Wave swamps Westland valley

Press, 21 November 1981, Page 1

Wave swamps Westland valley

Cattle died and a hut was demolished after a rockslide into a lake sent a freak wave sweeping down the Waitoto Valley, South Westland, this week. 1 The rockslide plunged into the unnamed glacial lake near the north side of Mount Aspiring probably late Wednesday night or early Thursday ’ morning, said Mr Bill Hislop, the chief ranger at the Mount Aspiring National Park. The slide came from Stargazer Peak in the Haast Range. It sent a wave of water" down the valley that was many feet above the

-normal course of the Waiatoto River, and two or three times its usual volume, said Mr Hislop. Trees were torn down, one hut was demolished and another damaged, a number of cattle were swept to their deaths, and debris was dumped on the valley’s grass flats. It would take a while for the grass to recover enough to be used for grazing. It was fortunate that there had been no trampers in the area because all the lower river flats had been swept by the wave, Mr Hislop said.