Into the Stormy Pot

Outdoor adventure instructors taking shelter from a storm in Kahurangi National Park on Mt Arthur have stumbled across what may prove to be the country’s deepest cave. Instructor Kieran McKay and four others took shelter in what they thought was a small cave when a storm hit. In the back of the cave, which they have named Stormy Pot, they discovered an unknown cave system which they followed for 2.5km and to a depth of 470m. “It’s got potential to go to over 1000m (deep),” McKay was quoted as saying. New Zealand’s deepest mapped cave system is the Ellis Basin system at just over 1000m deep and 33km long.