Bridal Veil Falls Waireinga

Wairēinga drops 55 m (180 ft) in a single fall from a cliff of columnar basalt into a pool about 5 m (16 ft) deep. The pool lies in sandstone, which wore away much faster than the basalt above it, and that is how both the fall and the pool were formed. Just under the surface of the pool sits a large rock on which the falling water breaks into spray, and this gave the falls their name. There are four lookout platforms, among them one at the top, one part way down a stairway at the side of the cliff and one at the pool, reached by a steep descent of 261 steps. The walk in from the car park is an easy 10 minutes through native bush along the Pakoka River, with the stream crossings bridged.

Background

Bridal Veil Falls, officially Wairēinga / Bridal Veil Falls, is a plunge waterfall on the Pakoka River near the town of Raglan, in the Waikato of New Zealand. The river drops 55 m (180 ft) over a basalt cliff into a large pool that it has worn out at the foot over time. The cliff formed 2.57 million years ago, when a vent of the Okete Volcanics on a hill just to the north erupted and blocked the valley. The falls lie in the 217 ha Wairēinga Scenic Reserve, created in 1884 and covered in forest where tawa trees dominate.

Source: Wikipedia, "Bridal Veil Falls (Waikato)"

The landscape

• The 55 m (180 ft) plunge - from a cliff of columnar basalt into a pool about 5 m (16 ft) deep.
• The four lookouts - top, mid-height and base among them.
• The stairway - 261 steps to the bottom.
• The bush path - an easy 10 minutes from the car park along the Pakoka River.

When to go

Any season. One hour, or longer with the 6 km Pipiwharauroa Way, a walking and cycling track that starts 400 m (1,310 ft) beyond the car park.

Good to know

The top platform is an easy walk; the base is a steep descent of 261 steps, and the same climb back. The pool is not for swimming, as its water does not meet health standards, and abseiling and rock climbing are not allowed because of the damage they did to rare plants, among them a threatened spider orchid. There is a car park with long-drop toilets.

Nearby

In a straight line, Aotea Harbour is about 9 km to the south-southwest and Kawhia Harbour about 23 km to the south-southwest; Raglan, known for its surfing and black volcanic sand beaches, is about 12 km to the north, Pirongia Mountain about 20 km to the east-southeast and Hamilton about 37 km to the east-northeast. Lake Disappear lies about 4 km further on from the falls.

Key facts