Harwood's Hole

Harwood Hole - Starlight Cave

Useful Information

Location:	Golden Bay, South Island, New Zealand. On Takaka Hill. From Nelson West on the Coastal Highway, across Motueka, over Takaka Hill to Takaka.
Open:	no restrictions. [2008]
Fee:	free. [2008]
Classification:	Karst cave
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:	VR=357 m.
Guided tours:	VR=183 m.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Harwood's Hole is a 180 m deep daylight shaft into Starlight Cave. The trip through includes this 180 m free abseil. Fortunately the cave is a through cave and it is left at another entrance.

The abseil makes this cave rather difficult, and so it is only for experienced cavers or physically fit and adventurous visitors. There are some pages about guided cave trips through the cave on the web, but this seems rather impossible. This cave is dangerous, visits should only be made under the guidance of local cavers. The random tourist may visit the rim of the drop but should be very careful not to fall in.