Fantail Falls | |
---|---|
Location | Mount Aspiring National Park, New Zealand |
Coordinates | 44°4′42.02″S169°23′10.00″E / 44.0783389°S 169.3861111°E |
Type | Segmented |
Total height | 23 metres (75 ft) |
Watercourse | Fantail Creek |
Fantail Falls is a waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park, Westland District, New Zealand.
The waterfall is in the Haast Pass, between the Gates of Haast and the pass itself, at an altitude of 450 metres (1,476 ft). It marks where Fantail Creek enters the Haast River, with a drop of 23 metres (75 ft).
Its name derives from the way it spreads out into the shape of a fan at its base, rather than any similarity to the tail of the native bird known as the fantail (pīwakawaka or Rhipidura fuliginosa ). [1]
For many years, beginning in the late 1930s, the waterfall had a hydroelectric power plant at its base, which provided power for roadwork machinery being used to construct a road from Makarora to Jackson Bay. The road was commissioned by the Ministry of Public Works and was the first road over the Haast Pass. It was not completed until 1960. [2]
A 5-minute wheelchair-accessible bush walk leads to the riverbank opposite the waterfall from a carpark on State Highway 6. [3] In addition, a steep 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) walk to the Brewster Hut, serviced by the Department of Conservation, starts at the base of the falls. [4]
The walk to the falls passes through almost pure silver beech ( Lophozonia menziesii ) forest, as these falls are at a higher altitude than the other Haast Pass waterfalls, Roaring Billy Falls (80 m above sea level) and Thunder Creek Falls (110 m), which are set in mixed beech/podocarp forest. Underneath the beech canopy the forest floor is dominated by prickly shield fern ( Polystichum vestitum ), horopito ( Pseudowintera colorata ), and broadleaf ( Griselinia littoralis ). [5]
Macquarie Pass National Park is a national park in New South Wales, Australia, 90 km southwest of Sydney. It is located around the pass of the same name, which is on the Illawarra Highway and part of the Illawarra escarpment.
The Springbrook National Park is a protected national park that is located in the Gold Coast hinterland of Queensland, Australia. The 6,197-hectare (15,310-acre) park is situated on the McPherson Range, near Springbrook, approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of Brisbane. The park is part of the Shield Volcano Group of the UNESCO World Heritage–listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.
Fiordland National Park is a national park in the south-west corner of South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 13 national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering 12,607 km2 (4,868 sq mi), and a major part of the Te Wāhipounamu a UNESCO World Heritage Site established in 1990. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation. The southern ranges of the Southern Alps cover most of Fiordland National Park, combined with the deep glacier-carved valleys.
The Haast River / Awarua is a river on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The Māori name for the river is Awarua. It drains the western watershed of the Haast Pass. The Haast River is 100 kilometres (62 mi) in length, and enters the Tasman Sea near Haast township. The river's main tributary is the Landsborough River.
Haast Pass / Tioripatea is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. Māori used the pass in pre-European times.
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Arthur's Pass National Park is located in the South Island of New Zealand and covers 1,185 km2 of mostly mountainous terrain. Adjacent to it lies Craigieburn Forest Park. The park is administered by the Department of Conservation.
Lewis Pass is the northernmost of the three main mountain passes through the Southern Alps in the South Island of New Zealand. With an elevation of 907 metres, it is slightly lower than Arthur's Pass and higher than Haast Pass.
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The Purakaunui Falls are a cascading three-tiered waterfall on the Purakaunui River, in The Catlins of the southern South Island of New Zealand. As one of very few South Island waterfalls away from the alpine region, it has long been a popular destination and photographic subject.
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The McLean Falls on the Tautuku River in Catlins Forest Park descend a number of steep drop offs and terraces, with the very top of the waterfall, where it meets its first waterpool being 22-metres. It then descends for many more metres over a series of terraces. The McLean Falls are often described as the most spectacular in the region. However, its sister waterfall Purakaunui Falls is more visited, due to it being more easily accessible.
The Rob Roy Glacier is a small hanging glacier in the Southern Alps of New Zealand's South Island. It is located within the Mount Aspiring National Park, 9 kilometres (6 mi) south of Mount Aspiring / Tititea.
Lake Gault is a small glacial lake in South Westland, New Zealand, near the township of Fox Glacier. A walking track from Lake Matheson leads to the lake, which is surrounded by mature native forest. A small hydro-electric power plant was constructed piping water from the lake to power a gold mining dredge at Gillespies Beach. Endangered Ōkārito kiwi (rowi) have been released into the wild around Lake Gault.
Tauparikākā Marine Reserve is a marine reserve located offshore about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Haast on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It covers the area immediately offshore from Ship Creek, which is also known as Tauparikākā in Māori.
Pleasant Flat is an alluvial floodplain of the Haast River in the Haast Pass on New Zealand's South Island. A former stopping place for travellers crossing the pass before the building of the highway, it now has a campsite and picnic shelter. It has a notable view of Mount Hooker to the northeast.
The historic Haast to Paringa Cattle Track is a trail through South Westland, New Zealand, constructed in 1875 to allow farmers in the Landsborough and Cascade Valley area to drive their cattle on an annual two-week journey to the sale yards in Whataroa. It was constructed as an inland loop to bypass the precipitous cliffs at Knights Point. For 90 years it was the only land access to the settlements of Haast and Jackson Bay, but the last mob of cattle was driven in 1961, and the construction of a highway connecting Paringa to Haast Pass in 1965 made it redundant. After falling into disuse, the cattle track was converted into a 33-kilometre (21 mi), three-day tramping track, opening in 1981. The track and its three huts are maintained by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
Roaring Billy Falls is a waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park, Westland District, New Zealand. It is located in the Haast River valley, around 30 km (19 mi) inland from Haast, near Eighteen Mile Bluff on State Highway 6. The falls are a 30-metre-high (98 ft) cascade on The Roaring Billy stream. The bottom of the cascade is at an elevation of around 80 metres (262 ft) where it flows into the Haast River.
Thunder Creek Falls is a waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park, Westland District, New Zealand. It is located in the Haast River valley, around 52 kilometres (32 mi) inland from Haast, near the Gates of Haast bridge on State Highway 6. The falls are about 28 metres (92 ft) high and the base is at an elevation of around 120 metres (390 ft) where it flows into the Haast River.
Ship Creek is a small river that flows into an area of coastal swamp forest on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. Ship Creek is approximately 11 km (6.8 mi) long and flows northwest from catchment areas on the slopes of Bald Hill, reaching the Tasman Sea around 20 km (12 mi) north-east of Haast. Near the mouth of Ship Creek, there are short walks around dune lakes and ancient kahikatea swamp forest.