First, a confession: I committed a blogger's foul the other day when I forgot my camera when Ruben and I went to run the Kakepuku Track. We've had heaps of fall rain and the track was slippery in spots, so I'm not sure I would have taken a lot of photos. In fact it was raining while we were on the track, which is an out-and-back to the hilltop trig point (a fixed station used in geodetic surveying). I hope to go back there in our limited time remaining in Otorohanga. I'll bring my camera!
Thursday was Anzac Day (the NZ equivalent of Veteran's Day in the US). I was impressed by the numerous and well-attended observances of the memorial day. It's one more thing that NZ does right. Because it's such a small country its armed forces contingents are proportionately small and every lost soldier is felt acutely by the ranks and the civilian population. Traditionally, Anzac Day events begin pre-dawn, with parades down main street to each town's cenotaph where wreaths are laid and military bands play tributes. At dawn the names of the town's fallen soldier's are read aloud.
The day presented a mix of rain and sun and when we got our act together we headed about 20ks or so outside Otorohanga for Waitomo.
Waitomo is a farming community with a surprise--an enormous subterranean cave system. A tourist industry has cropped up around this natural wonder, of course, with sophisticated caving tours offering everything from gentle viewing from walkways and boats to abseiling, belly-crawling spelunking, and backwater rafting. We were advised to take the Waitomo Walkway to the Ruakuri Cave, which opens to the surface. So that's what we did.
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| The Waitomo Walkway starts smack in the middle of Waitomo Town (which is about 6 buildings), but almost immediately become surrounded by native bush. |
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| The walkway goes through several private farms. It was raining on us at this point, but gentle, warm rain. |
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Just a few weeks ago when we arrived on the North Island, pastures like this one were dry and brown.
Following several days of rain, they have burst into green-colored life. |
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| This is a typical fence crossing when tracks cross into active pasture. |
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This area has limestone and pancake rocks like the ones we saw in
Punakaiki on the West Coast of the South Island. |
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| We knew we were getting close to the cave entrance when our walkway took us to this river... |
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| ...and we saw people in wetsuits and headlamps floating on tubes. |
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We watched the people playing in their tubes for a while (they reported that the water was very cold),
then continued toward the cave entrance on the walkway. |
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| One cave entrance near the walkway. |
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| Some of the rocks form tunnels along the track. This one was short enough to see light on the far end. |
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| This one wasn't. |
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| Ruben emerging from the tunnel |
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| It wouldn't be New Zealand without waterfalls. Kiwi as! |
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Ruben staring into darkness. The track took us on a bridge into one of the caves.
It was clearly large enough to suck up the flash from my little camera! |
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| In this snap you can just make out the ceiling of the cave. |
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| And in this one, one edge of the cave entrance. |
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| Ruben's concerned look is because I conked my head on a rock formation. |
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| When we emerged from the caves the sun was shining. |
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| Running back to Waitomo town. |
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| This big creature (is it a duck? a goose?) was walking across the paddock. |
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Another gate; the top bar pushes down so you can step across.
When you let go the counterweight puts it back in place. |
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| You know you're close to town when you see a Speights flag, mate! Stop in for a pint, bro! |
