SUNSHINE CAVES.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 14997, 19 February 1919, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNSHINE CAVES.

ONE OF TAKAKA'S WONDERS.

THE ROPE THE GUIDE CARRIED.

(By Will Lawson.)

(All Rights Reserved.)

(From "The Colonial," Jan. 30th.)

• In the neighbourhood of Takaka there are numbers of limestone caves, for the character of the country tends to .the formation of these subterranean hollo a's and caverns wherein the slow growth of stalactites and stalagmites has been going on through the processes of time. So honeycombed are those hills viva caves, that a local legend has amen which tells of a lean young ■■bulloi'k which fell into a hole at the top months later on the beach at Sandy Bay, of Takaka, hill and reappeared six fat and well, having prospered in the heart of the limestone country. But in sober truthfulness we can only write of those caves which have been discovered and explored by man, and some of these are the Kairuru Caves, near the top of "Tarkieker Hill." Then there are the caves at Motupipi, on the shores of Golden Bay; others at Rockville, beyond Collingwood ? and the Rawhiti cave close to Takaka, in a deep gully of the western hills.

There is a drive of about four 'miles from Takaka to the mouth of this ravine, where, at present, the. tourist must leave the comfort of the car and tramp to the cave. Before long, however, the car road, will'continue up the gully, alongside a beautiful, clean creek which tumbles down through bush and rock, through sunshine anH shadow. As it is, the walk is a pleasant one for a distance of nearly a mile. On either hand, the walls of the gully rise steep and towering. For the greater part they are densely covered with tall bush, though the height of the trees is dwarfed by the soaring cliff. At one place a sheer ironstone face rises to a height of about 300 feet.

The way, Jjowever, is almost level, and the visitor would be lulled to thoughts of- an easily accessible cave were it not for the fact that the guide carries over his shoulder a long coil of rope. The acetylene lamps in his hands are comforting items, but that coil of rope has £ disturbing effect. And when at length he'stops and calls-a halt, it is almost absurd to see him sit" down and calmly light his pipe. One had expected to sec preparations for a mountain climb. But the halt really is a preliminary to a greater effort. The track leaves the creek side, where the waters chatter and the tuis call, to rush up a hill-track almost hidden by the bush, which winds up and up, through almost dense bush. ■It is a cool way, if it is taken steadily, ,for the bush shuts out the hot sunshine, and soon a wire-netted fence appears through ..the tangle of lawyer vines and other undergrowth. To have reached the entrance of the caves brings a sense of relief and anticipation of pleasant and beautiful sights, only sullied by that long rope which the guide carries. But no one, whether in pessimistic or optimistic mood, could ever dream of the wonder-, iul vision which meets the eye at the entrance to llawhiti (the sunshine) cave. A vast arch—it is three chains across, to come down for a moment to mere figures—-and its crown soars high above the big trees which grow nearly along its base, -where the fence is stretched. Light-leaved saplings of lace-bark and other trees make a screen, and the sunlight shining upon them and through them, is reflected into the cavern, if so dull a word may be used to describe this immense, imposing and spacious place, it is more like a great arch of a mighty cathedral. From the roof long stalactite? grey and weathered by exposure, reach down and outwards in long, twisting shapes. For some reason and fay some process of nature they have orowi towards the sunlight, as branches of trees would do. Behind and below these hundreds of stalactites, the dark ■•vails and gloomy depths of the cave are visible, while the drip, drip, of water ernons musically. Through a gate we pass and take a tow paws forward! We,..are on the bnnfc of the cavern and see something of its size and depth. Right above us ii the array of grey stalactites. Now they are less imposing, but behind them are hundreds of more delicately coloured ones and below these again, in the crevices and crannies, are many stranee and beautiful formations of crystallised lime stone. And not only is there petrified stone. There are delicate traceries beautiful beyond words, made of ferns ami creepers and leaves and twigs T/hich in growing in this cool spot have been gradually overcome by the slow, insidious dripping water and so changed irom their living green to a snowy! crystal whiteness, With all their natural shave unaltered.. A striking example of this is seen m the green moss. Lnr«*o Batches of living moss are seen in dole touch with petrified portions of the same plant or growth. Two such specimens one high in the wall and ono ?%-,.' now have the sweep r,nd brilliance of a peacock's folded tnii. ■ it is pleasant to know, however, that in Kawhrti none of the beautiful sic»M s have yet been named, so that the "a is stall a great hope that sordid names, such as The Side of Baoon .m( "T!-.. Jiianket may"yet be kept outside ihe splendid portals. Though the cave i-: <leep, the descent is not, ail sheer. To stand on the top and look at yi.V ©.-louring ot stalagmite, stalactite and nil the strange bewilder:-g slopes-.is to ragu-l a kaleidoscope of colour, wherein "the tints vary with the changing" >,uni;<~'ih filtering through, the f'embl;no- Cfceii loaves. Pink and grey, white and brown green and prussian blue—all these are to be son. And while the 'guide prepares and trims and lights his lamps— still with that suggestive ropo round hi* shoulder--it is not out ,of place to speculate as to where, in the shadows at the bottom of the cavern; the openinn- lendrng to the treasures of Aladdin may be Jo the right there is a darkness which does not attract. Tv re turn away from there, glancing a little nervously at that-rope :of the guide's. Then in the centre <.f the floor of the cave, is a rockslide which, seems i-vp. come out ofa sir.all ovcr-huno; holt* hi the far side of the cave, iust abovo. the floor. To the left there ir, a slightly'deeper-floor-with obviously, no thoroughfare offering. It looks like n case for the rope. This idea is emphasised by the cuide, who, havinrr righfced :Ins lamp, rrwves towards the lion-id depth He picks up a stone. 'Listen. It will bounce four times." He throws the stone ' •

