Rawhiti Cave

Well worth the drive and hike. Drive up though private farm to car park then walk up gentle track through the valley beside a usually dry riverbed then zigzag up to the cave. Not too onerous. Around 2.5km there, not too much mud, around a easy 1 hour walk. Cave is incredible and unlike others in nz. Can't get far into it but the view from the entrance is stunning.

Okay, It says an hour up and an hour back. What they don't tell you is the steep incline zigzag track. Take care, good shoes and a walking stick. The caves are so worth it first thing as the sun comes up over the hill and shines in (11am in May). For me 1.15hr up 45 mins down.

A lovely walk, we did it in a bit of a drizzle and it was still beautiful. The trail can be quite steep so beware for heavy rainfall. The cave was spectacular, we were blown away! So interesting to learn about the cave and its flora

The cave entrance is really cool. Love seeing the dried out river bed, at the start of the hike. I recommend doing it but you should be prepared. We were told this was an easy hike that just takes an hour and the sign only says difficult because it’s an unmaintained trail. We had been hiking much faster than all the NZ hiking sign guesstimates. We also thought they meant unmaintained like some hikes I’ve down in Scandinavia or the states where there is no trail through the woods just marked trees for direction. This hike has a clear one-way trail. Some of the trail is eroded in places, though. It took us 1 hr 40 to get up and 40 min to get down. We were hiking as fast as we could, with no breaks to beat the sun setting. You gain 1000ft pretty quickly, a majority of the trail is a steep, series of switchbacks. We hiked in winter, the trail was very wet/muddy and slippery. The trail is very narrow. Like I said above there are parts that have eroded away completely, you have to step over gaps where that has occurred. I personally wouldn’t take children on the trail in winter, as we slipped a couple times, and once I feared going over the edge. Also, some of the steps up to the next switchback are a bit high and as a very short woman I found it to be quite a step up. I’m not sure how a child would do it unassisted. TLDR: I recommend it but it is a more intensive hike that at times can be a bit dangerous. Don’t believe anyone who says it’s a super easy hike and shouldn’t take you very long. I’d set aside at least 2.5 hours to do it.

A bit remote, but worth the drive & effort. The hike took me about 1h return, as indicated on the sign at the start of the track. There are some challenging/tricky parts and it can get very slippy and muddy. Would recommend it only to sure-footed people and in dry conditions.

The cave was stunning, but it's best suited for those who are fit and have some hiking experience. I wouldn’t recommend it for children or anyone who isn't in good shape, as there are several slippery sections and some climbing involved. You'll be ascending approximately 730 meters.

The track starts with a short walk to an old river bed. Here you cross a well marked path with pegged flags to the other side and procedure for another 800m. The track then sharply goes up hill that in places has many trip and slip hazzards that will demand concentration and patience. Orange flags mark the track about every 50m. The upward leg is about 600m and goes from 110m to 280m above sea level to the opening of the caves. Very well worth the effort, a truely unique piece of the New Zealand to see.

Very cool experience. A little bit of a steep climb to the cave but definitely worth going. The last part of the drive is a gravel road rmb to close the gates as you drive through. About 10 -15 min drive from takaka township.