Thunder_Creek_Falls

Thunder Creek Falls

Thunder Creek Falls

Waterfall in Haast Pass, New Zealand

Thunder Creek Falls is a waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park, Westland District, New Zealand. It is located in the Haast River valley, around 52 kilometres (32 mi) inland from Haast, near the Gates of Haast bridge on State Highway 6.[1] The falls are about 28 metres (92 ft) high[lower-alpha 1][2] and the base is at an elevation of around 120 metres (390 ft) where it flows into the Haast River.[3]

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The waterfall is the outlet of Thunder Creek, draining from a hanging valley created by erosion caused by the former Haast glacier and the Haast River.[4] Over a period of around 14,000 years, the Haast River has formed a canyon, eroding the bedrock down by approximately the 28 m height of the falls.[5]

Viewing platform

A viewing platform is accessible via a 200-metre-return (220 yd) walk on a sealed track from the carpark on State Highway 6. The track to the viewing platform passes through silver beech and kāmahi forest.[6]

Vegetation

The vegetation in this area has silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii) as the main canopy tree, but there are also podocarps including miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea), mataī (Prumnopitys taxifolia), and rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum). Beneath the canopy there is a variety of broadleaf trees including kāmahi (Weinmannia racemosa), māhoe (Melicytus ramiflorus), wineberry (Aristotelia serrata) and patē (Schefflera digitata). There are many species of fern including the soft tree fern (Dicksonia antarctica) and smaller ferns including crown fern (Lomaria discolor) and hound's tongue fern (Cynoglossum officinale). There are also multiple species of Coprosma, including C. robusta (karamū), Coprosma ciliata, and Coprosma rotundifolia.[5]

See also

Notes

  1. Several sources report the height as 96 m, but this inconsistent with the Department of Conservation sources, and the figure of 90 ft reported in The Press of 29 June 1972.

References

  1. [1]
    "Place name detail: Thunder Creek Falls". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Walks along Haast Highway - Mount Aspiring National Park walks" (PDF). Department of Conservation. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  3. [3]
    "NZ Topo Map - Thunder Creek Falls".
  4. [4]
    "Opening up the Haast". The Press. 29 June 1972 – via Papers Past.
  5. [5]
    Kerry-Jayne Wilson (2017). West Coast Walking: A naturalist's guide (2nd ed.). Christchurch: Canterbury University Press. ISBN 978-1-927145-42-5. OL 29806566M. Wikidata Q98762244.
  6. [6]
    "Thunder Creek Falls". Department of Conservation. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
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