Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Six of NZ’s best hidden swimming holes
Limit yourself to swimming in the sea this summer and you’ll be missing out. Kiwis are blessed with some of the world’s best natural swimming holes in their collective backyard.
From unnamed waterfall-fed pools to back country lakes, we’ve rounded up a few of our lesser-known favourites. Do your fellow wild swim fans a favour and share yours in the comments.
Pelorus Bridge, Marlborough
Peter Jackson’s a reliable source of scenic New Zealand filming spots, so you know the river he chose to send his dwarves down in barrels in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is going to be good. And it is.
Located halfway between Blenheim and Nelson, this star swimming spot is set in a scenic reserve that serves as the starting point for easy forest walks, including one to a waterfall.
Dive off the rocks into the clear river water or just ease your way in. This being the South Island, the water can be kind of chilly. If you’d like to replicate The Hobbit scene, swap barrels for kayaks on a guided tour that takes in waterfalls, streams and more of the river’s best secret spots.
Pori Pori, Bay of Plenty While a popular spot with locals, most visitors to the Bay of Plenty unwittingly bypass this glorious waterhole en route to its busy golden beaches.
Slightly inland from Tauranga, Pori Pori is a little slice of Kiwi bush paradise, hidden from unsuspecting tourists by large boulders and tightly packed tree ferns.
The boulders make for great dive-bombing platforms if you’re into that kind of thing. For a more relaxing dip, opt for one of the small rock pools along the short bush track from the car park – most are just the right size for an adult to stretch out in.
Make sure you check the Trustpower website before you go though. The company releases water upstream on set dates to create white water for rafters and kayakers which causes a rapid rise in water levels, making the waterhole unsafe for swimming.
Hidden waterfall, Coromandel
‘‘Blink and you’ll miss it. Don’t blink and you’ll probably miss it too.’’ So said Stuff reporter Jo Lines-Mackenzie about this little-known swimming spot just outside Pauanui.
An overgrown path by a small layby about three kilometres along Hikuai Settlement Rd leads through ferns, toi toi and forestry land to an unnamed waterfall just the right size and pressure for an al fresco shower. The waterfall cascades into three small swimming holes of varying depths perfect for a refreshing dip.
Christchurch visitor Shane Cave told Lines-Mackenzie he and his family had heard about the falls from locals. ‘‘It’s good to find something which is still organic. It’s off the beaten track a little, and there is no real signage that people see so most people drive straight past.’’
Lake Mackenzie, Fiordland With deep green mountains reflected in its mirror-like surface, Lake Mackenzie could hardly look more inviting.
Particularly after a sweaty hike along the Routeburn Track.
It’s a gorgeous walk though – one of New Zealand’s best – and you won’t be able to get down 1255-metre-high Harris Saddle/ Tarahaka Whakatipu fast enough when you spot the bluegreen lake – so intensely hued it looks like an Instagram filter.
There’s a Department of Conservation (DOC) hut and campsite beside the lake, so there’s plenty of time to lap it all up.
The lake is about a six-anda-half-hour walk from The Divide end of the track on the Milford Highway.
Hoffman’s Pool, Coromandel
The underrated Kauaeranga Valley in Coromandel Forest Park is full of secret swimming holes, one of the best being Hoffman’s Pool.
An old water supply intake which once fed Thames, the large – and relatively deep – pool is a great place for a summer dip.
With a sheer cliff on one side and thick bush on the other, its secluded air belies the fact it’s an easy 250-metre walk from the gravel road.