Gardner's Gut


Gardner's Gut is an extensive cave system in the Waitomo area of New Zealand. It is located in the Ruakuri Caves & Bush Scenic Reserve, an area that also contains a number of other natural features of note. The reserve is administered by New Zealand's Department of Conservation. With a length of over 12 km of explored passages, it is New Zealand's 6th largest known cave system, and the largest in the North Island.

Description

The caves making up the Gardner's Gut system are almost all composed of former or still active 'stream caves'. It is a very well known cave in New Zealand, and probably one of the most visited 'amateur' caves in the country. Various caving clubs from throughout the North Island use it for beginner trips, as it provides a variety of true caving experiences, yet is easy enough to pass through for any reasonably fit and non-claustrophobic person. The normal beginners area of the cave is around the Zweihoehlen-entrance near the river.
Associated with the large number of amateur trips is a certain level of degradation in the cave. As cave systems are very fragile environments, many parts of Gardner's Gut cave have been damaged by the relatively frequent visits of inexperienced cavers. However, this damage is almost invisible to a casual amateur.
One of the most impressive features of the cave is the 'Birthday Candle', the tallest stalagmite in the country, being around 6–7 meters high and having a diameter of around 2 meters.