Bridal Veil Falls Waireinga

Waireinga drops fifty-five metres in a single unbroken fall over the edge of an old basalt lava flow into a deep pool - unbroken because the rock lip is hard and undercut, so the water leaves it cleanly and does not touch the face again until the bottom. There are three viewing platforms and they are the reason this is worth more than a photo stop: one at the lip looking over the edge, one part way down the side, and one at the base reached by a long stairway of a couple of hundred steps. The base is the good one, standing in the spray with the column above. The walk in from the car park is ten minutes on a flat sealed path through bush, so the top platform is easy for anyone; the steps down are the effort. Swimming in the plunge pool happens but is unsupervised and the water is cold and deep.

What you actually see

• The 55-metre free fall - unbroken from the undercut basalt lip.
• The three platforms - top, mid-height and base.
• The stairway - a couple of hundred steps to the bottom.
• The bush path - ten flat minutes from the car park.

When to go

Any season; after rain it is much heavier. October to April for the pool. Mornings are quieter - it is a standard Raglan day-trip stop.

Honest expectations

The top platform is easy; the base involves a long stair climb back up. Swimming is unsupervised, cold and deep. The car park fills on summer weekends.

Nearby

Raglan and its surf beaches are north; Kawhia Harbour is south.