New Zealand Caving And Canyoning Blog

Deep in the South Seas, the most southerly of the Cook Islands has the distinction of being the oldest island in the Pacific. Analysis of its geology shows it dates from 18 million years ago Steeped with legends and myths, its age, structure and ancient artifacts have for decades meant this unique tropical island has become a Mecca for archaeologists and anthropologists... Mangaia’s remarkable natural beauty and serenity are only part of its fascination…

The NASA Discovery crew spent the equivalent of 365 days in space on a range of missions including launching satellites, working on the Hubble Telescope and carrying materials to the international space station in orbit 400km above Earth. The space station travels at 28,000km/h orbiting the planet six times a day - so one can only assume they were quite capable of handling the 100 metre Abseil (rappel) into Waitomo’s Lost World Cave.