The Underworld

Spelunking in New Zealand
Don’t be deceived by the rolling grassy hills of New Zealand, as this green floor disguises another place hidden away from all mankind. Deep under the earths crust is a sunless, lifeless world of dark drippy caverns, sharp cutting rocks and cold rushing rivers. This world is not on the typical vacation itinerary, but if you dare to plummet yourself into the void, you may be surprised at what is going on, in the underworld just beneath your feet.

Running out of things to do on a rainy day? If you’re going to be wet, than why not just take the plunge? This plunge, however is more like pitching yourself off a cliff into a dark void. Welcome to the world of spelunking. Yes, it had been raining over a week, but for the most part we were looking for a thrill. Enticed by photos of men dangling over a 300 ft cliff, eagerly we searched for the best adventure spelunking available in the town of Waitamo, on the north island of New Zealand. With a few recommendations from locals, we found Kieran who has recently discovered one of the newest caves in the area. To ‘go where no man has ever gone before’ is a excitement of it’s own, even if a just a few others have beat us to it. This new cave claims to be one of the most beautiful in all New Zealand and the most technical to maneuver. Sounds like our kind of adventure.

Where few men have gone before

Geared in three sets of thermals, one fleece, a rain coat, overalls and a harness, we traversed up the hill, arriving at a small river pouring around a boulder. Climbing into the opening, we left daylight behind and entered ‘the underworld.’ A steep rock face was the first to conquer and we spidered up the side with ease.

Each dark corner revealed spacious grottos or tiny jagged gaps to crawl through. Using ropes, clamps and belays (repelling devises) we crossed deep crevasses and climbed slippery marbled walls. The ceiling glistened with white crystals and creamy stalactite daggers hung above our heads. Kieran followed behind to answer questions about the formations but left us to maneuver the climbs and crossings our self, so that we felt as if we were the second humans to explore this cave. (The first guy, would be the one who attached all the rope holds for us.) It wasn’t until we came to a dead end with only a small dark opening below, that we decided some advise would be necessary. I could hear rushing water below, but could see no end to this black hole.

The Dark Abyss
An endless dark abyss was our first of two abseils (rope rappels) to conquer. I clamped on a belay, cinched up the harness, said good bye to my two companions, then took a deep breath and lowered myself into the black hole. Dangling from a string 30 feet into the darkness feels strangely alone, yet adrenaline and the will to be at the bottom surges you deeper underground. Sliding down the rope, the cool air became wet and stale. My head lamp searched for the bottom, but found instead sharp limestone ledges to steer clear of. The space opened to a large cavern with glossy walls and delicate flowing formations. Careful not to disturb the million years of artwork, I inched past the hanging pillars still dripping downward. The sound of rushing water below, lured me further until I landed with a splash on the rock floor. Safely at the bottom of my rope, I called out to the top, “That was fantastic. Lets do it again?” The guys followed me down and we set out, into the next dimension.

Black Water Rafting

A little mud goes with the sport, but I hadn’t expected to be swimming underground through a dark muddy river. This element of the trip is called black water rafting, tubing or swimming and it is especially eerie. You can take your pick of floatation, or wade through the black river for the full, bone chilling effect. As we sloshed through the river, first our rubber boots filled with the cold muddy liquid then our legs, until we were chest high in a moving black river. One wonders where this underground water came from and what was floating among us? This time, blind ignorance is bliss. Roaring down the canyon, the echo of pounding water thundered on the walls around us as we fought slow and heavy steps against it. Icy water dripped and oozed from the walls and trickled down the back of our neck as we made our way through the swirling pools to the final endurance climb.

Facing the Fall
The roaring became deafening intense as the walls closed in and pinched our path out of the mountain. Black water gushed through and fell from a wedge above our heads and I questioned if this was the only way out? Kieran offered a knee up and I hoisted myself up into the face of the waterfall clinging to the walls, awaiting precise instructions for my next move. The next level of the fall was impossible to climb as the pool below was steep and too deep to stand. Luckily I wasn’t really the first to explore this cave, and found a foot rope dangling in the cascading water. With one foot in the loop, I grasped the rope and pushed off, swinging across and under the spill of the water. Switching to another hold, I lost my footing and dangled above the deep pool until Kieran tossed another rope my way. Icy water tumbled over my shoulders as I fumbled to finish the crossing and then squeeze through the mouth of the fall. One last pull and I made my way safely over the top.

Surfacing
When surfacing from the underground, the smallest of life becomes exaggerated to your senses. New Zealand is known for its abundance of glow worms and they are an awesome sight to behold. These neon worms cling to the side of cliffs and cave walls and appear only in the dark. Thousands of tiny bugs form a dazzling new galaxy in the underworld. The arrival of huge spiders indicate an opening to a different kind of world then we had been absorbed in, these last hours. Finally guided to the surface by the stench and squeal of fluttering bats overhead, the first beam of light showed itself. Like zombies coming from the other side, we had to squint and shade ourselves against the light of day. Standing on the surface, it felt like the world took on a reincarnation of texture and color while were away. Mossy grass covered the hills, rain drops glimmered on silvery fern trees and the sun broke through the clouds to leave a brilliant rainbow coloring the sky.

The contrast of two completely different environments is fascinating. You can be captivated in a world where it seems time stands still, and then surface to one where time is measured by what’s accomplished in a day. If you think of time evolving over thousands and millions of years, you will find that the underground is not a lifeless world after all, its just moving at a different speed. It’s a rare opportunity to see an untouched world where beauty can only be achieved over billions of years.