A thundering waterfall on the Maruia River
Maruia Falls on SH 65, 40 km from the junction of SH6 and 30 km from the junction with SH7. There’s a large parking area.
From the viewpoint above the falls the track drops to a lower lookout with a side-on view.
The Maruia Falls were formed in 1929. Geologists can date this exactly to the Murchison Earthquake, when the magnitude 8 quake brought down a huge landslide. This diverted the Maruia River, eroding an old river bank, which then became the falls. At a paltry 1m in height they would not be worth the diversion, but after a year, as more gravels were washed, the falls increased in height to 5m. Today they drop 10m.
This waterfall is popular with river kayakers. Check out the clips on You Tube.
Feature | Value | Info |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Nelson Region ▷ Murchison |
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Katie Ball
Ranking: 9/10
Great place to stop for a moment. We loved the waterfalls and you can really see the fault line from the 1929 earthquake. Well worth a stop if you're passing through. Only a 10 min walk and plenty of parking and a toilet stop available too. This seems to also be a freedom campsite for self contained vehicles.
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Mathilde
Ranking: 8/10
The falls are impressive but would be more with rain. It is only 10 minutes from the carpark. Lots of sandflies.
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Clare Lambley
Ranking: 9/10
Not mentioned in any of our guide books, but well worth a stop to view this wide falls. Decent sized carpark.
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Derek
Ranking: 10/10
Nice view of the falls.
Amanda
Ranking: 10/10
Very pretty waterfall, short walk down to the falls.
Zara Leyden
Ranking: 9/10
Amazing.
Thanks to all the good people working for the NZ Department of Conservation - for all your hard work - making NZ more beautiful, accessable and healthy! Cheers 😍