The best waterfalls in Queenstown

I'd spent most of my Australia trip in South Australia, where the "waterfalls" are, generously, garden hoses trickling over rocks. So when I pulled into the car park for Nelson Falls, on the drive from Hobart toward Queenstown, I genuinely wasn't ready for what I was about to see.

It had rained the day before, and the falls were running at full volume. So much spray was hanging in the air that my camera lens fogged up after a single shot. I tried a long exposure anyway, and every frame came back with tiny water droplets smeared across the lens that no amount of editing could fix afterward. If you're the type who likes a perfectly clean shot, bring a lens cloth and expect to use it constantly. If you're the type who doesn't mind a bit of chaos in your photos, this is one of those waterfalls where the imperfections are kind of the point.

Here's what you actually need to know before you go.