Stream Avalanche Creek

Greater watershed Bealey River → Waimakariri River → Pacific Ocean

Height and Form A long series of waterfalls starting at roughly the 1200 meter elevation. The elevation of Arthur's Pass Village, where the waterfalls terminate, is 737 meters. That makes about 460m/1500ft of waterfalls, with a possible flatwater stretch between the first waterfall and the rest. The uppermost waterfall is 80m/262ft and the lowermost is about 25m/82ft. The steepness and shape of the gorge, however, makes the number and height of intermediate waterfalls very difficult to ascertain.

Volume Very small, though never runs dry that I know of

General location Arthur's Pass Village along SH73

Specific location a short distance behind the Arthur's Pass National Park visitor centre and Arthur's Pass Chapel

Trail access To get to the lowermost waterfall from the visitor centre, cross the creek on a small bridge and follow the sign marked "Waterfall Viewpoint". This does not, in fact, lead to a viewpoint of the waterfall, but rather a viewpoint of a dash of white and quite a lot of trees, though the waterfall may have been visible at some point. To reach the base, rock-hop along the creek for about 50 m. If you have good balance and don't mind getting your shoes wet it's a piece of cake. Needless to say, I found it extremely difficult.

To get glimpses of the upper drops you will need to hike the Avalanche Peak Track, a strenuous and potentially dangerous—but very scenic—day trip. Note that these are just glimpses. Usually there is no way to see any of the individual waterfalls up close without abseiling into the gorge. This is a very steep mountain, so off-track travel in search of viewpoints is not recommended unless you've got quite a bit of experience.

 

The steepness and number of waterfalls on Avalanche Creek is not particularly unusual for the Southern Alps. The only unusual factor is the exceptionally easy access. Avalanche Creek flows through the middle of Arthur's Pass village; its lowest waterfall is perhaps 100 m from the road, 200 m from the local YHA and 300 m from the train station. Thanks to the lack of a trail, this waterfall feels quite wild and secluded, at least when you can't hear any trucks or motorbikes on the main road just out of sight.

 

Some of the upper tiers look to be potentially more scenic, but good luck accessing them. Might be possible if you're a kea.

 

It's worth the short creekwalk to the base, particularly if you're planning to try some of the longer and more difficult creekwalks in the area (lower Bridal Veil Falls, Halpins Creek Falls and so forth) and want a taste. However I'm not sure that exploration of the upper tiers would be worthwhile even if there were a trail. Devil's Punchbowl Falls is still the star attraction of the pass, and other drainages (Twin Creek, Rough Creek) would merit more significant exploration. Avalanche Creek drains a very narrow and steep basin containing no permanent snow or ice, and in periods of drought could be reduced to a trickle.