Riwaka Caverns

The Riwaka Caverns are a very interesting but easy freshwater cave dive for any experience level. A short bush walk takes you to the top of the stream and the basin where you can enter the cave. Following safety lines laid for the fairly short swims, you surface inside two different caverns completely sealed from the light.

	Preparing to dive Riwaka Caverns
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The highlight of the dive is the massive chamber at the end of the second sump. Here scuba equipment is removed and stalactite and stalagmite formations can be admired and explored. Photographers will appreciate the difficulty of taking pictures in an environment devoid of all but a narrow beam of relatively dull artificial light. The sheer size of this chamber is totally unexpected; a magnificent waterfall of pink limestone cascades 20 metres or so down one side. By clambering over bus sized boulders you can walk through another small sump where the passage is narrower and the water flows with a hiss and a roar.