Welcome to Maruia Falls
It seems that every generation in New Zealand has some life changing personal experience with a major earthquake. For me it was Christchurch in 2010, my fathers was Inangahua in 1968 and for my grandfather it was Murchison in 1929 which triggered landslides, creating 38 new lakes, of which 21 still exist and this impressive waterfall with the whirlpool beneath it.
Once you are at the posted co-ordinates (top level viewing location) you'll find the information within a few minutes although it's worth taking the time here to enjoy this location.
Take care when exiting back on to the highway.
The Lesson
Earthquakes have created some of New Zealand's waterfalls, often through the upthrust of rock along a fault. The Murchison earthquake of 1929 produced the Maruia Falls through a different process – a landslide in the Maruia Valley, illustrated by the dotted lines in the picture below. This diverted the course of the Maruia River westward, forcing it to cut a new channel over an old river bank.
Immediately after the 1929 Murchison earthquake, the falls over the river bank were only about a metre high. But a year later the gravel downstream had been eroded and the water fell 5 metres. Today it has dropped to at least 10 metres. This type of water fall is known as a 'block' because the water descends from a wide river.
Answer the following 4 questions to log your visit
1. What process helped create the falls?
2. What type of water fall are you looking at?
3. In what direction does the large wood debris whirlpool turn?
4. At GZ, what is the structure directly behind you?
The answers to the questions are easily found within this page and at GZ. Please email me your answers using the "message this owner" link near the top of this page. You can expect an emailed reply within 12 hours confirming your opportunity to claim your find.
Please do not post the answers in your log, but photos of visit to the falls are welcome.