Nine year old Emma Keeler writes about the adventures her family had during their overnight stay at Beebys Hut.
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By Caroline Carter, Ranger – Community Relations, Te Anau.
It is a rainy weekend – but it can’t be raining underground – so we grab some friends which include two geologists, two cave guiders, three five year olds and a couple of nervous mums and head to Clifden Caves!
At the entrance to Clifden Caves
This experience blows your mind! It’s amazing in there.
The Clifden Caves provide a natural habitat for the glow worm
We are fully equipped and made sure we have given our intentions to our families before heading off.
We were fully equipped for cave exploring.
The Clifden Caves are one of only a few cave systems in Southland. The DOC reflector triangles help guide our way. There are places to crawl, pools of water to walk around, and luckily two ladders to assist with an assent and descent.
Exploring the cave
It’s amazing – a challenge – but the kids loved it and we will definitely be going back again.
After the great exploration
Why not go explore Clifden Caves for yourself? You can find out more on the DOC website.
By Chrissy Wickes, Biodiversity Ranger, Te Anau
My partner, our child and I recently biked the Queen Charlotte Track.
Setting out on the Queen Charlotte Track
It was a challenging but fun adventure with our two and a half year old son Shannon. It was obvious that Shannon enjoyed the camping experience and being in the bush.
Shannon in his chariot
The Queen Charlotte track was good enough for Shannon’s chariot to be attached to our bikes and we only had to push the chariot for around one tenth of the track. The rest of the track is ridable if you are fit, which luckily my partner is and he was even able to pull the chariot up some small sharp steep hills that I had to walk.
Along the track
We took it pretty slow along the track to make it more comfy over the more rough terrain. Some sections were gorgeous and smooth, others were rocky and a bit rooty.
A spot of dancing?
We chose to take the road from Cowshed Bay to Mistletoe turnoff just to avoid a big hill that we would have most likely just pushed up rather than ride. This was a great decision!
Give me a push
We got all our gear water taxied to our next camp spot which was so great. We met some lovely people on the way. The tops were gorgeous with some stunning views of the sounds.
Stunning views
I would recommend this adventure only in really good weather which we were lucky to have. The clay surface of this track would mean that a bit of rain could make it quite yucky!
How about that view?
Experience the Queen Charlotte Track
In the heart of the Marlborough Sounds, the Queen Charlotte Track stretches 71 km.The track is suitable for both walkers and mountain bike riders, taking 3-5 days to complete walking, or 2-3 days for mountain bikers. You can find more information on the DOC website.