Ruakuri Cave

Spellbound Cave is still my favorite cave for glowworms, but Ruakuri Cave has joined it on my list of all time favorite caves anywhere in the world.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ruakuri Cave, but I ended up loving it. It wasn’t overdeveloped, there weren’t any other people aside from our group, and the formations were largely undamaged. More impressively, it was FULL of large stalactites, stalagmites, abysses, underground rivers, and narrow passages that made it really fun to explore. Our group was only six people (apparently the normal size is sixteen but since it was a late season and early morning tour it didn’t fill up), which felt almost like a personal tour of the cave. There were a handful of glowworms in the cave, but it was the cave itself that was the star of this tour. There were a bunch of highlights, but standing on a metal catwalk in a massive passageway with the cave ceiling several stories above, and then having the guide point a light downwards into the blackness and realizing we were suspended in the air several stories above an underground river, was a pretty cool moment and not something I’ve ever experienced before.

After the ninety minute tour I left Waitomo, heading west through the hills, stopping briefly at an undeveloped cave that required a ten minute hike through the forest. I had this roadside cave all to myself, aside from a number of six-inch long wetas (cave crickets) that seemed annoyed anytime I shined a light in their direction. The remainder of the drive was through more hills and pastures before eventually turning south along the coast.

The plan for tomorrow was originally to hike the 19 kilometer Pouakai Crossing across the slopes of the Mount Taranaki volcano, but the weather is being disagreeable, so barring a minor miracle I’m going to call an audible and see what else is feasible given the wind and wet stuff. At present, despite being only a few miles away from it, I’ve yet to actually see the picturesque 8,261 foot tall volcano since it’s hiding behind clouds, but hopefully it will peek out at some point before it’s time to move on.