Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1892-06-24
CAVES IN NEW ZEALAND.


' 'ery Interesting racta c.,..,
IN IN oniciaI Report.
. recent report of the snrvara.
sln' OF New Zealand contains a. ~
s !, OF visit to the waitomo caves
70 ne King Country, in tha Nort,,
ISnn summary Of which is given II
.he London Times. The Waitom i
a .,' a tributary Of the waipa, which
passes through these cayerns lies : hn,,.
hghty-tve miles south Of Auckland ~
straight line. The caves are about
zen miles from Otorohanga railway Sta.
tion. The country around 4 nnGnIst
ing A quarter Of a mile before a.
caves are reached the waitomo about
twenty feet in width, is seen emerging
rom the side Of hill under which T.
lias Moved through limestone cayerns
u :, various sizes for about twenty chains
a neht canoe can be taken along the
river through the caves to within
snort distance OF the egress. where f,,r-
.ner progress is barred by the roof com.
ing down to the water At the en-.
trance to the cavern the stream Is e;obt
ieet deep. The natives have never had
the courage to enter.
The entrance to the cave IL 20 foot
wide and 20 feet high, and Is IN the
lace OF a Cliff. 1t is beautifully arched
with numerous moss and lichen Gov.
cred stalactites. The visitor is taken
IN q canoe ninety feet from the en-.
frances and landed on silt covered
beach. By the aid Of candles for ali
Is now dark, he finds himself among
ponderous stalactites, three feet to siY
rect thick, reaching from the roof
twenty feet above, to within a foot Of
the ground. Everywhere and over the
extensive and intricate cavern are seen
and stalagmites of immense
size in vast numbers, with marvellous
beauty of form and color. At one
place the dark vault is studded with
thousands of glowworlns, giving it the
appearance Of a starlit sky. Passing
down the left bank of the stream for
l4o feet, over large deposit left by
Hoods, the stream is crossed by means
OF foot bridge From the entrance
to the bridge the cavern averages 80
feet in breadth and from 20 to 30 feet
in height. After crossing the bridge a
sharp turn to the right is made up a
steep incline for distance of seventy
feet to the foot of the ladder, which
leads to narrow passage feet wide
and Is feet high, which is the entrance
to the Grand cavern.
Here is the bottom of the ''well''-a
narrow shaft running to another series
OF caves above. The well is four feet
across and perfectly regular, as if made
by human hands, and its sides are
beautifully marked with horizontal
streaks formed of laminated limestone.
In the grand cavern is an immense
mound of materials, evidently fallen
from the roof. Beyond the roof rises
and forms two domes, one so feet
high. Forty feet up is the entrance to
another cavern. Beyond the dome
there is sudden fall, the roof lower
ing so much that the visitor has to
stoop. The length of the grand cavern,
at the end of which the stream is again
met with, is 250 feet. 1t varies in
width from 10 to 40 feet, and from 20
to so feet in height. Up to this point
the color is dull brown and light
yellow, but in the upper galleries.
thirty feet above, there are alabaster
and Parian marblelike scenes of I'M
loveliness. Twenty feet
above the grand gallery is the organ
gallery, so called from the ap-
pearance of the great stalagmitic mass,
l50 feet from its entrance, rising tier
upon tier, like the front of an organ
with marble pipes, From the grand
gallery the main gallery above is
reached by twenty-five foot ladder,
md 60 feet along it is the well"
Here it is IL feet in diameter, with
'mooth sides of hard limestone, and the
ound of moving water is heard below.
This is As feet above where it was first
zen. Fifty feet from the upper wall
S a fairy grotto, and through an arch
way 80 feet in length is the banquet
,hamber. At the end of this chamber
5 the white terrace, stalagInitic mass
Using in a series of terraces. From this
he upper entrance to the caves is
cached, high in a wooded cliff 60 feet
.bove and directly over the lower en-
rance The report describes other
galleries and caves in the same place,
out these are the principal ones.
A Diet of Lean Meat and Water.