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Fox River Caves
Added 28 May 200228 May 2002 by MatthewMatthew.4 revisions, most recently 8 March 20078 March 2007 by MatthewMatthew. View history
Deep caves in the wall of a limestone gorge.
| Location |
Paparoa National Park
National Park. 30,560ha (118mi2).
|
|---|---|
| Begins | Fox River, SH6, north of Punakaiki |
| Return | Return via same track |
| Grade |
What does this mean?
EasyClick for warnings and more detail! Easy: Unusually smooth, well-marked track, easy gradients. Up to about 4 hours per day. |
| Length | 8.0 km (5.0 mi) |
| Time | 2 hr 30 min (½ dqay) |
| Altitude |
10m
(32.8 ft)
– 150m
(492.1 ft)
Δ 140m
(459ft)
|
| Map sheets |
NZMS260-K30
|
Notes
From the car park on the north bank of the Fox River, follow the forest track to a junction (about 45 minutes). Here, the Inland Pack Track crosses the Fox River and continues on the true left bank. The caves track continues on the true right and begins an easy climb. After 30 minutes, the rocky track climbs directly toward the cliff, past patches of onga onga (native nettle).
The cave portal is striking, with the safe cave entrance being at top left (the entrance to the right is unsafe). The cave is lined with paving stones at various points and hangs with stalactites and straws. Tramping head lamps are barely adequate, and a strong torch is recommended. The cave continues into the hillside about 200m.
Allow about an hour to explore the cave on top of the 2.5 hr walking time. If you are visiting the caves as a side track from the Inland Pack Track, the walking time is reduced to 1 hr.
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