After a late Christmas night at the Brewers, we had a lazy morning at the hut before driving down the hill to Golden Bay. We had planned to kayak the Wairoa River off Whanganui Inlet but the tides were all wrong by the time we got up and moving. I felt discouraged. We hung out in Takaka, doing laundry and coming up with a plan. While our clothes dried we checked out nearby Labyrinth Park, a neat network of paths through nice karstic limestone outcrops. There must be hundreds of plastic Happy Meal-like toys hidden in nooks, crannies and trees for kids to find. It was even tackier than it sounds, but I suppose small children would really enjoy it.
Once laundry was ready we drove off to go for a hike to Rawhiti Cave. Upon arrival we saw the DOC sign suggesting the cave was a longer hike than we thought. I managed to talk Sara into trail running it with me...at least until it started steeply switchbacking up the steep side of the valley. I was drenched in sweat by the time I reached the cave but greatly enjoyed the cool air sitting in the cave entrance. The entrance chamber is enormous and its ceiling is literally coated in formations. The cave suggests a bigger system nearby but so far as I know this is the only thing that has been found in the area so far. We relaxed for 10 minutes before running back to the car. It was great to get in some exercise and sweat a little.
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