Washpen Falls — Attraction in Canterbury

It was a nice little surprise to see this track on our way back from Lake Tekapo to Christchurch. We took a small detour to this place with curiosity since it's a private set up from a farmer's family. We were greeted and accompanied by the owner's friendly dog for a little while but the owners weren't there. The entrance has a honest box for the cash only entrance fee so be mindful they don't have other payment format.

The walk was beautiful and peaceful with a combination of scenes and sounds of forest, small creeks, waterfalls and a high up lookout. We were lucky to have good weather but part of the walk was still quite muddy and slippery so make sure you wear proper hiking and water proof shoes. Also use backpacks instead of hand-carry bags so you have hands to hold on to handles and ropes for some of the steeper areas.

It has a very clean unisex toilet and a tap for you to wash your shoes at the parking area right beside the office. The website says it takes 2 hours to finish the track and we finished it in 1 hour 15 minutes because we didn't stop for too long at each viewing spot. You certainly can take a backpack to picnic there and enjoy the walk for a longer time.

We're a family of 3 and we fully enjoyed what's offered...

Went this walk in autumn. Really enjoyed it. I had a six year old child with us, and we weren’t in a hurry, so the walk took us around 3 hours. Interesting on many levels; great scenery through different landscapes (bush walks, open fields and montane hill scenery), historical sites exhibiting colonial and pre colonial history. Lots of interesting plants if that appeals to you (it does to me). Kids had a great time. There are a couple of steep soil spots on the track which get slippery if wet. Plenty of rope rails to help so not a massive issue. The older gentleman in the visitors shed was very friendly to talk to. Make sure to take jackets, it is a higher altitude and can be wet and cold even if it is fine in Darfield. Take robust footwear, running shoes are inadequate if it has been raining. Plenty of nice spots to picnic. Interesting caves. Swimming is possible in the waterfall pool. A...

Great walk for the whole family. A must visit if you're in Canterbury - beautiful scenery whilst being able to get up close to the waterfall as the main event. You start up a reasonable incline for a short while, but you are rewarded with some beautiful views of our luscious landscape. The track is well maintained and very easy to navigate with various arrows along the way. A few areas were slippery and a few bends that kids needed additional help with, but it would be suitable for most fitness levels. We picked up the map at the office which afforded knowledge into the history of the location. This also added maybe 30mins onto the walk as we stopped and looked around alot! Our total time was a little over 2 hours but we definitely could have done this in about an hour and a bit if we were short on time. Adults $10, kids $5. Take water, but most of the...