Rawhiti Cave Track
Motupipi
Rawhiti Cave Track, Motupipi 7183
The walk to Rawhiti Caves takes approximately 1-hour one-way, along the riverbed of Dry River Valley, under the canopy of nikau trees, and up a steep hill to the entrance.
Not far from the Takaka township, Rawhiti Caves has one of the largest and most diverse cave entrances in New Zealand.
A mossy wonderland is revealed as you approach the viewing platform, adorned in an array of twilight zone flora, algae and unique phytokarst formations. The stalactites and stalagmites in Rawhiti Cave are curved outwards, a natural phenomenon referred to as “phytokarst”. As plants grow on the interior of the cave, deposits of calcium carbonate on the plants draw the stalactites and stalagmites toward the sunlight, causing them to curve.
It is free to visit the cave.
Contact details
Address: Rawhiti Cave Track, Motupipi 7183