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Sutherland Falls

Sutherland Falls, located in Fiordland National Park on New Zealand's South Island, is the country's tallest waterfall at 580 metres (1,904 feet).

Fed entirely by Lake Quill, a glacially formed tarn sitting at 979 metres above sea level, the falls descend in three distinct cascades — an upper drop of 229 metres, a middle drop of 248 metres, and a lower drop of 103 metres — over roughly 480 metres of horizontal distance.

Access is limited. The most common approach is via the Milford Track, a four-day Great Walk, with the base of the falls reachable on a short side trip from Quintin Public Shelter.

Scenic flights and helicopter tours offer an alternative for those unable to complete the full hike. Lake Quill itself takes its name from William Quill, the surveyor who first climbed to its rim in 1890 and described the view as "indescribably magnificent."


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