An exciting cave hike

A highlight that costs nothing

Not far from Christchurch, on the way to the west coast via Arthur's Pass, you'll pass Castle Rock. A few kilometers beyond Castle Rock lies the Castle Rock Reserve, and this is where the adventure begins.

A walkable cave beneath the reserve is a truly unique experience. You walk for about 600 meters through knee-deep water and climb over several small waterfalls. Looking up, you'll see fascinating rock formations and find yourself in a world you won't easily forget. We drove our campervan from Camperworldwide for about 1.5 hours from Christchurch and were equipped with sneakers, t-shirts, swim trunks, and a good headlamp. Of course, I also made sure to put fresh batteries in the headlamp.

After making sure that no rain was expected and the water wasn't too cold, we set off. We had a bit of a shock at the beginning: the first 10 meters into the cave led through the deepest part, and the water came up to just above our navels, but that was it. From then on, our cave adventure was only knee-deep at most.

So please Google it and make sure that no flooding is expected. An exciting 45-minute hike awaits you.

Here's the link for more information: https://www.doc.govt.nz › places