Thunder Creek Falls
Thunder Creek Falls is a waterfall in Mount Aspiring National Park, Westland District, New Zealand. It is located in the Haast River valley, around inland from Haast, near the Gates of Haast bridge on State Highway 6. The falls are about high and the base is at an elevation of around where it flows into the Haast River.
The waterfall is the outlet of Thunder Creek, draining from a hanging valley created by erosion caused by the former Haast glacier and the Haast River. Over a period of around 14,000 years, the Haast River has formed a canyon, eroding the bedrock down by approximately the 28 m height of the falls.
A viewing platform is accessible via a walk on a sealed track from the carpark on State Highway 6. The track to the viewing platform passes through silver beech and kāmahi forest.
Vegetation
The vegetation in this area has silver beech as the main canopy tree, but there are also podocarps including miro, mataī, and rimu. Beneath the canopy there is a variety of broadleaf trees including kāmahi, māhoe, wineberry and patē. There are many species of fern including the soft tree fern and smaller ferns including crown fern and hound's tongue fern. There are also multiple species of Coprosma, including C. robusta, Coprosma ciliata, and Coprosma rotundifolia.