r t Knock! The sound echoes. Knoclf! There was a cood five seconds between the sound. Knock! This time the interval: is loncer, the sound comes from a great depth. Knock! Very faint it comes. Then a deep, deep silence Qno wonders how often the lean bullock bounced —the one that grew so fat and came out nt Sandy Bay.

>ow we'll pn down. 3' says'the jmido ■and he turns cheerfully away towards the other nn.d of the cave. '>U'+ev fie horror of that deep hole we -would aMly leap down those l«sser slopes lending ■towards the rock-slid". -Put such ]i.-st« is not encouraged. We step,upon what appear to be wet, slippery woks and faid them dry and steady.'their transparent covering: .■t»vm!o * b'-IBinnt by LCl'ttorinp; iiiif.-) spo'-Vl* v.hic-h «/'ve ill.-mi it 'ree effect—fco use a simile r.-hich suggcsta itself, though doubtless there are- lyno 'beautiful ones fco i,e Ihoujilit of. T!ie maanesiuTn litrht muKes tl'« v;liolo cavern .<jrliL(.pr with glcr^The wafc^r dripping from the roof rs>ll, s "in many places upon f!pt. j-niir-.c! -«»•!,>•— suvfnees tint are abschitely af; Uwc) ••=» +hey could be made. Trial by a spirit }°rel has proved this. In even- ease tlio drip falls right in the centre of the sand

rook, which is growing steadily in the way stalagmites'grow, but with flat surfaces instead of pointed ones. There is one other strange formation, too..Round jvliito,stones He in heaps. They look handy to he lifted. Alas! they aro inir.iovable. Bunches of them resembling bunches of grapes invite: But they too are solid stone. Many beautiful and symmetrical shapes are met with —sometimes one almust says "hullo!" to some o1? thorn- on the slow way down to the rock slide. At the slide we are far bo-: low the level of the shining trees and the rocks of the slido are immense. So much so, that we cannot even see the lip {;!' iha black hole where the stone said ' 'Knock—kuock —knock—knock," so slowly and inexorably. Above the rock slide there is a huge hole, quite a respectable tunnel mouth awaiting. And into this tunnel we plunge, with-the light of acetylene lamps,; to guide our steps and the rope still around the guide's shoulders. , To compare places of beauty is like1 seeking to belittle the splendour ofi one or. the. other. '■ So it is best to say that Waithmo's caves have their individual treasures and Rawhiti has its own distinctive beauties too. Never could these crystal formations be firmer or whiter than in the many turns and tunnels and chambers of this fine cave. Admiration fails to find words ; and we fall to silence in these quiet con-idol's, where the stillness of earth is supreme, and the coolness of natural darkness is refreshing, and presently the secret of the guide's rope is solved. "We are going down the Devil's staircase now." he says. We agree eh— well rather heroically than cheerfully— and each tokes a lamp and prepares to descend into some nether depths which have grown upon our peering vision. A wire rope fixed to a peg, curves itself «ver the edge and is lost to sight. The g\iide fixes the hemp rope to the same peg, scrambles over the edge and goes scraping downwards, holding the ropo m one hand and the lamp in the other. The.devil, who made this staircase was evidently in a jovial mood, for there is nothing terrible about it, and it will soon be replaced by a humanly designed stairway. ' Below this declivity, the cave goes on and on, with even greater beauties than occur upstairs. And the last spectacle of all includes a quaint little white figure, perched in the centre of an opening near the roof of the cavern, like a. sentinel of the underworld.

To retrace our steps up his majesty's stairway .and along to the entrance is easy work; and then there conies the most wonderful of all the sights of this wonderful cave, a vision which well illustrates the meaning of" the title, "Sunshine Cave." Along the dark tunnel we riove till a gleam, it is more of a cjiadow than a gleam, of green light shows. We are approaching the entrance. Presently we can see into the groat entrance cavern or hall. It is filled with a soft, mysterious, green light, and across the arch and well inside it, four misty bars of faint colour are stretched, like cigar smoke in a still room.

"Hullo, we weren't smoking, were we?'^ one asks. " "2\'o. That is the light, the spectrum," the guide says. So soft, so ethereal are those misty bars, and tinted very delicately, while the sunshine shimmers through the green leaves and the radium reflects in a dozen tints an dcolours on roof and wall. And so we wander slowly upwards by another way, finding new treasures by the way. At last we stand •again above the yawning Kole and wonder about it. It is so black, unreflecting in all the quivering radiance of the great grotto.

''Let's throw another stone down!" a brave one suggests. Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock! But the sunshine is reassuring and the rope has no terror now. So we stand at the gate of Rawhiti (the sunshine) cave and look back at its mysteries. It ie a place to be seen again <iiid again, for the light is always and the. green leaves never fade.