Weekly Travel Theme: Flow 06-15-2013

Waikato River – New Zealand

Huka Falls

Waikato River and Huka Falls

The Waikato River is the longest of New Zealand’s rivers. It originates from Lake Taupo and winds its way north before discharging to the Tasman Sea just south of Auckland. As it leaves the lake the river is approximately 325 feet in width but as it approaches Huka Falls the width narrows to only 50 feet across. The volume of water flowing through the narrow chasm often approaches 58,000 gallons per second. At the end of the chasm is the Huka Falls. They are not the highest falls, being only 35 feet, but it is the velocity and volume of water that flows over the drop that makes this waterfall so impressive.