Story: Caving

Tāne Tinorau

Tāne Tinorau

Tour guide and early cave explorer Tāne Tinorau (holding hat) poses with a group in the Glow-worm Cave at Waitomo, around 1901. On 28 December 1887 Tāne and companion Fred Mace explored the cave on a flax raft, with burning torches to light the way. Tinorau went on to become a tour guide at the caves. He was married twice, first to Te Nekehanga Tutawa Tuatara, and then to Whāriki Huti, with whom he had 16 children. His second wife was also a popular cave guide, and today some of the couple’s descendants still work in the same cave.

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Waitomo Caves Discovery Centre

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Caving - Caving tourism', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/11507/tane-tinorau (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 24 Sep 2007