Sutherland Falls

In New Zealand's South Island, Sutherland Falls is located close to Milford Sound. The falls, at 580 meters, was once thought to be New Zealand's tallest waterfall. Some people believe Browne Falls, which cascades 843 meters down a cliff in Doubtful Sound, to be the largest waterfall because Terror Falls, in the nearby Poseidon Valley, are both 750 meters high.

Three waterfalls of water descend from Lake Quill: the highest is 229 meters high, the middle is 248 meters high, and the bottom is 103 meters high. The average fall gradient is roughly 56 degrees because of the 580 m vertical drop and 480 m horizontal drop.

The Sutherland Falls is nourished by Lake Quill, a little circular lake that fills a small granite basin that was carved out by glacier action during the Ice Age and empties almost directly into a valley below. The best view is from above during a helicopter flight when the lake behind the waterfall is framed by snow-capped mountains during the colder months.

Location: Fiordland National Park, South Island