far out grotto

With a surprising approval for leave I managed to find myself down in Nelson for a weekend trip. Motivated to get deep underground I contacted a local friend to organise a quick spelunking adventure. I was promptly introduced to an idea of pushing through large sections of Bulmer Cavern in a single continuous trip. Those versed in the alpine scene may be familiar with long, 24-hour plus, trips where large objectives require an element of perseverance and a large amount of stoke. This was by no means a standard trip into Bulmer as most parties generally stay at one of the established “campsites” in the cave. Our intention was to start at the Owen river carpark, hike to the entrance of Castle Keep, enter the cave and navigate through a series of contacted sections, before exiting at the Eye in the Sky entrance, and finally hiking back down to the car. A trip that we anticipated would take 24-hours, if not longer.

Sam Fu-Allen talks about a recent marathon trip in Aotearoa’s longest cave, Bulmer Cavern.

Photos from Xanadu, Kubla Khan and Golf Course caves on the West Coast of New Zealand.

After the King’s Birthday Charleston Meet came to a close, I ended up taking a detour to Sydney. My intentions in Sydney was to get some admin done, see the family and attend some work event, then squeezing some surfing in during the weekends. Because, lets be honest, who goes to Sydney to go caving (I’ve been spoiled rotten by caves in the Nelson region). Despite being born and raised in Australia near amazing surf, I haven’t surfed in any meaningful capacity. So I scramble for a day meeting people through Facebook Marketplace to get all I need squared away. As soon as I finish collecting gear, I do a lil post to my story on Wednesday night looking for people to go surfing with.

Alex Motyka shows off a really cool cave down in Tasmania, with impressive rooms and stunning features, which needs some more hype and visibility, and he claims cannot be oversold.