Vaipo Waterfall

Infobox Waterfall
name = Vaipo Waterfall


caption =
location = Nuku Hiva, Marquesas
type = Horsetail
height = 350 m / 1148 ft
height_longest = 350 m / 1148 ft
number_drops = 1
average_flow =1 m³/s / 25 ft³/s
world_rank = 199cite web|url=http://www.world-waterfalls.com/database.php?pageNum_wwdSearch=5&totalRows_wwdSearch=919&s=N&t=H&orderby=height&sortLimit=300|title=World's Tallest Waterfalls|work=World Waterfall Database|accessdate=2007-07-24]

Vaipo Waterfall (also Ahuii or Ahuei) is a waterfall on the island of Nuku Hiva, in the Marquesas of French Polynesia. It is a horsetail-type waterfall with a single drop of height 1148 ft (350 m), making it the tallest waterfall in Polynesia outside of New Zealand and Hawaii.

The waterfall lies in Hakaui Valley. The top of the waterfall is basalt, from which the water spouts as a single jet from its gouged channel. Before reaching the bottom of the fall, the water vaporizes into mist which coats the walls of the canyon, giving them a glossy sheen. [Peter Crawford, "Nomads of the Wind", London: BBC Books, 1993, p. 162-163]

Notes