Cockpit Waterfall

Cockpit is one of the few running streams on Norfolk Island, and near Cascade on the north coast it drops over a basalt cliff just short of the sea rather than reaching a beach. The track down through the reserve is steep in places and the fall is best after rain, when there is genuinely water in it. Kentia palms - Lord Howe's palm, grown all over Norfolk since the seed-export days - and endemic trees grow through the gully the stream has cut.

The landscape

• The cliff fall - a stream going over the edge straight into the sea.
• The gully - the cut the water has made through the west slope.
• The palms - kentia palms and endemic trees in the damper ground.
• The walking track - the steep descent from the road above.

When to go

September to May is warmer. The fall needs recent rain to run properly. The track is slippery when wet.

Good to know

In dry spells there is very little water and the fall is a trickle. The track is steep and slippery and there are no railings near the edge. The bottom of the fall cannot be reached.

Nearby

Anson Bay is north, and Puppy's Point is south.