A ranger base for Waitomo: Work in the Waitomo area

A Ranger Base for Waitomo

In early 1984 with District Ranger Wally Sander and Senior Ranger John Greenwood’s support, and the Commissioner of Crown Lands, Colin Christie’s approval, I established a Ranger Base at Waitomo covering from Kakepuku Mountain in the north to the Mokau River in the south, the coast  to the west and approximately bounded by State Highways 1 and 43 to the east.

At the same time, I advertised a Reserve Assistant’s position in the local newspaper. Ross Barnes of Otorohanga applied and I arranged to interview him. Ross turned up at my ranger base puffing and panting and profusely sweating. He had run across the paddocks 8-10 kms from Otorohanga, jumping the fences on the way. Without hesitation, I said you’ve got the job! 

Jeff Lee, a local Waitomo farmer I knew, gave me free use of a cottage on his farm for a live-in Ranger Base in return for conducting repairs and renovations. The materials for which were funded by the Department and the work carried out by me and Ross. 

The Department allocated a new 4x4 double cab ute and the funds to set up a workshop in Te Kuiti and the Project Employment Programme (PEP), Work Skills and Preventive Detention (PD) schemes provided up to six reserve workers at any one time.

The Waitomo move was another major turning point in my life, and a further firsthand opportunity to apply my caving background to managing caves and karst on reserves administered by the Department.

On my first residential visit to the Waitomo Tavern a local Māori greeted me by saying “Welcome brother!” Then put his finger into his beer and  drew a line down the middle of the bar; and said, “Maori down this end of the bar, 'Pākehā Rangers down the other end!” Then laughing, and with a smile shook my hand. I also had many good caving friends who either lived or caved in Waitomo.

A day or two later when I got back home after work there was a bag of muscles and a sack of mānuka on my doorstep. An act of welcoming kindness. Waitomo is an inclusive community with more than a hundred years of cave tourism, used to new people. Also, I had been coming and going caving and ‘rangering’ for a couple of years and was warmly welcomed into the community by both Māori and Pākehā (European).

My Waitomo Reserves Work Plan

For my 2 years, based in Waitomo, in no particular order, I developed the following work plan:

• Cave and karst management.
• Fencing.
•  Land acquisition/exchanges; QE II Convenants
• Restorative planting.
• Goat, possum and weed control.
•  Develop new tracks and upgrade existing ones.
• Upgrade and replace reserve signage.

My plan was supported and approved by Senior Ranger John Greenwood and District Ranger Wally Sander and largely achieved.

Works  carried out on cave and karst reserves in the Waitomo area

Grand Canyon Nature Reserve

Remnant forest reserve near Piopio with an impressive limestone ‘tunnel’ with a large roosting population of long tailed bats. Also includes karren karst features. Entry by permit. Fenced, extensive planting predominately kahikatea; goat control; upgraded signage.

Mangapohue Natural Bridge Scenic Reserve 

Spectacular double limestone bridge/arch with phytospeleothem stalactites, crayback formations and scenic streamway gorge west of Waitomo village. (Phytospeleothem stalactites: Speleothems that develop in response to moss growing towards the light followed by repeated deposition of layers of calcium carbonate. Crayback formations form in the similar manner and resemble the shape of crayfish backs in distinctive humps and occur on dry floors of limestone arches). Upgraded swingbridge and track; weed control; planting; fenced; picnic tables installed at track entrance; upgraded signage.

Hollow Hill Scenic Reserve

Forest/bush remnant located west of the Waitomo Valley, designated Scenic Reserve to protect the underlying Hollow Hill Cave. The cave has an active stream; a massive main chamber with a large glowworm population/display; an extremely beautiful relatively large chamber known as ‘Castle Grotto’ decorated with almost pure white flowstone and numerous long extremely fragile cave straws; pure white stalagmites; along with cave adapted invertebrates throughout the cave. (Flowstone: Cave formation formed when flowing water deposits dissolved calcium carbonate over cave walls and floors. Cave straws: Hollow, thin straw-like fragile speleothems that hang from cave ceilings).

