Cathedral Caves

Today I walked in to Cathedral Caves. Going there entails a 20 minute walk downhill through podocarp forest, then a 10 minute jaunt across a beach to the headland where the caves are. Now this would be fine but for the fact that unfit old me then has to make the 20 minute walk back UP the hill - worth noting it took me 30 due to a couple of wee stops to "take photos" on the way back up.

Cathedral Caves are totally natural and are only accessible for about an hour either side of low tide - the rest of the time they are flooded with sea water. They are quite a warren of interjoining caves, some of soaring height - hence the name. I didn't get far into them for two reasons - firstly I forgot my torch, secondly I start to freak out about the weight of rock above me. Sad, but true.

Today's blip has been a hard choice though. On the walk back up, during one of my "photo" stops, a wee puff-ball of a baby fantail visited me and sat within about 3 feet of me to have his picture taken. In fact he was so close I had to step back so that I could focus on him with my zoom on. I wasn't chancing him flying off while I changed lenses! The fact that he waited while I got my camera out of my backpack and then fiddled with lens caps and switches is quite amazing. Fantails are frenetic wee things and dart all over the place, rarely resting for more than a few seconds.

My third choice was of an oyster catcher in flight - but that one has to go into the files of the "not-blipped" along with the photos of a mother oyster catcher and her fluffy wee babies. In the end I felt that the caves were the true "story" of my day - given that I'm still suffering from slightly jelly knees.

Anyone planning to visit the caves please note, it is really only a pleasant stroll along a lovely track - I'm just old, lazy and out of condition.