Quote: I had seen Huka Falls once already when I arrived from my hike from Craters of the Moon; this was when we hitchhiked from Auckland to Wellington and the woman driving us thought Huka was worth seeing. However, we only barely arrived at Huka by dusk, so, while the falls were still roaring and captivating, they looked much better this time around.

A bit of information on Huka: I heard stories that it is one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world, since 60,000 gallons per second run through its gorge. The falls were created when the Waikato River eroded through soft rocks until it reached a layer of granite it could not break its way through. This is why a river that is upstream more than 100m across is compressed into a small 10m in the small canyon just before the falls. The water finally worked its way through some of the rock, which collapsed and became the basin the falls rush into.

Since I walked in from Craters of the Moon and Hwy 1, I approached Huka from the front, rather than from behind, which is the direction visitors from Taupo reach Huka from. I thought this was a good way to approach from, because the noise grows ever louder and louder until you walk through the trees and the falls are sweeping out in front of you. The falls really are eye-catching, because they are a wonderful shade of turquoise. Below, in the basin, they are a brilliant blue—all because the water is so clear that it reflects the sunlight. This explained why they were so much more brilliantly colored now than when I saw the falls at dusk—so I recommend going on a very sunny day, if you can.

After looking at Huka from that angle, I walked around to the bridge over the falls. That was exhilarating, although I definitely held onto my camera slightly harder! The sheer amount of water there was and the noise it made was really quite astounding (and deafening!). On the other side of the bridge, there are a few more lookouts for the opportunity to see the falls from a different angle, along with paths setting off on various directions.

One of the fun things about the falls was watching the Huka Jet. This jetboat was the kind that does 360°s, they are often found in Queenstown. However, the interesting part was seeing just how close they could inch toward the falls. I have to say, after watching them play cat-and-mouse with the falls, I would have much preferred the Huka Jet to the Shotover Jet—yet another example of Taupo's beating Queenstown, not only in price.

This is definitely a must-see when you are in Taupo, and there are no good excuses for not going (unless, of course, it's pouring rain for your entire visit). It is definitely one of most unique waterfalls I have ever seen.
From journals Crazy, Crazy Taupo