Wainui Falls, Waterfall in Abel Tasman National Park, New Zealand

Wainui Falls is a waterfall in Abel Tasman National Park that descends over granite bedrock and creates a deep pool in the river. The water flows through a forested area that shapes the river corridor with several smaller cascades before reaching the main basin.

Access to this waterfall was developed in the early 1900s with a new track that was originally difficult to navigate. The route was later improved for visitors and remains a popular walk within the park today.

In the mythology of the local Tākaka Māori, a taniwha named Ngārara Huarau terrorised a village until the people killed it. Its severed tail landed in the pool at the base of the falls, and the rusty red-brown staining on the rocks downstream is attributed to blood seeping from the tail.

The walk to the waterfall is of moderate length and best done in sturdy footwear. A simple suspension bridge must be crossed, and visitors should be prepared for wet conditions and slippery vegetation.

The track passes through forest where Powelliphanta snails, among the world's largest land snails, are sometimes found on the floor. The rocks downstream of the falls carry rusty red-brown staining that Tākaka Māori tradition links to the blood of the taniwha Ngārara Huarau, whose severed tail is said to have landed in the plunge pool.