| Huka Falls | |
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| Location | Taupō, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 38°38′58″S 176°05′23″E / 38.649497°S 176.089683°E / -38.649497; 176.089683 |
| Type | Cascade |
| Watercourse | Waikato River |
| Average flow rate | 220 m3/s [1] |
Huka Falls is a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River, which drains Lake TaupōinNew Zealand.
A few hundred metres upstream from Huka Falls, the Waikato River narrows from approximately 100 metres across to a canyon only 15 metres across. The canyon is carved into lake floor sediments laid down before Taupō Volcano's Oruanui eruption 26,500 years ago.[2]
The volume of water flowing through often approaches 220 cubic metres per second, making it one of the highest flowing waterfalls in the world. The flow rate is regulated by Mercury NZ Ltd through the Taupō Control Gates as part of their hydro system planning, with Waikato Regional Council dictating flows during periods of downstream flooding in the Waikato River catchment.[3] Mercury NZ have ability to control the flows between 50 cubic metres per second and 319 cubic metres per second.
At the top of the falls is a set of small waterfalls dropping about eight metres. The final stage of the falls is a six-metre drop, raised to an effective 11 metre fall by the depth of the water. The falls are a popular tourist attraction, being close to Taupō and readily accessible from State Highway 1.
Authority control databases: Geographic  |
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