3 day cave, day 2

I can’t believe it, we slept in. With a tiring day just gone, darkness with total silence and remnants of world travel, I shouldn’t be surprised. 9.17am though! The plan is to head over the stream to check out a side system, I’ve been a fair way up here before but haven’t explored the side passages. There is also a rumour of a blockage to one of the entrances called Henry viii.

Day 2

I can’t believe it, we slept in. With a tiring day just gone, darkness with total silence and remnants of world travel, I shouldn’t be surprised. 9.17am though!

Ollie & PB

The plan is to head over the stream to check out a side system, I’ve been a fair way up here before but haven’t explored the side passages. There is also a rumour of a blockage to one of the entrances called Henry viii. The forecast is for rain with some heavy thundery showers eventually clearing so we will need to keep out of floodable passages. While the main stream does flood, it goes down pretty quickly so it may just mean a wait for it to do so if we get caught over there. We eat, pack up our gear as it is Sunday and there could be other cavers, though I doubt it with the forecast!

There is a set of bolts placed in the wall for the abseil to the stream and 5 minutes upstream we free climb the 5m to the dry level. With most people I would set up a belay to get up to this point but it is a reasonably easy climb for Ollie & I. For the next section the roof is a long way up with avens (shafts) 20m high. I do wonder how far below the surface some of these features are. It is muddy in the old stream passage and with the number of leaves & sticks in some places, not far I would guess.

Rift (n) an opening made by splitting, cleaving, etc.; fissure; cleft; chink.

As we didn’t carry a dictionary & having no internet, when we saw ‘rift passage’ on the map with a line connecting the main passage to some avens, we thought, “let’s go there”. I’m glad we didn’t have our main packs as it was pretty tight, I had to empty my chest pocket to get through, but we were rewarded by a series of very high avens with water drizzling down.

Rift passage

Further along we found the turn off to ‘The Well’, it involves a 15m climb to see a 33m aven, with our ‘up gear’ left behind we left decided not to go there opting to carry on up the stream then over a large rock fall. We eventually came to a 1m high passage half full of water, there were leaves stuck into the mud in the roof indicating what happens in heavy rain, the very type of rain forecast for today! (Waitomo had 22mm) There is still quite a bit of sporty cave further on, with 3 squeezes on the map so we turned around, exploring the upper levels on the way back. We climbed up broken rock to the cave roof, not a place to be in an earthquake! But nice formations.

The trip back was straight forward apart from one tight off camber climb which I sweated too much in. It was a relief to see the stream in good shape, so it was on with harnesses & up gear to ascend to our camp area. With time to spare before dinner we did a water run. I don’t drink the water from the main stream, it is farm runoff and last time through here there was one dead possum and his mate who was expiring, both in the water upstream! We found a source pouring from a formation and hoping it wasn’t near a farmer’s septic tank filled our bottles.

Shawl

We also explored up the Golden Stairway. This is an old passage sloping to the roof, made of calcite rimstone pools, now dry. It is boots off time to keep the mud from this delicate area. Rather than the usual white this is brown, I guess mixed with dirt. From this area we can get out if the main passage becomes flooded. It is over a rock bridge to Exit 7. Years ago to protect the delicate nature of the cave here, a limestone bridge was blown out making it difficult for the uninitiated to enter. Access has been denied by the landowner as well but I understand that is changing and in an emergency I don’t have an issue sneaking out.

Campsite

Back to set up camp and before Ollie gets out of his gear there is time for him to do the Organ Grinder squeeze. Between a rock & a hard place. I have been through before and have no desire to attempt it again, but he is successful and warmed up quickly.

Ollie in the Organ grinder squeeze

A good day caving, it’s the same evening routine and menu but no entree tonight.