No shame caves here....

When you visit a country for the first time, someone along the way will pose the question “So what’s the best thing you’ve seen/done/experienced so far?” (The answer to all three is Fried Green Tomatoes) I typically struggle with finding a response to this one. If you’ve constantly been on the go, there can be any number of extraordinary things you’ve experienced, and it can be difficult to find one that truly topped the list as most exceptional. Not so this time.

A few weeks ago, while Hana and I were still nomads, we found ourselves driving through a place called Waitomo, and thought it a good idea to go caving. Okay it really wasn’t that spontaneous. When we first met up in Auckland, there were three serious decisions that were made; Buy a car, drive around in it, and go caving in Waitomo. We employed a number of unique decision-making tactics and analyzed cost-benefit ratios to reach these decisions, so if anyone would like strategy advice let us know.

There are a number of different adventure companies that operate in the area, each one owning the rights to a different cave system and offering various approaches to experiencing them. Abseiling, black water rafting, glow worms, stalagmites and stalactites (know which is which?) were among them. Now in order to address our issues with heights (Hana) and small confined spaces (me… I trace it back to being born), we thought we’d go for something that had everything. We joined a group of six, which included an awesome Canadian couple in their sixties, and two awkward Germans. It was lead by a hilarious kiwi with a sharp tongue and low tolerance for stupidity, and a handsome young apprentice starting out on his first day of work as a cave guide. We only lost half the group that afternoon.

Thus began one of the most incredible things I’ve ever done. Does everyone remember the episode of Caves on Planet Earth where they abseil 30 meters down into the limestone caves and the ceilings are covered in glow worms? That’s where we went. Hana and I spelunked all over that subterranean world. We crawled through tiny rock crevasses, fought our way through rapids, and turned off our headlamps to follow a path that was only lit by millions of (hungry) living stars. All that was missing was the delightful commentary of David Attenborough who I wish narrated my every move. No, I take that back…..

The awesomeness of the day actually did not end there. In asking our cave guide for advice on where we could park our car overnight to sleep, we somehow ended up at his home where we met his wonderful family who welcomed us in, offered us dinner, a place to sleep, and a tour of the largest private collection of chainsaws in the southern hemisphere. It was amazing, both him and his family, and the chainsaws. Best. Episode. Ever.

Now if only we had taken his father’s advice on Wellington…. And the wind. My god, the wind. We can’t say we weren’t warned….