Raglan Bridal Veil Falls

All this gorgeous sunny weather saw us make a spontaneous trip to Raglan this weekend to top up on some Vitamin D, and to remind ourselves of how good that ‘salty hair’ feeling really is!

After the first swim of the Summer (on November the 2nd – not a bad effort) in water that was really far too cold to be swimming in, we adventured off to find the Bridal Veil Falls which a friend had suggested we visit. We discovered the small but surprisingly full carpark for the falls just 10 minutes or so off the main Raglan road, and began walking down the signposted trail through the bush. With the sun streaming through the native bush canopy overhead, the short walk to the waterfall is pleasant and pretty in itself.

Popping out at the end we could hear the rushing water but still weren’t sure what to expect. We wandered to an obvious viewing platform, which we realised just so happens to be right at the top of the 55 meter waterfall, almost overhanging the cliff-face where the water drops off into the huge pool below! An incredible sight to say the least!

After taking many a photo and ‘selfie’ off the precarious edge we decided to walk down the hill to the bottom of the falls where we could see another viewing platform/bridge.

The falls truly were impressive – far larger than I had ever imagined!

I loved the fact that we had absolutely no idea what to expect going to the falls, and the reality of it was incredible. I love it that the falls aren’t openly advertised as a tourist destination, there’s just a normal brown road sign to direct you to there, it’s not overcrowded with tourists taking photos, it’s free to view, and it’s completely natural and untouched. New Zealand, you really are incredible!!

It really does just prove what's right under our nose and in our back yards in this gorgeous country - get exploring it people!

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