Nelsons Caves – South Island
Nelson and the Tasman District Caves
The majority of the caves in this district are found on or nearby to Takaka Hill, also known as Marble Mountain. The rock is marble, which is metamorphic limestone, altered by heat and pressure. The chemistry is still the same – CaCO3. But the limestone has recrystallised which changed its grain and colour.
The rock is about 450 Million years old. The marble is quarried near Ngarua Cave and was used to build several buildings in New Zealand: Parliament Buildings, the Beehive in Wellington and the Nelson Cathedral. Some of New Zealand most challenging caves are found here and participants may need to dive with SCUBA and may also need to be experienced cavers for others. However three out of the six caves listed below are suitable for people of all ages.
The Caves throughout the north-west Nelson regions are found in both limestone and marble, the marble areas – Takaka Hill, Mt Arthur, and Mt Owen – are alpine in character, with caves having found up to 1,700 metres above sea level. These three spectacular marble mountains actually contain all of New Zealand’s deepest caves, as well as the three longest caves – Bulmer Cavern (66 km) at Mt Owen, Ellis Basin System (32 km), and Nettlebed Cave (24 km), both at Mt Arthur.
| Rawhiti Caves |
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| The walk alone to Rawhiti Cave is amazing with some of the largest Totara trees in New Zealand. Rawhiti Cave has one of the largest cave entrances around and its external stalactites and coral like mounds are a wonder to behold. |
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| Te Anaroa Caves |
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| Journey into a 350 metre limestone cave system with arrays of stalactite and stalagmite formations, fossilised shells and glowworms. This experience has delighted visitors of all ages for more than a hundred years. |
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| Ngarua Show Cave |
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| This small showcave has some big attractions including copious stalactites and wall formations, which include many ledges and wall pockets; the big Wedding Cathedral cavern; plus the moa bones, including one full skeleton of a little bush moa. |
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| Riwaka Cave System |
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| The Riwaka Caverns are a very interesting yet relatively easy freshwater cave dive. After a short bush walk that takes us to the top of a basin, we enter the cave through a 3 metre sump. |
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| Starlight Cave |
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| St Benedict’s Caverns requires a vocabulary of superlatives and with every step, nature provides even more beauty on which to feast your eyes. With pure white formations that gradually changed to rich golds, back, white, then dark reds. |
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| Harwoods Hole Adventure |
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| Sir David Attenborough on the series Life in the Undergrowth, Described this cave as “This Astonishing Cave” And “One of natures most Magical Illuminations!” |
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