Both the NZSS and I were concerned about the increased visitor numbers and the level of damage to speleothems, particularly to the fragile straws and by mud transferred to the stalagmites and flowstone by uncontrolled and large unmanaged non-caver groups and cavers.

Reserve Assistant Ross Barns and I and some helpers carefully cleaned the muddied flowstone and stalagmites with the loan of an NZFS Wajax Pump to lift water up from the streamway and by using a fine nozzle setting, scrubbing brushes and tooth brushes were then used to gently and successfully removed the mud.

NB: I considered the stream chamber was large enough with sufficient air flow to remove petrol and oil fumes and that the stream would quickly carry the muddied water away.

‘Castle Grotto’ cleaned; reflective red route markers; sign stating visitors must remove boots and stay within route markers; permit system for entire cave; party numbers limited to 4 persons and 10 trips per year; sign at cave entrance stating conditions of entry and where to obtain permit.

Waipuna Scenic Reserve

Forested karst over the frequently visited Waipuna Cave southwest of Waitomo village. Approximately 5 km long cave with streamway and extensively decorated by a variety of speleothems and various cave adapted invertebrates. Cleaned well decorated side chamber; super glued together broken off ‘Band Leader’ stalagmite; stock removed; fencing repairs; goat control; upgraded signage; installed sign at cave entrance advising visitors to be properly equipped and to take care not to damage formations. 

Piripiri Cave Scenic Reserve

Remnant forest/bush reserve west of Waitomo with karst features and in situ giant fossil Oligocene oysters. Rerouted and upgraded the track to give the best karst and cave experience possible; installed steps, boardwalks; platform; directional signage; interpretive panel at cave entrance; installed steps into cave to enable visitors to observe giant fossil Oligocene oysters.

Walkway/Boardwalk Bolting System

In mid-to late 1984, I experimented with a stainless-steel bolting system for cantilevered walkways/boardwalks on steep to vertical limestone faces. The Piripiri Caves walk (above) was the first karst boardwalk we developed using the bolting system and was also a trial.

Waitomo Walkway and Ruakuri Caves and Bush Scenic Reserve

Having refined our skills and proved the bolting system to be safe and reliable, the next plan was to apply the techniques to significantly enhance the cave and karst experience of the Ruakuri Caves and Bush Scenic Reserve walk administered by THC.

So, In 1985, I planned, costed and proposed a Waitomo Caves Village to Ruakuri Caves and Bush Scenic Reserve karst & cave walkway, comprising Waitomo Caves Domain opposite the Waitomo Caves Museum and Visitor Centre; Waitomo Caves Scenic Reserve (THC); the Dimond farm and associated Crown Land lease; and Ruakuri Caves and Bush Scenic Reserve, including access to the Ruakuri and Aranui tourist caves (THC).

The Waitomo Caves Reserve and Ruakuri Caves and Bush Scenic Reserve sections were agreed to and approved by the THC Head Office through their Caves Manager Dave Williams, and the Walkway approved by the Reserves Board and Walkway Commission. Peter Dimond also agreed to the Walkway section across his farmland. Funds of around $86,000 were allocated.

The Ruakuri Bush Walk has numerous outstanding scenic karst and cave features including a spectacular long and high relict cave limestone bridge or tunnel known as the ‘Natural Bridge’; limestone gorge; streamway and waterfall; small relict caves; ancient stalactites and other speleothems; and classic outcrops of rinnenkarren and rillenenkarren. (Rinnenkarren: Limestone outcrops with vertical flutes, runnels and grooves produced by water dissolution. Rillenenkarren: Same processes with narrow channels and grooves).

The work commenced in late 1986. The first structure being a replacement swingbridge suspended by long heavy-duty eye bolts inserted into a vertical limestone cliff face on one side of the Waitomo Stream and a limestone outcrop on the other. The limestone on the vertical side of the stream looked flaky and insecure. So, not being sure of the rock’s competency I drilled a hole with a rock hammer drill and fixed a large, long eye bolt into it.

I then arranged for the Public Works Department to measure its load and strength with their hydraulic testing gear. The test partly straightened out their heavy grade hook attached to the eye bolt! So, I knew we were definitely into solid competent rock. The swing-bridge was then constructed.

