It was around 10:00am on Saturday by the time I made it to Charleston for the annual Queen's Birthday caving weekend. To my great surprise few people were around and almost everyone had already gone caving...before noon! A rarity for this breed of caver. With not many other options available, I opted to join a trip to "re-find an old cave we have a good chance of finding." Despite being well aware that this translated to "miserable half day bush bash in the rain without going underground," I was game. Let's just say the day felt disturbingly like fieldwork, left me scraped and bruised, and only increased my determination to get underground on Sunday...Metro, an apt name for this floodwater maze cave. As Senator Ted Stevens once said of the Internet, "It's a series of tubes."- a mazy series of big subway-sized tubes. Entry to the cave is controlled to protect it- tourists can visit the cave by guided tour or qualified cavers can visit by permit only. This was the last permitted West Coast cave I had yet to visit, so seemed a logical choice now that I am the Conservation Officer for the NZSS and should be made aware of any potential issues.
Though not particularly sporty or adventurous, the cave has lots to offer in its 8km of passage. A huge amount of questionable digging has been done over the years by Venturer scouts and the tourist operators with the result that a lot of the squeezing and crawling has been eliminated, which makes for a tamer trip. The amount of alteration due to digging in the cave is unfortunate and takes away from the scientific value of the cave (the sediments are great recorders of the history of the cave, but are useless if moved or disturbed), as well as the natural feel of the cave.
Hall of the Refugees
Interesting ceiling textures
Nevertheless, it is a very nice cave. There are some nice formations in places, such as the Dragon's Teeth, the Hall of the Refugees and near the Pollen Exit. The main entrance (above and below) is particularly breathtaking and one of the nicer cave entrances in NZ- a lofty cathedral with an enormous skylight/arch, a showering waterfall pouring down from the ceiling, and a great view of untouched West Coast bush. Maybe not from a conservation point of view, but I am happy to report I can (just) fit through both cave gates, so I am still undefeated against NZ cave gates. Thanks to Mary.
Cavers of all ages at the Queen's Birthday dinner
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