would add a bit of extra time to allow for the condition of the track unless it has undergone repair in the meantime. Boots are recommended for rough, muddy terrain at sections.We thought this was a fantastic trail and really enjoyed ourselves completing it. On the return drive there was a nice little café just of the road in Ligar Bay, The Naked Possum Café, where we stopped for refreshments - and much better toilets!