Walking to a waterfall in New Zealand is always a beautiful and serene experience but walking to the Dawson Falls is extra beautiful because you walk through a goblin forest to get to the waterfall. It's a beautiful forest where every tree branch is twisted and covered in green moss - it's a magical experience, especially when there is fog. The beginning of track starts off flat as it takes you through the forest to a viewpoint of the Dawson Falls where you can view it from afar. From there, you take stairs down to the base of the 18m waterfall. There is room to walk around on the rocks by the waterfall and remember to bring a tripod to get a beautiful long exposure shot of the falls.

Things to know:

• The track takes 20-minutes/500m return

• The weather can impact this track such as snow or heavy rain, so check the forecast before you go. Metservice.com and YR.no are good sites for checking the weather in NZ.

• The track is a mixture of flat track and stairs

• There is a viewpoint where you can view the waterfall from afar if you don't want to walk to the base of the waterfall or the stairs are slippery from rain

• Follow the correct signs as this track leads onto another track

• On a windy day it'll pay to bring a rain jacket to avoid any spray from the waterfall

• The flow rate can change at any time and it depends on rainfall - how much or how little there is

Track Name: Dawson Falls Track

Parking: There is a carpark at the Visitor Centre at the end of Manaia Road. There is also enough space for 1 - 2 cars at the beginning of the Dawson Falls Track, so keep an eye out on your right when you're heading up to the Visitor Centre as this will save you a 400m walk from the carpark.

Getting There: There is a 400m track leading you to the start of the Dawson Falls Track and it begins at the Visitor Centre carpark. Take this track and once you reach the beginning of the Dawson Falls Track, it's a 10-minute walk to the waterfall.