Thunder Creek Falls, Glacier-fed waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand.
Thunder Creek Falls is a waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park, Westland District, in the Haast River valley about 52 km inland from Haast, near the Gates of Haast bridge on State Highway 6. Its base sits at about 120 m elevation where Thunder Creek drops into the Haast River. The German Wikipedia gives a total fall height of 96 m, of which the last and highest step is 28 m.
The waterfall became accessible to visitors when State Highway 6 was built through Haast Pass to connect settlements across the South Island. This road has allowed travelers to discover the falls for several decades during their journeys.
The waterfall represents a natural monument within the Mount Aspiring National Park, part of New Zealand's conservation efforts to protect natural water sources.
A short, easy walking path from the parking area takes only a few minutes to reach the viewpoint. Most visitors can see the falls during a quick stop while driving through the region.
The falls drop about 28 metres from the lip of a hanging valley cut by the former Haast glacier; the Haast River has since eroded its canyon down by roughly that same height over about 14,000 years. The track from the car park crosses silver beech and kāmahi forest in only 200 metres return.
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