Trampers Underground (Waitomo caving)

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TRAMPERS UNDERGROUND Three Tongue and Meats were away not technically hard, put we wére still early on a Friday evening, driving to thankful to use his offered top rope. Waitomo in a new Hillman Hunter. A narrow tunnel brought us to another After numerous adventures resulting short climb, involving back-and-footing, from miscalculations of mileage and at the top of which was the dreaded petrol consumption, we arrived at the Last Minute Crawl. This took about Hamilton Tomo Group hut at two ninety seconds (a lifetime!) of wriggiing, o'clock on the Saturday morning. After heaving and pushing to get through. Of blundering round the hut in the dark, course, the passage was much too narwe found the bunk-room and collapsed row to turn round in; those of us with into our pits. day parks had a great time pu hing them Later that morning, long after sunrise, through ahead. we awoke and met our hosts for the The crawls let out into a large chamweekend. Chris Templer was to be our ber with a muddy floor which led on to guide and general dogsbody; Dick and the "February Series". Here we saw anhis sister Anne were to us for a other fine display of formations; more trip down "Rumbling Certoin on Saturday. photographs were taken. Fresh air could When we had been fitted out with hel- now be felt as we were near the "Phosmets and introduced to the intricacies of phate Pot" entrance to the cave. This battered carbide miners' lamps, we piled we ignored in favour of another tight into the cars to drive round to the farm crawl which breught us to the cave exit. property on which the cave entrance We emerged to a wet, rainy day and lay. The H.TG. are on extremely gcod ran across the farmland to the waiting terms with most of the local farmers, cars. Back at the hut we were giad their president. Peter Dimond, being a of a hot shower after our three hours farmer himself. underground. A few hundred yards' walk across farmland and a plunge into scrub down Sunday morning saw us being led of a sinkhole brought us to the cave en- to "Gardner's Gut", the longest recoried trance. Lamps were charged up and lit cave system in New Zealand. The caving and we were soon underground. Our first here wasn't as hard as "Rumbling Gut", ohstacle turned out to be a deep pool. but three ladder pitches (wo down and The cave had been a straightforward one long one up) were inciuded. A shori walk as far as this point, most of us rope descent into a side chamber gave leaping or straddling the rock on either us the opportunity to show off our side to avoid getting our feet wet in abseiling technique, not used our the by. stream which formed the cave floor. caving friends. We found the ligh. ler- We crossed the pool on a helpfully tron" wire ladders took some getting rieged single wire, balancing by means used to-they tend to swing and spin of hand holds on the cave wall. We round when you get half-way up. We were comfortingly assured that the pool crawled into a chamber full of stalacwas very deep. The cave led on, a tites and helactites as brittle and almost narrow walk followed by squeezes and as transparent as glass. Great care was zig-zags, to a large chamber known taken by all to see that no formations as "Pete's Palace". Here we could see were damaged or marked with mud from magnificent stalactite, stalagmite and hands and clothing. Having spent seven shawl formations. Dick's flashgun blazed hours underground in Gardner's, and away happily. still not having done the whole system, we surfaced and returned to the hut. The cave now took on a more serious Hot showers again, and a departure aspect. A tight squeeze, followed by a somewhat later than we had planned, to drop to the streambed (day packs being arrive home at two o'clock on Monday pushed through ahead of us) brought morning. A great weekend, with promises us to a rock wall. We found that the of more to come. Our thanks to Chris drops and short climbs demanded easy Templer, Peter Dimond, Algy Watson but exhilarating climbing techniques on and all other H.T.G. members who made sound rock (including back-and-footing, the trip so enjoyable. The three Tongue and handjams, footjams and opposition and Meat cavers were Ian MacGreggor, climbing). Chris led the twelve foot pitch Rosemary Fox, and Gordon Fox. using the small and awkwardly placed holds. The pitch was for once dry and -E.G.F.