Huka Falls

Infobox Waterfall
name = Huka Falls

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caption = Huka Falls.
location = Taupo, New Zealand
coordinates = coord|-38.649497|176.089683
watercourse = Waikato River and Lake Taupo
type =
height =
average_flow = 200 m³/s (200,000 litres every second)
world_rank = The Huka Falls are a set of waterfalls on the Waikato River that drains Lake Taupo in New Zealand.

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. [cite conference |author=Mike Rosenberg |coauthors=Geoff Kilgour |title=Field Trip 1: Taupo Volcano |booktitle=Field Trip Guides |pages=5 |publisher=Geological Society of New Zealand |date=6-9 December 2004 |location=Taupo |url=http://www.gsnz.org.nz/gs_downloads/fieldtrips/MP117B_FT1.pdf |format=PDF |accessdate=2007-08-16 |id=ISBN 0-908678-99-1 ]

The volume of water flowing through often approaches 220,000 litres per second.

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. [http://www.hukafallsjet.com Hukafalls Jet] takes tourists within a few meters of the bottom of the final stage.

The falls were brought to national attention in February 1989 when the body of cricket umpire, Peter Plumley-Walker was found immediately downsteam, with wrists and ankles bound. The resulting investigation lifted the lid on the Auckland bondage scene and the news media had a field day. Dominatrix Renee Chignall was acquitted of his murder after three trials.

The falls are a popular tourist attraction, being close to Taupo and readily accessible from State Highway One, but there are much higher waterfalls to be seen in the country.

References

* [http://www.hukafalls.com Official Huka Falls ]