Christie Falls, also known as Falls Creek Falls, is just over one km west of Marian Corner in Fiordland. The falls are 15 metres high and immediately beside the Milford Sound Highway (State Highway 94) as you drive over the bridge where the creek connects with the Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka. A large parking area is next to the road, another 100 metres west. From there, you can walk back down to a pedestrian bridge next to the falls for the best views.
There are also great views of the Hollyford River, with substantial rapids below the car park and footpath. To the right of the falls is a rough tramping route that steeply climbs 300 metres along the line of Falls Creek. The slope becomes gentler towards the valley cirque, below a series of 2,000-metre peaks, including Pyramid, Charlton and Suter Peaks at the north end of the Earl Mountains.
The falls were named for the engineer and mountaineer John Christie. He explored large areas of NZ and led the first mountain traverse between Lake Hauroko and Dusky Sound in 1931. He worked on the Homer Tunnel construction project in the 1930s and other major projects such as the Waitaki hydro dam.
