A WONDERFUL CAVE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 221, 11 June 1908, Page 11

A WONDERFUL CAVE.

• —O : , THE MOTUPIPI FIND. A POSITIVE FAfRYLAND.' A party of gentlemen, including Mr. Talbot: (secretary of .tho 'Wellington y Union) visited tho now. cavo of wondrous • beauty tliat was' recently discovered at "Motupipi, 'Nelson, and returned . enthusiastic about their trip. , Tho cavo is on an elevation of about 1000 " feet, on tho southern watershed of Dry River. The .climb is a stiff one for thoso unaccus- , tomed .to, hiil v. ork; but for the most part 1 is in opon country, about one half-mile being round ; a,. steep limestone facoj terminating iivdonso busli for about a. quarter of a mile, • through . which: travelling is slow and difficult. So dense is the bush and. undergrowth • that tho. cave cannot be seen .more than a few feet distant. . .'■Tbo':.first : sight that greets .the visitof. is a towering precipice of limestone, about one and a half chains long, and 30 to 40 feot ; high, hung with stalactites varying in size from that of a needle to a man's body, tho . outer , ones; white and tho'inner ones shaded . witli manyicolours,.some of them,being moss'of' tho cave .is a huge . opon-chamber over 100 feet long, by 40 to. 60. .feet'Cdeepi ' the ' ceiling- 1 and ' floor dipping . into the'hill, in :a'south-western direction, meeting.at .au angle of about'fifteen degrees. Betweon.lo and 11 a.m. the suii shines into the cave, imparting beautiful colourings, to tho already magnificent .stalactites. ; Tno floor of this chamber is composed of hugo solid blocks of grey limestone, which havo tho i■ appearance of being water worn. In 6ome'''places-.:basins have formed in which . aro found perfectly smooth round and oval ' .white -varying in > size, .from; marbles ■ to.eggs; in others cleai: water.' Tho huge stalagmites talso : queer shapes '. Egyptiaiv imummies, ..native gods, .wedding cakes, in fact, anything the, visitor- chooses to imagine. is good, and ono , feels perfectly safe descending the steep inchho.- , '.On i reaching' the. : bottom, acetylene lamps; becomo necessary, the cavo takingva . turn to .the northward, and narrowing into, a chambor 12 feet wido.by about 8 to 10 feet .high, continuing for about 40 feet, t|ie, roof . ' and.'sides liung. with \beautiful. stalactites,, the-,floor covered with stalagmites, and : a limostone formation resembling coral. I-loro, a rope., becomes necessary ,to enable tho visitor to descend a. further 30 feet; whore : another: chamber continues for. nearly two ;chairis, resembling the "ono just left, above in ntany respects; but it ' is' here', the finest .formation 'is . seen.,. .Visitors,' cannot move in . this ..chamber without: destroying' some 'of.. tho coral formation with which .the floor 1 of-the cave is covered. ... ':i It-is /Understood that an effort will be . made ;t6 i induce tho Tourist Department to ■i aMist^ ( m A /'miita'ngy»''''foot;. track "to the' now ' : caVe',;: which' is ; quite; possible Tjith' a' little :• outlay,- 'and'when completed the cave is suffi- . cientinducement to - warrant, the ' expectation -of a large number of pcoplo visiting it. .■•.