Huka Falls, Waterfall and tourist attraction in Taupo, New Zealand
Huka Falls is a waterfall in the Taupō District where the Waikato River narrows sharply from about 100 meters to 15 meters wide before dropping about 11 meters into a pool. This sudden constriction combined with the vertical drop creates intense water flows and dramatic turbulence.
The canyon at Huka Falls is cut into lake-floor sediments laid down before the Oruanui eruption of Taupō Volcano about 26,500 years ago. The falls were long considered unrunnable; in 1981 kayakers Greg Oke and Nick Kerkham first descended them at low water. Flows are now regulated through the Taupō Control Gates, between 50 and 319 cubic metres per second.
The name Huka comes from the Māori word huka, meaning foam, after the white water where the river is squeezed into a 15-metre canyon. The Waikato River drains Lake Taupō, and the falls sit about 3.5 km north of Taupō town. Jet boats run up to just below the lower cascade, and in 1981 kayakers Greg Oke and Nick Kerkham made the first successful descent at low water.
Multiple viewing platforms connected by paved walking paths offer different angles to see the falls from various positions. Free parking is available near the main entrance, and the pathways accommodate visitors of different mobility levels.
In 1981 kayakers Greg Oke and Nick Kerkham became the first to run the falls, succeeding only at low water after the drop had long been considered unrunnable. The canyon they shot through is cut into lake-floor sediment laid down before the Oruanui eruption of Taupō Volcano about 26,500 years ago.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,443 contributors worldwide.
