CAVES NEAR TE ANGA

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4056, 3 June 1938, Page 8

CAVES NEAR TE ANGA

■ MANY STRIKING FEATURES. UNIQUE CRYSTAL POOL. A visit was recently paid by Mr H. S. James, of Hamilton, and a party of friends to some little-known caves at Taumaratotara, between Te Anga and Kinohaku, 30 miles west of Waitomo. The entrance to the caves is hidden in dense bush and is exceedingly difficult to reach owing to the rough character of the surroundingcountry. Only about 50 people have visited the caves since they were discovered in 1914.

Mr James and his companions had to make two descents, one of 20ft and another of 50ft, with ropes, to reach the interior of the caves. At the bottom they found themselves in a stream of a depth varying from a few inches to several feet. The caves extend for a distance of half a mile, the width ranging from a foot or two to 90ft, while the roof is from 40ft to 16.0 ft high. The whole of the roof is illuminated by glow worms and gigantic stalactites are suspended from it. Some are of blanket formation, while others represent a variety of grotesque figures. Other stalactites have joined with stalagmites in mid-air to form columns of silica. Another feature of the caves is a crystal pool. Only two other caves in the world are known to possess such a pool. The formation in the water resembles coral and gives the pool a remarkable beauty.