Five Mile Creek Falls - Waterfall Walk near Lewis Pass

During our visit in November 2004, I actually I didn’t know this waterfall’s name because the signage at its trailhead said “Waterfall Track” and nothing more.

Waterfall_Walk_006_11202004 - Five Mile Creek Falls — Five Mile Creek Falls

It wasn’t until after the trip did I finally proceed with referring to this waterfall by its creek’s name.

However, I only managed to do that after indirectly associating verbiage from a tramping board (who had identified it with this name) with our experience along with referencing some local New Zealand maps.

According to the signage, the Waterfall Track took 20 minutes total (10 minutes each way), but I wound up taking less than 15 minutes.

From the pullout at its trailhead, I went up a steep but well-developed uphill track that ended up being a real cardio workout.

Waterfall_Walk_001_11202004 - Context of the Waterfall Walk or Waterfall Track leading up to the main drop of the Five Mile Creek Falls — Context of the Waterfall Walk or Waterfall Track leading up to the main drop of the Five Mile Creek Falls

Eventually, after about 7 minutes, I reached the end of the track where I saw the Five Mile Creek Falls making me with I had a wide angle lens to capture its entirety.

Meanwhile, the foliage around me conspired to block the views at every other viewing position except for right in front of it.

The photo you see at the top of this page was my best effort with my camera at the time.

In any case, after having my fill of this waterfall, it took me about 5 minutes to return to the pullout since it was all downhill going in that direction.

Waterfall_Walk_018_11202004 - Looking towards the bottom or intermediate cascade on Five Mile Creek, which was an early indication of the state of the Five Mile Creek Falls — Looking towards the bottom or intermediate cascade on Five Mile Creek, which was an early indication of the state of the Five Mile Creek Falls

That said, the circumstances of my visit was in a bit of haste because Julie and I were racing to get from Christchurch to Greymouth then heading north to try to catch the sunset at the Pancake Rocks.

As a result, there may have been other aspects about this walk that I might have overlooked.

Authorities

Five Mile Creek Falls resides in the Lewis Pass Scenic Reserve near Springs Junction in the West Coast region of South Island, New Zealand. It is administered under the jurisdiction of the Department of Conservation. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit their website.

Route to this Waterfall

The start of the “Waterfall Walk” or Five Mile Creek Falls was about 8km east of the hamlet of Springs Junction where the SH7 (Lewis Pass Hwy) and SH65 intersected.

The roadside sign was on the south side of the road (to our left as we were headed west).

The way we went was from Christchurch so we had to drive north on SH1 for about 47km north of the city, then turn left onto SH7 (Waipara Flat Rd).

We then followed SH7 for about 144km before we reached the Waterfall Walk sign.

Coming from the SH6 and SH7 junction in Greymouth, we would have to go east on SH7 for 128km before seeing the Waterfall Walk on our right.

Find A Place To Stay

Related Top 10 Lists

No Posts Found

Trip Planning Resources

What Is Rental Car Insurance Coverage? Is It Necessary?

10 International Car Rental Tips

Top 10 Best Waterfalls In New Zealand & How To Visit Them

Top 10 Best Waterfalls of the World & How To Visit Them

New Zealand: Reviews of Travel Resources

New Zealand Highlights

Nearby Accommodations

Featured Images and Nearby Attractions

Punakaiki_041_11212004 - The Pancake Rocks and Putai Blowhole at Punakaiki was where we managed to catch a surreal (and bitterly cold) sunset on the day we visited Five Mile Creek Falls back in 2004 — **The Pancake Rocks and Putai Blowhole at Punakaiki was where we managed to catch a surreal (and bitterly cold) sunset on the day we visited Five Mile Creek Falls back in 2004**

Maruia_Springs_001_jx_12302009 - Just a few kilometres east of Five Mile Creek Falls was Maruia Springs, which was a hot spring and spa that very much was like the Japanese onsen experience (except you don't have to go in naked) — **Just a few kilometres east of Five Mile Creek Falls was Maruia Springs, which was a hot spring and spa that very much was like the Japanese onsen experience (except you don’t have to go in naked)**

Maruia_Falls_052_12302009 - To the north of Five Mile Creek Falls and Springs Junction was the Maruia Falls, which was said to have been created from an upthrust in the fault resulting from an earthquake — **To the north of Five Mile Creek Falls and Springs Junction was the Maruia Falls, which was said to have been created from an upthrust in the fault resulting from an earthquake**

Tagged with: lewis pass, waterfall walk, five mile creek, springs junction, christchurch, maruia springs, greymouth, west coast, grey, south island, new zealand, waterfall, reefton

Visitor Comments:

Got something you'd like to share or say to keep the conversation going? Feel free to leave a comment below...

No users have replied to the content on this page

Share your thoughts about what you've read on this page

You must be logged in to submit content. Refresh this page after you have logged in.