A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.
A waterfall means different things to different people. For some it is a source of life (water), for others an inspiration, for others a place of peace and solitude and for others a source of recreation (swimming at its base).
New Zealand is a beautiful country with many outstanding waterfalls. I was fortunate enough to visit some of them in different parts of the North Island.
Huka Falls -
http://www.hukafalls.com/
The Huka Falls are the largest falls on the Waikato River, that drains Lake Taupo, the largest freshwater lake in Australasia.
Facts:
- A few hundred metres upstream from the Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from roughly 100 metres across into a narrow canyon only 15 metres across.
- The canyon is carved into lake floor sediments laid down before Taupo's Oruanui eruption 26,500 years ago.
- At the top of the falls is a set of small waterfalls dropping over about 8 metres. The most impressive, final stage of the falls (pictured here) is an 11 metre drop. The drop is technically six metres (cliff beneath the water) but the water flow raises the level to 11m.
- Every second up to 220,000 litres of water gushes through the gorge and shoots out over 8 metres beyond to create a beautful blue/green pool.
- The name Huka is the Maori word for 'foam', which is appropriate as the falling water and rapids certainly resembles foam, especially under flooding conditions.
I loved the ice blue colour of the water. It truly was unique. In order to enjoy the waterfalls, you can do one of two things or both:
- Take a trek along the river and falls.
- Take a jetboat ride to the base of the falls.
The icy mint blue water of the Waikato river
Rainbow Falls -
Rainbow Falls is a single drop waterfall near the town of Kerikeri in Northland, North Island. It is a 27m waterfall but is absolutely picturesque. Its Māori name is
Waianiwaniwa,
Waters of the Rainbow.
Unlike most New Zealand waterfalls which are created by the erosion of soft rock, the Rainbow Falls are sited on a hard basalt layer of rock beside softer mudstone. The falls were formed when water eroded the mudstone.
I love the reflections
Very picturesque
Absolutely unique
Calm before the storm?!
Pretty, ain't it?
My favourite waterfall
Whangarei Falls -
The Whangarei Falls are supposed to be the most photographed falls in the North Island. It is a 26m drop near the town of Whangerei. It can appear as several parallel columns of water or a large rectangular column depending on whether it has been raining heavily or not.
Haruru Falls -
Haruru Falls are in Paihia. Haruru means “big noise” which is fairly appropriate for the noise of the falls. The water falls are in a horseshoe shape and quite lovely. The Maori legend claimed that a taniwha (water monster) lived in the lagoon below the falls. In the 1800s, there were apparently over 100 Maori villages along the Haruru Falls river.
Horeshoe like Niagara, but very shallow!
Don't miss the people kayaking at the base.
The unknown waterfall at Mount Ruapehu -
We came across this waterfall caused by the melting snow at Mt. Ruapehu. Stunning against the brown rocky mountain.
There are many types of waterfalls:
Block: Water descends from a relatively wide stream or river.
Cascade: Water descends a series of rock steps.
Cataract: A large, powerful waterfall.
Chute: A large quantity of water forced through a narrow, vertical passage.
Fan: Water spreads horizontally as it descends while remaining in contact with bedrock.
Frozen: Any waterfall which has some element of ice.
Horsetail: Descending water maintains some contact with bedrock.
Plunge: Water descends vertically, losing contact with the bedrock surface.
Punchbowl: Water descends in a constricted form and then spreads out in a wider pool.
Segmented: Distinctly separate flows of water form as it descends.
Tiered: Water drops in a series of distinct steps or falls.
Multi-step: A series of waterfalls one after another of roughly the same size each with its own sunken plunge pool.
Significant waterfalls listed alphabetically:
Angel Falls is the world's tallest at 979 metres (3212 ft) in Venezuela.
Bambarakanda Falls is Sri Lanka's tallest waterfall at 263 m.
Detian - Ban Gioc Falls is the 4th largest international waterfall in the world between the Sino-Vietnamese border.
Bridalveil Fall in Yosemite Valley is 189 m (620 ft) high with a sheer drop when flowing.
Cascata delle Marmore in Italy is the tallest man-made waterfall in the world.
Cautley Spout, at 175 m (580 ft), is the tallest waterfall in England.
Colonial Creek Falls, the second tallest waterfall in North America at 2,584 ft (788 m), is located in the North Cascades National Park, Washington, United States.
Dettifoss, Northeast Iceland is the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of volume discharge, having an average water flow of 200 m³/s.The falls are 100 m wide and have a drop of 44 m down to the Jökulsárgljúfur canyon.
Eas a' Chual Aluinn, at 200 m (658 ft), is the tallest waterfall in both Scotland and the United Kingdom.
Gocta is the fifth tallest in the world at 771 m (2532 ft) and located in the province Chachapoyas, Peru.
Hannoki Falls is the tallest waterfall in Asia at 1,640 ft (500 m) and located in Tateyama, Japan.
High Force on the River Tees is one of the tallest waterfalls in England.
Huangguoshu Waterfall in Anshun, Guizhou, China, is the largest waterfall in East Asia.
Iguazu Falls is a tall and extremely wide waterfall located in South America on the Argentina/Brazil border.
James Bruce Falls, the tallest waterfall in North America at 840 m, is located in the Princess Louisa Marine Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.
Jog Falls is India's tallest (listed as 314 ranking on the World Waterfall Database), located in Karnataka state, India.
Jurong Falls in Singapore is an artificial waterfall.
Kaieteur Falls (Potaro River in central Guyana), located in the Kaieteur National Park, is 226 m (741 ft).
Krimmler Wasserfälle, at 380 m, is Austria's second tallest waterfall and located in Krimml, Salzburg, Austria.
Niagara Falls are the most powerful falls in North America.
Pissing Mare Falls, at 350 m (1148 ft), is the tallest in eastern North America.
Pistyll Rhaeadr, a 240 ft (73m) waterfall in Wales.
Ramnefjellsfossen is the world's third tallest at 808 m (2685 ft), at Stryn, Nesdalen, Norway.
Rhine Falls is Europe's widest and is located in Switzerland.
ShirAbad Waterfall is located in Iran, Golestan, Khanbebin, Shirabad.
Shoshone Falls the "Niagara of the West" in Idaho
St.Clair's Falls is Sri Lanka's widest waterfall 265 ft high.
Silver Falls is a waterfall and is located in Silverton, Oregon.
Takakkaw Falls is a 384 m (1260 ft) in Yoho National Park in Canada.
Tequendama Falls is a 132 m high waterfall on the Bogotá River, about 30 km southwest of Bogotá in Colombia.
Tugela Falls is the world's second tallest at 947 m (3110 ft) in KwaZulu-Natal province, Republic of South Africa.
Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world and is more than a mile long. It is located on the Zambezi river on the border of Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Virginia Falls (Northwest Territories) on South Nahanni River, Northwest Territories, Canada. World's 14th largest waterfall located in Nahanni National Park Reserve a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Waihilau Falls, at 2,600 ft (792 m), is located in the Waimanu Valley, Hawaii, United States.
Yosemite Falls, the fourth tallest waterfall in North America at 2,425 ft (739 m), is located in Yosemite National Park, United States.
Yumbilla Falls is the world's fifth tallest waterfall and located in Peru.
Source: wikipedia
