Tag Archives: new zealand
Cape Reinga
Cape Reinga is way the hell north. I went there. I saw it. Here’s a video. The wind makes it hard to hear in parts, but I’m just talking about moas, so it’s not like you’re missing anything.
New Zealand Road Hazards
Boats
Christ Church in Russell
Oldest Church in New Zealand. Built 1836.
Rukiura Bush Walk
Rukiura Bush Walk
North to Russell
Before leaving Waitomo Caves I did a one-hour walk through a spectacular eroded cave structure called the Rukiura Bush Walk. The path goes through natural tunnels, along cliffs, and through thick ferny foliage.
On the way out of town I stopped at the Otorohanga Kiwi House to see the kiwis they have in captivity, including a rare Great Spotted Kiwi. The kiwi has no visible wings and a very unbirdlike lumbering gait, giving it a cartoonish quality. It’s a very weird bird.
All of which means that I didn’t really get going until 11:00. I made it as far as Russell, at the Bay of Islands, where I filled up at the oldest operating gas station in New Zealand (built in 1930) and had dinner by the bay. Russell has a Caribbean quality. It’s slow-paced, semi-tropical, and has British colonial architecture from the 19th century.
No time to stay, though. I need to be in Auckland tonight and I’m starting out by going in the opposite direction.
Moas?
Ringle Falls Cave
The final cave I went in for the day was with a different tour. This one was more sporty and involved abseiling down 20m (66 feet) to get in, abseiling over a couple of waterfalls, then wading, crawling, and walking down to a depth of about 75m (248 feet). Then we climbed, crawled, and waded back out.
Along the way were spectacular cave formations, fossils, and more glowworms.
It was excellent! If I were staying longer, I’d do another one.
This whole area is riddled with caves. I originally thought there were only three, but those are just the three famous ones that have been running tours for many years.
The land is all privately owned, mostly by farmers, and they also own any caves below their land. They then lease the tour rights to companies that develop different types of tours and build the infrastructure to support them. Each company typically has several different tours available for different preferences and fitness levels, as well as for the specifics of each cave.
And because Waitomo Caves Village is a very small town, they pretty much all know each other. I got all the necessary info from Colin, the proprietor of the guest house I stayed in.