The second structure to be completed was a handrail; steps; and a lookout platform into a karst window lookout in a relict side cave accessing the Ruakuri Natural Bridge high up above the Waitomo Stream with spectacular views of the enormous interior.

(Karst window: A feature found in karst where an underground river or cave passage is visible from or near the surface).

The next stage to be completed was a re-routing of the track and installation of steps, suspended walkways/boardwalks and platforms to best display the surface karst features. The suspended walkways/boardwalks were bolted on to the vertical limestone cliff faces using the technique trialled for the Piripiri Cave Reserve walk.

The final stages were the demarcation of the farmland and domain routes and the installation of fence styles and signage. This and the installation of the cantilevered boardwalks and platform sections were carried out by Ross, as by this time I had moved to Westport to take up the DOC position of Buller District Conservator.

The ‘Ruakuri Natural Bridge’ section of the Waitomo Walkway is now one of NZ’s most popular short walks with 50,000 visitors annually. In 2020 it won the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards Kiwi’s Choice Award, and the river section is also part of the Te Araroa Trail.

Works carried out on non-Cave and Karst reserves in the Waitomo area

Marokopa Falls Scenic Reserve

Remnant forest and spectacular scenic waterfall west of Waitomo Village. Substantially rerouted and upgraded track to wheelchair access standard; constructed upper and lower viewing platforms; upgraded signage; installed seating and picnic tables; goat control.

Hangatiki Scenic Reserve and Te Pāpaka Pā  site

Recognising there was no Māori interpretation related to Waitomo walks, I decided it would be desirable to develop a walk featuring traditional Māori use of the forest. I discussed the idea with Tainui Diggeress (Digger) Te Kānawa, one of the leading Māori weavers of the time who was based at Ohāki Māori Village and Weaving Centre adjacent to Hangatiki Scenic Reserve.

Digger was enthusiastic about the idea and she and her husband Ted Te Kānawa provided me with traditional knowledge about medicinal and utilitarian uses and folklore of the realm of Tāne Māhuta (Māori god of the forest) which I supplemented with knowledge from additional research. I then designed interpretive panels combining Māori  motifs, images of the particular plants, ferns and trees, and descriptions of their traditional uses.

On a ridge at the top of the proposed walk on Jeff Lee’s farm there are pā earthworks (Pā: Fortified defensive structure) known as Te Pāpaka (The Crab). So named because of the crab-like landform on which it was constructed and used by the Ngāti Hia in the late eighteenth century and according to some accounts used as a gun fighting defensive pā during the Waikato/King Country Land Wars. Jeff Lee agreed to fence off the site to stop cattle from degrading the earthworks and to allow public access.

Ross, our Work Skills team and I constructed the track and installed the interpretive panels, constructed a replica ‘fortified’ pā entranceway made from timber framing and pointed mānuka stakes and a local Māori carver produced a carving representing Tāne Māhuta which we mounted above the entranceway ‘fortifications’. A new picnic area with picnic tables and an interpretation panel was installed near the entranceway and an interpretive panel at the fighting pā earthworks.

Whilst installing a new Hangatiki Reserve sign, a Māori man of fiery reputation who lived opposite the reserve strode across the road shouting pākehā’ (European) bastards! It’s not Hangatiki! Its Te Pāpaka! He then explained to us that it marked the boundary of a hard-won historical inter-hapū territorial battle. I said we would change the sign to Te Pāpaka, which to his surprise and satisfaction we did.

The Te Pāpaka/Hangatiki Scenic Reserve track was opened in November 1986 and blessed in a locally well-attended and emotionally moving bicultural ceremony conducted in Māori and English by the Reverend and Tohunga (skilled, expert, priest, healer) Buddy Tawhare.

Buddy wore a silver cross around his neck for the ceremony which he held up at the beginning of his blessing and said this is my Pākehā minister side. He then turned it around and the reverse side was pounamu (greenstone) and said this is my Māori tohunga side! At this point a remarkable thing happened. The tūī (NZ endemic bird) who were numerous and singing loudly before the ceremony fell silent and resumed only after Buddy finished his blessing!