Manufacturer
SONY
Model Name
DSC-W50
Exposure Program
Normal Program
Exposure Time
1/40
F Number
2.8
ISO
320
Focal Length
6.3mm
Metering Mode
Pattern
We had not expected this. Not at all. It was like Christmas had came a year early. Just too good to be true. Exciting. Adrenaline. Rushing water. Crawling in caves. Jumping of edges, hanging from nothing but a rope. And then darkness. Not the suppressing, depressing darkness. No, this was something completely different. Way different. Please understand this. No matter how much details I’ll tell you, you will never ever fully understand how awesome this day and its adventures were. Not unless you do them yourself.
Few days earlier we had booked the so-called ‘Lost Adventure – Epic 7 hours’ through a company called Waitomo Adventures (yeah free publicity has never hurt anyone). It was quite expensive but we surely wanted to do this one, also it was my birthday present to Jenny, only one day to early. Yes she turned 25 on the 2nd of September, but that has nothing to do with the real story. The real story is what happened down in the caves.
Because of the heavy rain from the last few days we were unable to do the 7 hours tour but were compensated with two others called ‘Haggas Honking Holes’, an action filled one and then with ‘The Lost World 4 hours’ which included a 100 m abseiling. Also we would receive a free CD with a couple of pictures from the day. That is what I call great service!
Jimmy and Dean were our assigned instructors who would lead the eight of us 80 m down in ‘Haggas Honking Holes’ and then back again. If everything worked out as planned. From the adventure centre we jumped into a van and then drove for 15 minutes through, you guessed it, curvy roads and farms. In New Zealand it works like this. If you own the land, then you own everything underneath as well. The name ‘Haggas’ comes from the family who have owned the farm for a very long time. What happens is that Waitomo Adventures leases the cave from the Haggas, who in return get profit from just owning the cave. Pretty neat, ey?
Close to the cave they have put up modern facilities where they keep showers, dressing rooms but also all the equipment needed for us. Wet suits, helmets with headlamps and gumboots. Everything one need for an adventure. And also the harness that keeps you alive. When we were fully equipped we went to their practice area where the word “rack” was given a new meaning. We were told that if Jimmy said “nice rack” to any of the females, he probably didn’t mean the equipment on the harness. 
Rack does mean boobs, but in this case it is the metal gadget in which you put the rope through. It will help you control the speed of which you travel down.
At long last we entered the cave. As we climbed down the first ladder, one by one, we all said farewell to daylight and embraced the darkness. It was nothing as we had expected. It was far, far better than beyond all imagining! The first few turns were easy. The cave was beautiful. Made by nature. I was so far away in my thoughts the whole time but at the same time present cause I didn’t want to miss anything. And I was not allowed to bring my camera.
One by one, I watched the others in our fellowship descend down this waterfall with their feet on the wall of the cave with a rope through the rack. The descent was also controlled by Dean, the instructor. I was the last one to descend and I felt very secure. Jumped off the edge, turned 180 degrees in the air and put my feet on the wall I had just jumped from and from which water ran down.
Halfway down, the full impact of the waterfall came down on me. I am unsure of how far down it was, but wow, that was fun. When I reached the bottom and stood on my feet once again I had the waterfall just over me, exploding on my helmet and I ran (or so) to a safe corner where I found the others. Of course after I had loosened the rope. A few minutes later we heard Dean and he ran down the waterfall with his face first and with his body horizontal. He was no rookie. At the very last instant he put his feet in the direction they should be and slowed down using the rack, coming to a complete stand still at the bottom. Oh yes, he got style.
Manufacturer
SONY
Model Name
DSC-W50
Exposure Program
Normal Program
Exposure Time
1/40
F Number
2.8
ISO
320
Focal Length
6.3mm
Metering Mode
Pattern
And on and on the story goes… Everything was just amazing and I could fill several pages about ‘Haggas Honking Holes’, how we came down to the depth of 80 m, climbed up on a wall at least 10 m high or when the whole team was squashed into one corner after a 10 m descent, waiting for our instructors with the water splashing over us. I could tell you how beautiful the cave was with all the stalactites and stalagmites, also what the difference is and how long it takes for them to “grow”. (By the way, it takes 100 years for a piece the size of one of your fingertips to grow. And there were some almost as big as one of your hugs.) But I think you would be bored with all the details so I’ll skip does.
However. At first I was unaware or rather, not concentrating on the 2-4 cm thin slime hanging from the ceiling in some parts of the cave but after a while I understood what they were. Glowworms. In one part of the cave we had to crawl through a hole almost filled with water, which you can see on the pictures. After this part I came to a part of the cave where I was almost alone so I turned of my headlamp and stared at the ceiling in amazement. There where plenty of green small dots lightening up the ceiling.
Jimmy (I think) did ruin the beautiful and philosophical moment by exclaiming that the name “glowworms” were only a trick to make Australians come here so kiwis could earn money. He explained which part of the glowworms that glow. “Shiny maggot poo” was actually the words he used. Poetic, isn’t it?
We lived to see daylight again though it was not pleasant. As soon as me and Jenny saw the sunshine we wanted to turn back. I think what made us climb the last ladder was the thought of us abseiling down in another cave in just an hour or so. But that, is for the next blog entry.
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