A curtain of stalactite in the Nikau Cave. Photo supplied.

Waitomo has long been an acclaimed leader in beautiful caves but hidden away at Waikaretu near Port Waikato, the magnificent and little known Nikau Cave exudes a splendour that took us by surprise.

So, it was truly exciting to experience a real life adventure worthy of Indiana Jones when I recently explored the impressive Nikau Cave at Waikaretu, just south of Port Waikato.

One kilometre long, Nikau Cave is a mystical labyrinth of stalactite and stalagmite features not unlike a Hollywood film set.

The cave is owned by Anne and Philip Woodward who conduct personal tours on a daily basis.

“We had a farm which we knew had a cave on it but the fortunes of farming seem to wax and wane a little,” explains Philip. “As a result we were looking for another source of income and, about 17 years ago, decided to open up the cave for commercial tourism.”

Wife Anne adds: “It was commercial necessity that drove us to caving. It was a matter of how are we going to survive? We first tried 25 years ago but the timing wasn’t right so we tried again around the time of another financial crisis. Things had changed a bit with eco-tourism and this time the door opened.”

And such a venture hasn’t proved too difficult for Philip who has a lifetime of experience with caves in New Zealand’s unique limestone country.

Glittering glow worms. Photo supplied.

“My father’s farm was seven kilometres down the road towards Port Waikato and there were caves on it, so as a kid we’d been into the caves and had a look around.”

When Philip first discovered the Nikau Cave, he was an inquisitive teenager armed with only a torch and a fearless sense of adventure. What he discovered was one of the world’s most remarkable underground worlds.

“It’s a national treasure and it’s in my back yard,” he says. “I’ve never got sick of going through it and I’ve gone in more than three thousand times. I still love it.”

Entering Nikau Cave, I too was transported back to the days of teenage adventure as I ducked and weaved past impressively beautiful stalactite formations created over hundreds of thousands of years.

Each centimetre of a stalactite takes one hundred years to form, and some in this cave are metres long! They’re still growing too, and at close range visitors can watch the water droplets laden with minerals pause on the tip of the stalactite, before succumbing to gravity and falling to the cave floor.

There’s evidence too of the giant upheaval that happened millions of years ago when this limestone world was deep under the sea – fossilised crabs and shells adorn the walls.

The cave really is a magnificent testament to nature and a true untouched jewel of New Zealand’s natural world. An impressive drum-shaped stalagmite, several metres wide, sits majestically within one of its massive cathedrals.

It is one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, and is surrounded by beautiful crystalline pools reminiscent of Rotorua’s famed pink and white terraces.

Anne and Philip Woodward - showcasing their natural wonder. Photo supplied.

What made my journey through the cave all the more exciting is that it felt like it had never been discovered before. There were no ropes or barriers. The only thing man-made was the torch I carried and the hard hat to protect my head.

Philip explains: “We decided to leave it in its natural state so people could experience what real caving is like. They can get right up close to the formations and the glow worms, which of course, puts them at risk, so we do a big ‘don’t touch’ talk before we go in.”

When we turned our torches off, the cave roof came alive with an awe-inspiring milky way of glow worms. At other times, we were centimetres away from the delicate silky threads which glistened from the moisture in the cave.

Because it is a beautiful and delicate ecosystem which can be easily harmed by carbon dioxide, Anne and Philip limit the number of people in the cave at any one time.

But a constant natural air flow mitigates any damage that might occur in this uniquely magnificent underground world.

After an hour and a half, daylight appeared and we emerged through an enormous cave mouth of stalactites decorated with ferns and native bush which concealed this underground treasure.

It is one of four native forest pockets on the 280-acre property and each is protected by a Queen Elizabeth covenant. One bush walk even takes visitors to a stunning waterfall.

Anne and Philip have also developed an impressive café nestled within the limestone hills which features a gallery of work by local artists.

Says Philip: “the cave visits slowly became more and more busy and we had more and more people wanting coffees and lunch.

“Consequently, we decided to build this café to generate more people through the cave and also as a stand-alone business that one of our children could take over if they wanted to.”

And one of those children is Emily, the world’s fastest woman sheep shearer.