Quick Facts
Accessibility: 10/10 (easy)
Height: 33′ / 10 m (whole drop may be taller, though not visible)
Length of Hike: 0.25 miles / 0.4 km round-trip
The Record
The Chasm sounds more daunting than it actually is, as if you’re looking into an abyss. Instead, what you get is an interesting hike in Fiordland National Park, with a few waterfalls added in. The trail itself is a brief 20-minute stroll through the moss-drenched Fiordland bush. Once you reach the bridges spanning the Cleddau River, you see where “The Chasm” truly earns its title: not from a single, massive plummet, but from the way the river has bored through solid rock over millennia. The geological sculpting is the real highlight here. Centuries of stone have carved out perfectly smooth potholes and deep basins that make the river appear to vanish into the earth before re-emerging further downstream.
From a photography standpoint, The Chasm can be notoriously frustrating. Because the water drops almost vertically into narrow, light-starved slots, you’re often left staring into a shadowy void that swallows any sense of scale or depth. It’s one of those spots that might feel more visceral in person than it looks on a sensor. You hear the thunderous roar, but the camera only captures a sliver of the action. Christie Falls might be the more interesting waterfall along the Milford Sound Highway.
Directions
- From Te Anau, head north on NZ-94. You will drive most of the way to Milford Sound, 109 km from Te Anau. From mid-May to October, you may want to check to make sure that the road is open to Milford Sound…It can close randomly, or snow chains may also be required.
- The Chasm trail is clearly signed along the road. The short hike then leads to the falls.
Waterfall Record 
Leave a comment