Whites Cave Assessment

Whites Cave is a 1,163-metre-long limestone cave, in the headwaters of the Marokopa River in the Waitomo District. The entire footprint of the cave system falls within a 146 hectare Queen Elizabeth II National Trust (QEII National Trust) covenant, registered on 7th June 2023 . A portion of the stream bed that feeds into the cave, and part of the catchment, are within the covenant. The surrounding freehold farmland, including the QEII Covenant, was transferred to the Ngāti Maniapoto Marae Pact Trust Incorporated https://maniapoto.org.nz in July 2023.

Main entrance of Whites Cave

The aim of the report was to document the natural values in Whites Cave, record the degradation to date and present future management options.

Neil Silverwood saw many examples of degradation as a result of the high visitor numbers over the years, including mud on speleothems in the upper levels and inlet streamway, and mud tracking on the floors.

Neil found that current visitor numbers were unsustainable in the upper levels and the inlet streamway. As a result, he recommended that the NZSS works with the land owner and QEII National Trust to development a management plan for the Cave, focused on conservation and minimizing future degradation.