Rāwhiti Cave

From Tākaka, head northwest along Abel Tasman Drive. At the ‘t’ junction at Motupipi, turn right onto Glenview Rd, then left onto Packard Rd. Follow Packard Rd for 2.6 km until you see a DOC arrow on the left side of the road indicating the turnoff to the track. Follow the farm road, and open and close the farm gate behind you. The car park is a small grassed area.

The track runs alongside the bed of the aptly-named Dry River, at the bottom of a steep-sided valley, with lush ferns and nikau growing on either side. After 1 km you’ll reach the bottom of the climb; beyond here the track is steep and rugged as it zig-zags up the steep hillside.

After 25 min of climbing the cave entrance suddenly comes into view. The entrance is a vast arch-shaped opening, with impressive stalactites hanging like teeth. A wooden platform extends out into the cave and panels provide information on the cave’s history and ecology. Prior to this platform being built, you could descend right to the bottom of the cave, which drops away diagonally downward into the hillside. Do not venture off the wooden platform; the fragile cave formations and flora are easily damaged.

Return the way you came.

Rāwhiti Cave was formed approximately one million years ago within the limestone hills of the Dry River Valley. The cave became a local attraction in the early 1900s when Darcy Manson, whose family owned the surrounding land, established a track and began guiding visitors to the cave. He named it ‘Rāwhiti’, meaning ‘sunrise’, after the winter sun that shines deep into the cavern. The cave remained in private ownership for much of the twentieth century before being acquired for conservation purposes in 2000. Today it is protected as part of the Rāwhiti Caves Scenic Reserve and is managed by DOC.