Poolburn Gorge, canyon in New Zealand

Poolburn Gorge is a 2.5 km canyon in Central Otago, 4 km east of Lauder, where the Ida Burn cuts through schist rock bluffs of the Raggedy Range between the Ida Valley and the Manuherikia Valley. Tussock and low shrubs cover the steep slopes, while a ribbon of trees lines the river banks at the bottom. The former Otago Central Railway track, now the Otago Central Rail Trail, follows the stream on the gorge's south side.

The area was once a gold mining center where people dug into the banks searching for the precious metal, and old equipment remains visible today. Later the region became part of a historic railway line, with remnants of tracks and bridges still evident in the landscape.

The Pool Burn was known to southern Māori as Te Waipapapa o Karetai, the water container of Karetai, a Ngāi Tahu chief. Today the gorge is crossed by the Otago Central Rail Trail, and riders pass the brick-lined tunnel portals and schist-faced abutments built by railway crews.

There is no public road through the gorge; access is only via the Otago Central Rail Trail, which follows the true left (south) side. The trail descends gently from east to west. Torches are needed for the 201 m Poolburn No.1 and 229 m Poolburn No.2 tunnels; hired bikes typically include them. Bike hire and transport operate from Omakau and Oturehua, and the gorge can be ridden from Auripo to Omakau in 1–2 hours.

The Pool Burn was known to southern Māori as Te Waipapapa o Karetai, the water container of Karetai, a Ngāi Tahu chief. Just past the second tunnel, a short walking track leads to the remnants of the construction workers' village that housed up to 300 men around 1902.