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Story: Caving

Inside Nettlebed

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Inside Nettlebed

Nettlebed Cave, on Mt Arthur in Kahurangi National Park, is one of New Zealand’s deepest caves at 889 metres. It is also the third longest, with 24.25 kilometres of passages. It is a multi-level cave that is considered to be mostly explored. A trip through the cave usually takes two days, and a chamber known as Salvation Hall serves as the sleepover spot. Large systems like Nettlebed took many expeditions and years to explore.

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Nelson Speleological Group

by John Patterson

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Caving – Caving in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11512/inside-nettlebed (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 2 March 2009.

Comments

Steve Reekie NZ
01 March 2012
Wonderful cave ! I had the good fortune to do a 3 day through trip from Blizzard Pot to Salvation Hall, across & up to Softrock Cafe, then out the lower entrance with 2 good friends back in the 90's. An adventure I'll never forget !