Karamu Cave
| Karamu Cave | |
|---|---|
 The wedding cake, Karamu Cave | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 37°53′45″S 175°04′22″E / 37.89571°S 175.07270°E |
| Discovery | 1925 |
| Geology | Limestone |
Karamu Cave is a stream cave of over 2 miles (3.2 km),[1] with several large chambers, near Karamu in the North Island of New Zealand,[2] which Waikato Regional Council has classed as regionally significant.[3] It was discovered about 1925, after blasting at the nearby limeworks.[4] The name "Karamu" comes from the Māori word for the karamū tree. Bones of moas were found in the cave in 1927[5] and of the snipe-rail (Capellirallus karamu)[6] in 1954.[6]
The cave is in 30 million year old Elgood Limestone,[7] with stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, crystals and fossils. Glowworms (Māori: Titiwai) live in the caves, as humidity is high, which suits the silk threads which capture their prey.[8][9][10] In 1946 there was mention of a Te Pahu Colliery near the caves.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Geology of the Whatawhata District, South-west Auckland. Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 21 July 1967. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ "Karamu Caves". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ "Mapping significant natural areas of the Waikato region" (PDF). Waikato Regional Council. April 2022.
- ^ "Magnificent cave. Waikato Times". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 28 April 1925. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ "On a Moa Skeleton from Amodeo Bay and Some Moa Bones from Karamu. Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1928. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ a b Ripley, S. D. (1977): Rails of the World - A Monograph of the Family Rallidae. Boston. ISBN 0-87474-804-6
- ^ "Karamu [Elgood Limestone]". www.mindat.org. 1975. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ von Byern, Janek; Chandler, Pete; Merritt, David; Adlassnig, Wolfram; Stringer, Ian; Meyer-Rochow, Victor Benno; Kovalev, Alexander; Dorrer, Victoria; Dimartino, Simone; Marchetti-Deschmann, Martina; Gorb, Stanislav (2019). "Biomechanical properties of fishing lines of the glowworm Arachnocampa luminosa (Diptera; Keroplatidae)". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 3082. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.3082V. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39098-1. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6395680. PMID 30816149.
- ^ Meyrick, E. (1886). "A luminous insect larva in New Zealand". The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine. 22: 266–267.
- ^ "Underground Family Caving Adventures | New Zealand | Raglan Rock NZ". Raglan Rock. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ "Mines Statement". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 1946. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
