Caving
The deepest cave surveyed in New Zealand is Nettlebed Cave at Mount Arthur, north-west Nelson. It is 889m (2916ft) and also the third longest at 24,252 metres (15 miles). The longest cave in New Zealand is the Bulmer Cavern in Mount Owen, south-west Nelson, which is 39.9 kilometres (24.8miles), 400 metres of which are unsurveyed.
Most New Zealand caves are limestone caves, or its metamorphic variety marble, but there are some lava caves, mainly around Auckland. Virtually every part of New Zealand has caves, but the best known caving areas are Waitomo, north-west Nelson, and North Westland.
In north-west Nelson, alpine caves are found at Takaka Hill, Mount Arthur, and Mount Owen, up to 1700 metres above sea level. These three marble mountains contain all of New Zealand's deepest caves, as well as the three longest - the Bulmer, Ellis Basin System (28 km/17.39 miles), and Nettlebed, both at Mount Arthur. Karamea in Westland features the 13km (8.07miles) Honeycomb Hill Cave, with 70 entrances, plus New Zealand's largest limestone arches.
Further Information
New Zealand Speleological Society
P.O. Box 18
Waitomo Caves
Email Y.H.Cottam@massey.ac.nz
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