We opted to check out Cataract Pot first, which like many New Zealand caves, was half in the finding of it. It was not that it was a particularly hard cave to find (you can hear the "cataract" from a popular tramping track), I just only had a vague idea of where it was and thus went mostly on instinct. After discovering some trails that led to other trails, I got a little smarter and figured out where the cave should be by comparing the survey I had with the map on my GPS. After checking out a few holes that were not Cataract Pot, we found it. Cataract Pot has one of the most beautiful entrance rappels I have seen- a clean, 40m free-hanging rappel down a shaft that gracefully bells out from the top. A small rivulet drops off the lip of the shaft, shattering into an impressive cascade that fills half the chamber and makes communication hard over its roar. Unfortunately no photos were taken as the chamber at the bottom is a whirlwind of mist and would have obscured the camera lens instantly. Wetsuits were a good call. We explored around finding a couple decent-sized passages. I then revisited nearby Cave Creek (described elsewhere on this page)- this time with wetsuits and wetter intentions (so again no photos). We walked up the mostly-dry trunk passage and bravely swam 30m to where we could walk again. Before we knew it we were at the sump that connects to Myopia Cave via a 20m dive. We then went back and explored the very wet lower reaches, noting that the water level was much higher than my last visit. I ventured upstream, removing my helmet at a low ceiling with only 15cm of airspace. Past this point the passage opened up again and we explored a bit more. A more prolonged constriction with about 7cm airspace gave way to a really neat passage that reminded me of catacombs under some ancient city. We had a look at the downstream continuation, but opted out as the water was too high and the current too strong.
Touristy detours were made to Pancake Rocks and the Truman Track. The latter is one of the very best 10 minutes hikes in New Zealand- it passes through three different vegetation zones before arriving at a rugged and scenic West Coast beach complete with fantastic rock sculptures, overhangs and a waterfall that plunges right onto the beach.
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| Blowhole at Pancake Rocks |
A touchy forecast necessitated some quick organizing for our Nettlebed Cave through-trip. We stayed the night at the Mt. Arthur Hut, sleeping through the bad weather. We then hiked up the ridge and down patchy snow to abseil into Blizzard Pot. As it turned out, we managed to miss the second batch of horrible weather while underground so our timing was perfect. The trip is described elsewhere on this page so I will only add the few relevant comments. Blizzard Pot was much drippier than my last trip through, which really had me wondering about "the ducks" (sometimes dry, sometimes little airspace) which hopefully weren't "the sumps" (no airspace).
The real standout moment on the trip was when I realized that the first "duck" was sumped. Not good, but at least that one we could bypass via a tight crawl. The second one however looked grim with about 15cm of airspace at the start and I was unsure whether we would be able to get through. Once the other two were through the bypass squeeze, I took a deep breath, slid up to my neck in the cold water and rocketed through the passage as fast I could. Although now very cold, I was on the other side and determined we would make it through. I helped pass packs and sent the others through before several minutes of jumping jacks to warm up. Good teamwork had us through the Hinkle Horn Honking Holes in no time. Right before the entrance we noticed squishy mud underfoot and very fresh green debris on the low ceiling- apparently the entrance completely floods to where you can't get out and it had probably happened in the last 48 hours! I managed to lead us all through the cave with only very minor navigational wonderment. Near the Pearse Resurgence we saw a family of Whio (blue ducks, very rare). Watching the ducklings navigate the little rapids was quite cool! Lastly, the route up Whiskey Creek back to our car at Flora Saddle was a real kicker and made us appreciate just what a deep cave Nettlebed is!
We made it out in time to enjoy fresh fish and chips on a boat dock and arrived at the NZSS Annual General Meeting (AGM) weekend in time to catch up with my good friends. After what I thought was a well-deserved rest day, I led a trip down Harwoods Hole.
Harwoods Hole is unique in all of New Zealand and is one of my very favorite caves. A 176m (that's about 60 stories!) free-hanging, open-air rappel down a 40m wide shaft finds you at the top of a huge underground scree slope. The experience of slowly descending the rope surrounded by voids on all sides can best be described as slow motion sky diving. Once down, the fun really begins as you traverse an underground stream complete with waterfalls and deep indigo pools to skirt and span. Bouldering problems abound in a vain attempt to stay dry until the inevitable wade at the bottom of the cave. Rigging and de-rigging went smoothly and I had a very enjoyable trip.
The last morning of AGM was shaping up to be another day of partial motivation until Richard suggested a group of us raft and kayak down the Motueka River. Keen for something other than caving, kayaks were assembled and wetsuits were donned. I wedged myself into the smallest kayak I have ever been in and hoped for the best. It was a pleasant run with some enjoyable riffles and rapids and only one rapid that got my adrenaline going. Happily I completed the whole run without flipping.
AGM was really a lot of fun and I can't say how much I enjoyed catching up with my fellow Kiwi cavers. They really are like my family here. The dinner and barbecue were a good eat with wonderful company. I cleaned up all the trophies in the NZSS Photography Competition, which really only proves that people should put more entries in. Over half of the entries in the competition were mine...
Post-AGM, Ryan and I spent a day wondering around an area I have long been curious about near East Takaka, north of Gorge Creek. Together we found 9 entrances- 7 pit entrances and 2 walk-ins. The pits ranged from 15m to 20m deep and were explored using vertical gear. Some of the pits had rooms of stalactites (to 2m in length) and bones (including moa) off the bottom, while others drained down a hole much too small for human entry. We left no leads and carefully documented each entrance. While we didn't find anything huge, everything I entered was clearly virginal. There is still a huge area left to explore on future trips with lots of potential remaining.
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| Moa femur (large extinct bird) |
Another designated lazy day found me wandering the streets of Takaka, cliff jumping at Paynes Ford and driving to the road's end in the Cobb Valley. With the last of the day's light we tramped through the bizarre ultramafic-adapted vegetation to a place I have long wanted to stay, the Asbestos Cottage. The place was as interesting and special as the story behind it. Annie and Henry Chaffey lived in the two-room cottage for 37 years, essentially as recluses. Annie fled an abusive husband to start a new life of isolation with her lover Henry near a remote asbestos mine. Most supplies were carried in by Henry on his shoulders and when they did occasionally entertain guests they were known for dressing fashionably. Twenty years after fleeing, Annie's husband died and Henry and Annie were finally married. During all her years at the cottage, Annie returned to civilization only once (for an operation). A little after Henry died at 83, Annie took her own life. It may not be your classic fairy tale, but it must have been love. Despite being over one hundred years old, the Asbestos Cottage remains a very special place that thankfully has been preserved for all to enjoy. Some of the descendants of the daffodils they planted were in bloom around the cottage.
The last caving trip was a venture into the well-named Simply Sumpless entrance of the Riwaka Resurgence. A team of cave divers explored up from the sumped resurgence, breaking into giant walking passage after two sumps. A clever caver overlaid their survey maps on a topographic map, figured out the mostly likely place for an entrance, and marched up the hillside to find an entrance right where he expected! After 15 minutes of annoying crawls, squeezes and climbs, one last crawl leads to an enormous room with a minimum dimension of 40m. We had a bit of a wander around, mostly satisfying ourselves with attempts at cave photography. I used a borrowed halogen light with a huge brick of a battery to light the place up. I have a good lead in there I need to remember to check sometime.
Thanks to Mary for letting us invade for a night. Thanks to Ryan, Lara and Francis for some great caving trips. Thanks to Richard for the kayak trip.
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