Abbey Caves
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Abbey Caves
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| Location: | Whangarei District , Northland Region | |
| Height : | 60 m | |
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Geographic location: |
35 ° 42 '37.5 " S , 174 ° 21' 29.8" E | |
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| Geology: | limestone | |
| Type: | Dripstone cave , karst cave | |
The Abbey Caves are a group of three caves in the Whangarei District of Northland on the North Island of New Zealand .
geography
The Abbey Caves , which include Organ Cave , Middle Cave and Ivy Cave , are located approximately 2.5 kilometers northeast of downtown Whangarei and can be reached from there via Abbey Caves Road . The area was placed under protection as the Abbey Caves Reserve and covers an area of 18.7 hectares . The topology of the area is characterized by limestone formations , rocky outcrops, depressions and mud holes.
Cave descriptions
The Organ Cave is the largest cave with its 15 meter high cavern . There are large stalactites hanging from the ceiling that look like organ pipes , from which the cave got its name. Here you can see the longhorn mosquitoes that glow in the dark , known in New Zealand as the glowworm and called Arachnocampa luminosa in technical terms .
The Ivy Cave is around 75 meters long, the ceiling height decreases considerably over the last 15 meters of the cave, and there it is also characterized by deeper water with a muddy subsoil. The low ceilings were painted with graffiti in the 19th century .
The Middle Cave , like the Ivy Cave, has two entrances, is the shortest of the three caves and a little difficult to exit at the end.
history
The area in which the caves are located was settled around 1860 by the couple Nathaniel and Amelia Clotworthy , who owned 165 hectares (409 acres ) of land, including the caves. Their house, built in a sandstone formation, gave the caves their name because it resembled an Irish abbey . The location of the house that burned down in 1920 can be recognized today by the remains of the chimney and some thorn apple trees. There is also a grave for one of the family's children from 1884.
Sometime later, the cement manufacturer Golden Bay Cement acquired the site to mine raw materials. In 1989 the company sold the area for a small sum to the city of Whangarei and was then rededicated by the city as a public park.
Flora and fauna
Eels called " tuna " by the Māori live in the waters of the caves , as do the small freshwater crabs known locally as " koura " . The area in which the caves are located is overgrown with stone-disk forest with stately Puriri trees.
tourism
The caves are not open to tourists, but you can enter at your own risk.
Web links
- Abbey Caves . Whangarei District Council, February 14, 2018,accessed March 30, 2018.
- The Abbey Caves . (Video 4:42 min)Youtube, June 29, 2016,accessed March 30, 2018(English, private video, published by luke conroy, it shows a group of young men walking through the caves).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Abbey Caves . (PDF 250 kB) Whangarei District Council , accessed on March 30, 2018 (English).
- ↑ Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed March 30, 2018 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Abbey Caves . In: WhangareiNZ.com . Whangarei District Council , archived from the original on April 2, 2015 ; accessed on March 30, 2018 (English, original website no longer available).