About | Whatipu Caves Walk
Go for a short and easy walk to explore the sea caves along the Whatipu Caves Track. There are several caves along the cliff face, but the biggest cave holds some interesting history – it was once used as a ballroom in the 20th century!
There are only a few letters that record the dances, believed to have gone on for more than 60 years, starting in 1899. In a newspaper column from 1901, a girl by the initials of E.D.N.A. writes: “A short distance round our beach are some very large caves; one is so large in fact, that my brothers put a floor in it, so that we could be able to have a dance. I suppose you will smile at the idea of dancing in a cave. But when it is lit up with coloured lamps and decorated with ferns it looks better than any ballroom.”
It used to be a lot bigger but the sand has drifted in over the years and it is now covered with 5 meters of sand.
Later on it was also a popular meeting venue for timber mill workers.
Once a dance floor by night and then a place for workers to gather together to discuss plans and talk about their day. Now gone, but still interesting to know the history of the place as you walk through the cave.
Wouldn’t it be cool to recreate something like it?!
In one of the more narrow caves, if you’re brave enough – you can actually go in quite deep.
Note: after some rainfall, the track can get muddy and the caves may have pools of water in them. Bring gumboots or shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. And don’t forget to bring a torch.
Nearby
Location
Park at the Whatipu Beach parking then head off on a track beside the campgrounds (to the right of the information boards at the start).
Photos
Along the walk there are a few other smaller caves.
This was the biggest cave. The cave that was once used as a dance floor and used to be a lot bigger back then.
Our kids loved exploring this cave, Noah even said he’d love to come back and live here!
As the sun dipped lower we couldn’t help but stop and take a few family snaps in the lovely light.
Huia
Before heading home we dropped in a Huia, a lovely little place by the beach. There’s a big field to run around in, a playground and beach. It was an awesome opportunity to make the most of the beautiful light and take a few family pics before we headed back home.
