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.
A good night’s sleep at the carpark (despite the evening thunderstorm) was followed by roughly ten, frigid, river crossings as we marched our way along the Owen river before taking the side branch up Bulmer Creek along the southern side of Mt Owen. Eventually, we arrived at the entrance of Castle Keep after a near 7-hour hike. We proceeded to spend the next 19-hours in Bulmer Cavern, passing through multiple systems. The initial descent through Castle Keep was incredible, my personal favourite part of the adventure. After making our way through Close Encounters and the connection we arrived at Camp 2.5, stopping briefly to pick up some disused rope and chowing down some ramen noodles. Onwards we pushed, passing through Who Dares Wins, Avalanche Alley, Soup Mix, Awesome Aven, Wild West, Wildcat Series, the Neverending Ascending Staircase, and eventually arrived at the Octopus Room (Camp 1). Truth be told, by this point in time I was exhausted and struggling with some undersized gumboots. I personally fit my gumboots several sizes smaller for the compact fit as it makes me feel more secure when scrambling over the uneven and muddy surfaces synonymous with caving. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of both of my big toenails which continue to peel off several months after the trip. Having whimpered my way down the neverending staircase I bartered for a 3-hour power nap at Camp 1. Having stacked several foam mats in a scene reminiscent of the Princess and the Pea, I slept blissfully. On waking, a decision was made to forgo the gumboots in favour of my (already tatterred) trail runners. After passing through Wind in the Willows, The Bypass, and the Powder Room, we finally exited through Eye in the Sky to a great view of Bulmer Creek and the surrounding bluffs. Trudging back to the car, we completed the trip in 29-hours.
There were many other highlights, spectacles, and wonders that I haven’t covered in this blog post (such as the extremely rare Angel’s Hair speleothem). To any avid caver that has yet to set foot in Bulmer Cavern, I would strongly recommend contacting local clubs to organise a trip. It is a truly phenomenal cave and definitely somewhere I want to return to.
