Whisky Falls: the best waterfall near Nelson

Whisky Falls is a gorgeous and dramatic waterfall in Nelson Lakes National Park. Named for an illicit whisky still discovered here in the 1800’s, this spot has that tucked away feeling that no doubt made it perfect for harbouring the forbidden drink.

Hidden up a side trail off the Lakeside Track, you’ll reach a giant tree full of sprawling roots and just ahead of you is the 40m high cascade. The scene is made even more captivating by the multitude of cascades which flow over the mossy boulders.

It’s a wonderful spot with a definite feeling of peace and tranquility - that is aside from the ever persistent sandflies!

Whisky Falls can be accessed by water taxi or via an easy walking trail. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting.

Visiting Whisky Falls by water taxi

Although we visited the falls on foot, I’ll start with the boat option so you don’t have to scroll through all the track notes if you aren’t planning to hike.

The water taxi ride will take you from Kerr Bay, this is by the jetty at Lake Rotoiti, which is very popular with photographers.

You can either take a tour which stops at various places along the lake for photo opportunities, or a direct ferry service. If you are a group of more than three there’s actually very little difference in price, but for solo travellers or two people the ferry is significantly cheaper.

Another option is to take the ferry service one way and then walk back. This is a great option if you want to have as long at the falls as you like, otherwise you need to stick to the designated times that the ferry service allows.

You can check out all the ferry timings and prices at the Rotoiti Water Taxis website.

Visiting Whisky Falls on foot - The Lakeside Track

The stats

Distance: 10.6km return
Elevation gain: 190m
Difficulty: Easy

The walk to Whisky Falls along the Lakeside Track is easy. It’s not completely flat, but it’s not far off. There are several stream crossings though and I could imagine the very last one in particular could run quite high after heavy rain and would likely flood your boots.

We walked on a dry day following several days previous rainfall and it was manageable to use the rocks as stepping stones without getting wet.

It took us 2 hours 40 to complete the round trip walk, not including time spent at the falls.

Starting the trail: into the forest

From the parking area the walk heads down the road for less than a minute and then straight into the bush.

The first 1.4km is all pretty much flat and kept nice and shady by the dense trees. It’s a gravel path which only had a couple of very tiny sections of mud which were easy to skirt round.

You’ll then arrive at the junction with Paddy’s Track, which is another great walk leading up to Mount Robert.

This first part of the walk is pleasant and peaceful, but there aren’t any lake views or wow factor moments. Roughly 300m later you’ll come to the first cascade along the trail. It’s easy enough to cross by hopping along the rocks and the track then begins to head gently downhill for the next 600m.

After crossing a second cascade you’ll get your first lake views and the trail flattens again.

Following the lakeshore

You begin following the lake with lots of wonderful open views to the water and steep mountains behind. We were walking in early spring and had just missed the mountains being snow-capped following a bout of rain that washed it all away.

If you get the chance, the most magical time to do this walk would definitely be when there is still snow on the peaks.

The trail starts to get rocky underfoot which slows you down a bit, but it does become smooth again around 500m further along the trail. You’ll re-enter the forest, with occasional peeks out to the water, but it’s more obscured by bush like the earlier part of the track.

There are also several more cascades and areas where water can run down the track, but all were easily passable without wet boots.

The final stretch to Whisky Falls

The predominantly flat and smooth path through the forest continues and it’s all very leisurely. Just before you reach the falls (5.1km into the track) you reach a much larger stream crossing.

There are plenty of rocks to help you across but if they are submerged you will have to remove your boots or just accept the flooding. The rocks are a little slippery in places but if you take it slowly it’s quite easy to cross.

Once you’re over the stream you’ll see a signposted turning on your right saying that Whisky Falls is now 10 minutes away.

It’s actually less than five and just involves a short climb up the rocky track and you’ll quickly see the curtain of water ahead of you.

Just before this signpost (by the ‘attention’ sign) if you look left you’ll see a cute jetty down by the waters edge. This is a nice spot to sit and relax by the lake before or after visiting the falls.

Arriving at Whisky Falls

You arrive at a point where Whisky Falls is quite far above you. Although I am sure some people do get up closer, due to the sheer number of steep slippery boulders, most people will choose to view it from a bit of a distance.

I didn’t mind that though because the whole scene with all the extra cascades felt really dramatic from below.

There’s also a huge tree with a tangle of roots which is perfect to sit and relax on.

The only downside to this wonderful mossy scene is the sandflies. They are pretty ferocious and we definitely regretted not bringing repellant.

We’d been used to very low numbers over winter and got complacent. It turns out they’re back out in force in the spring time and in order to really enjoy this spot you’ll want to bring spray and preferably cover up a bit too.

Sandfly tyrants aside, Whisky Falls is mesmerising. We were lucky enough to get it to ourselves too which definitely made it even more special. We visited on a Sunday evening, and passed plenty of people coming back from the falls, but no one heading out. So even coming on a weekend, as long as it’s early or late, can still be a great time to visit.

The walk back

The walk back is nice and leisurely again, there is a bit of an uphill section towards the end but otherwise it’s mostly flat.

If you have a bit of time it’s worth heading over to Kerr Bay afterwards to check out that iconic view of the lake. Look down into the water under the jetty and you’ll see loads of eels seeking shelter!

Getting to the Whisky Falls Walk/boat jetty

If you’re planning to take the water taxi to Whisky Falls you need to park at Kerr Bay. It’s just over 80km and roughly an hour and 20 minutes drive from Nelson. The last part of the road is gravel but it’s in excellent condition and there’s plenty of free parking.

You can walk to Whisky Falls from here but we started where DOC suggested - you can find the spot on Google Maps by clicking here.
There is no official car park as such but there’s plenty of parking at the road side. It’s also a gravel road but again in great condition and fine for non 4WDs.

The closest town to the national park is St Arnaud which is just a few minutes away and a great base for exploring if you plan on spending a bit more time in the park.