Perched just off State Highway 7A, the Waiau River Lookout near Hanmer Springs offers an amazing spot to stop capture the rugged beauty of the Waiau River gorge. From the gravel carpark and café near the Waiau Ferry Bridge, you can frame the braided turquoise channels, sheer rock walls, and the single‐lane bridge itself - an iconic alpine scene from this area of New Zealand.

This spot will work beautifully at golden hours especially close to sunset. Take your wide angle lens with you (16-35mm) and a mid range zoom lens (24-100mm).