Salisbury Falls

 

Salisbury Falls

Best swimming hole in the top of the South Island, Salisbury Falls, aka Growler Creek Waterfall, is reached via an easy and short walk along Aorere River.

Driving and walking conditions

GPS of the view point: S 40° 48' 11.0400" E 172° 31' 59.5300"
Parking: Aorere Valley Road, Bainham
Vehicle type: All vehicle types Track type: Easy walking track
Road type:3km of Gravel Road Return track duration: 10min

Waterfall parameters

Waterfall height: 4m Type of the waterfall: Cascade

Rating:       ⭐⭐
GPS:          S 40° 48' 11.0400" E 172° 31' 59.5300"
Parking:     Aorere Valley Road, Bainham
Access:     10min return walk


Walking and driving instructions

 

Salisbury Falls is roughly a 2.5 hours' drive away from Nelson, or 45 minutes from Takaka, or 25 minutes from Collingwood. The road surface is sealed, apart from the last 3km which is a gravel road. 

From Collingwood head southwest on Collingwood-Bainham Main Rd, which becomes Aorere Valley Rd.  Slide left onto Quartz Range Rd after 23km of driving. A small parking area (on a side of the road) is to your left, immediately past the Aorere River bridge. The last 3km are a gravel road. There is a waterfall and a toilet sign on the parking near beginning of the track. There is a long drop toilet as well as donation box available there.

An easy 5 minutes walk brings you to the base of the waterfall. The waterfall itself is quite short, but the swimming hole is quite deep and very popular among the locals. You can also get behind the falls. 

Return via the same track. Total walking time is about 10 minutes.

Salisbury Falls featured in Peter Jackson’s famous trilogies, and is the film site where Tauriel and Legolas meet before heading into Lake-town in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.


Waterfalls nearby

Wainui Falls

Rating:       ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Access:     1hr  return walk
Driving:   68.4 km (1 hour 6 mins)

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Bark Bay Falls

Rating:       ⭐⭐⭐
Access:     20min return walk
Driving:   108 km (1 hour 45 mins)

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Cascade Falls

Rating:       ⭐⭐⭐
Access:     2hrs  return walk
Driving:   108 km (1 hour 45 mins)

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Falls River Falls

Rating:       ⭐⭐⭐
Access:     3hrs 30min return walk
Driving:   108 km (1 hour 45 mins)

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