Teorumata Cave

Matuku Cave

Useful Information

Location:	South of the Fox River mouth. Paparoa National Park, Punakaiki, north of Greymouth. 46 km from Westport, 99 km from Hokitika.
Open:	no restrictions
Fee:	free
Classification:	Karst Cave. Oligocene limestone
Light:	none, bring electric torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	DOC Punakaiki Field Centre, Main Road, PO Box 1, Punakaiki, Tel +64-3-731-1895, Fax +64-3-731-1888. E-mail:
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History

Description

Teorumata Cave or Matuku Cave is located on the south side of the Fox River mound. It was used by Maori and Pakeha for sleeping and storage. The legendary Ngarara, an enormous lizard, is said to have lived here and devoured the occasional passer-by.

The cave and an arch on the left side of the road, just a few meters south, are cut out of breccia. This is a geological oddity in the limestone karst area of Paparoa National Park.