The flow would fill an Olympic swimming pool in 11 seconds.

The falls also divide the territories of Tūwharetoa and Te Arawa river iwi, and separate the ecology of the tributary of Lake Taupō from the upper reaches of the Waikato River itself. There are no eels—for instance—above the falls, they can’t pass the falls or climb the steep rock walls.

Are rivers highways, drains, arteries or taonga? Across the short human history of New Zealand they have been thought of as all of those things. More recently tourism has put the weight of economic incentive back on healthy rivers, arguably where it should have remained all along.