Beautiful Purakaunui Falls The 22 m falls are on the Tautuku River in Catlins Conservation Park and are often described as the most spectacular in the region. The walk to the falls is very pleasant and passes through a variety of forest and shrub types: huge tree fuchsia, stands of olearia and podocarp forest.

A ten minute walk on an excellent track brings you to the best known of the Caltins forest waterfalls, located in a small reserve of mixed podcast and beech forest.

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 (sealed road to the carpark), or turn off onto Warnock Road 10.8 km south of Owaka (sealed road to Warnock Road, then gravel). The falls are signposted at both turn offs.

The Purakaunui Falls car park has a picnic area with toilets.