Woman falls 20m down The Chasm in Fiordland

The Chasm waterfall in Fiordland. Photo / Department of Conservation

A woman is very lucky to be unscathed after she crossed a safety barrier and fell 20m while trying to take a photo in Fiordland National Park today, police say.

The 21-year-old tourist had been walking at The Chasm - a waterfall scoured from rock by the Cleddau River, about 109km along Milford Rd from Te Anau - when she slipped on a rock and fell.

Senior Sergeant Ben Butterfield said the woman had crossed a safety barrier to try to take a photo.

She plunged 20m into a fast flowing river but, remarkably, was uninjured in the fall.
"This young woman was very, very lucky. This could have very easily ended in the loss of life - all for the sake of a photo," Mr Butterfield said.

The woman swam to a nearby ledge, were she remained until she was rescued.
Members of the Queenstown alpine rescue team, along with police and firefighters from Te Anau, lifted the woman out by rope about 7pm.

"She was cold and very grateful to her rescuers," Mr Butterfield said.
Police said it was a timely reminder not to ignore safety signs when visiting natural attractions.

The Department of Conservation's website said the 400m walk to The Chasm from Milford Rd took 15 minutes return.

"Two foot bridges over the Cleddau River offer dramatic views of a series of powerful waterfalls," the site said.

"Thousands of years of swirling water have sculpted shapes and basins in the rock. The sheer velocity of water gives an appreciation of how much rainfall the Milford Sound area receives per annum."