| Date
| Event
|
| 1949
| NZSS formed in Auckland
|
| 1949
| HTG formed in Hamilton
|
| 1952
| First NZSS Bulletin produced
|
| 1952
| First cave accident - broken leg in Karamu Cave, Waikato
|
| 1954
| Ernies Waterfall - discovered
|
| 1954
| Burr Cave - discovered
|
| 1955
| Gardners Gut - surveyed
|
| 1956
| Waipuna Cave - discovered
|
| 1957
| First NZSS trip to Nelson
|
| 1957
| First use of fluorescein - Blasted Hole to Luckie Strike stream (HTG)
|
| 1957
| Hollow Hill - discovered
|
| 1957
| Harwoods Hole - first visit by cavers
|
| 1958
| Gorge Creek Cave - discovered
|
| 1958
| Yoyo Hole - discovered
|
| 1959
| Free climb out of Lost World
|
| 1959
| Luckie Strike - discovered
|
| 1959
| First cave diving in NZ - Cold Creek
|
| 1960
| NSG formed in Nelson
|
| 1960
| Fred - discovered
|
| 1960
| Paturau caves - first cavers visit
|
| 1960
| First NZSS member killed while caving (Peter Lambert - Harwoods Hole, winch trip).
|
| 1961
| Ringlefall - re-discovered by cavers
|
| 1961
| Aurora Cave, Te Anau - surveyed
|
| 1962
| St Bens - discovered
|
| 1962
| Giants Staircase - discovered
|
| 1962
| Giants Staircase bottomed at -850ft
|
| 1962
| Curtis Ghyll - discovered
|
| 1962
| Profanity - discovered
|
| 1962/3
| First NSG Expedition to Mt Owen
|
| 1962/3
| First caving 'airdrop' - Mt Owen
|
| 1963
| Two Tone - discovered
|
| 1963
| The Metro - discovered
|
| 1963
| Blue Creek Cave - discovered
|
| 1963/4
| First helicopter assisted caving expedition - Mt Owen
|
| 1963
| First alpine and helicopter cave rescue, Mt Owen (Lee Marchant - Giants Staircase)
|
| 1964
| Piripiri/Pohangina Caves - discovered
|
| 1965
| Yanks Cave - discovered
|
| 1965
| Owen Ice Caverns - discovered
|
| 1965
| Matawhero area - first visit
|
| 1965
| First Gardners Gut 'staydown' - 172hrs
|
| 1966
| First NZSS Expedition to the West Coast
|
| 1967
| Deepest cave in NZ - Harwoods Hole (-357m)
|
| 1969
| