To get to Waipori you'll either have to come up "The Driveway"...

Waipori Falls Village is about an hour’s drive from Dunedin – about 30 miles. Dunedin Airport is much closer, about 35 minutes drive from the house, and lies more or less between Dunedin and Waipori Village. The airport itself is small, like a clearing in a field with some tin buildings – though it’s probably the size of Inverness Airport. One usually flies into New Zealand landing at Auckland (North Island) or Christchurch (South Island), then taking a connection in a small plane to Dunedin Airport. (One can also travel by bus (coach) between Christchurch and Dunedin. Email info@intercitygroup.co.nz or phone 03 365 1113. The bus journey between Christchurch and Dunedin takes about three hours, and is cheaper – flying however is much faster and more comfortable, and doesn’t cost much more!

Car hire is inexpensive, the most convenient being ‘Get Away Car Hire’ in nearby Mosgiel. From about NZ$40 a day. You can have the car delivered to the airport where, on your departure, you can leave it. Phone 64 3 489 7614 – ask for Bob or Dawn. Book on-line at: http://www.getawaycarhire.co.nz/

Directions from Dunedin:

Drive south out of Dunedin along the N1 motorway for about ten miles, and turn off the motorway to the right at a sign that says “Sinclair Wetlands”.  (This road passes close by Dunedin Airport.) After a junction, turn right on the road signposted to Outram; after about half a mile another road (signposted “Waipori”) turns off to the left – this road soon becomes a gravel road that follows the Waipori River through a forested gorge. In Waipori Falls Village the tarred road climbs steeply up the hill; this is where you'll find Falls View, nestled into the hillside.

At the head of the gorge you'll find the Crystal Falls

This photo is taken from our deck - you can see a ribbon of white, the Crystal Falls, in the distance. From the deck you can hear the river fed by the falls.

I think Bilbo is going to emerge from the trees any moment!

The birdsong is wonderful - no prizes for spotting the bird in these leaves

The following are descriptions of the drive along the gravel road (called by locals as “The Driveway”) to Waipori Falls Village:

“There were areas of grass and small trees covered in sparkling frost and light snow all along the winding road up into the mountains. At one point it was almost like a tunnel of trees with drops of water falling slowly in the sunlight.” – Dr Garret Evans (during a winter visit).

“Driving up to Waipori Falls Village through the wooded hills on the long forest track, the river was clear and beautiful – it was a bit low if anything. There didn’t seem to be much evidence of rain there at all.” – Dr Garrett Evans (during a summer visit).

“Surprisingly soon the narrow tarred road turned into a gravel road and we lurched and slipped up to the mountain, skirting it down a windy track, past tall poplars and willows and then into a narrow gorge. It was hard to tell at first that it was a gorge since the forest was thick on either side. We drove on through this rainforest, for that is how it appeared; lichen clinging flimsily to thin branches and dipping down towards the Nissan 4x4 as we ground our way through these dark corridors. From time to time we would stop. Garrett, our friend and driver, would turn off the engine and sit quietly so we could all listen to his favourite sound – cicadas. The noise of these small grasshopper-like creatures reminded him of hot lazy halcyon days in Sardinia as a young man.

Slowly we left the rocky brown river that had been beside us and drove higher and higher. From time to time trees would part enough for us to see the frightening drop beside us into the gorge. There was really only enough room for one vehicle. I hoped we would not meet another. On and on, up and up, this winding shale road climbed, making us feel like we were entering the real ‘back of beyond’, shafts of sunlight shooting through the trees giving relief to the dimness. This light and dark gravel road, winding frighteningly above a precipitous gorge, eventually came to tar. A sigh of relief! Still alive! But wait, we were still going up and winding, but this time past odd wooden bungalows that hugged the side of the mountain. A number of hairpin bends brought us to the top of our drive.”
– Joanne, February 2006