When the alarm sounded at 6 am, one of us did suggest that we just rollover and forget it. One of the advantages of marriage is that two people are not always of the same mind. So …… we got up and made the hour-long drive (pre-shower, but after coffee) to Cathedral Cave.
At 199 meters, this is one of the 30 longest sea caves in the world. Sea caves are formed by the mechanical action of waves eroding or collapsing the rock. They are often formed along some weakness such as fractures or faults. Cathedral Cave is formed in resistant Jurassic sandstone (~ 160 m years old). The sea has cut deeply into weaker sections of the cliffs and created caverns as much as 30 m high; large enough that we used a headlamp (of course we had them with us, one of us is a Boy Scout). The cave is in the shape of a V with two entrances: it was formed as two separate caves which connected at the back. Photos inside the cave were a bit of a challenge.
The caves can only be reached for two hours either side of low tide, hence our early start. The track down is managed by a group of landowners of Kāi Tahu descent. It passes through the podocarp and kamahi forest of the Waipati Beach Scenic Reserve. If the cave was stupendous, the forest walk to it was magnificent. A really old forest, where it was really possible to believe the spirits presided. The soundtrack was a symphony of birdsong. One of us could have spent all day there.
The cave was a further walk of about 10 minutes along the beach after we emerged from the forest.
We’ve been marveling at the abundant and robust looking kelp on the beaches and in the ocean here. At Cathedral Cave we saw the most spectacular kelp. Further research suggests that it is Bull kelp or rimurapa.
“It’s tough, flexible fronds are secured to intertidal rocks by a solid disc-shaped holdfast capable of withstanding tremendous forces when storm waves crash onto reefs and cliffs. The seaweed grows to 10 metres in length and can live for 10 years. Bull kelp forests are highly productive systems, contributing vast quantities of organic matter and nutrients to coastal food chains.” https://teara.govt.nz/en/seaweed/page-3
One of the aspects of the Catlins that we’ve really enjoyed is the authenticity. There was no gift shop or tchotchke at Cathedral Cave. Indeed, that has been true of most of the places we have visited. Just a person collecting the parking fee and a public toilet, and lots of sandflies. We can pretend that we are discovering these wonders for ourselves.
We headed back to our base for a late breakfast, stopping briefly to take in the view (again) at Florence Lookout. We’re writing this in the middle of the day and plan to have an easy afternoon getting ready for our drive back to Queenstown tomorrow.
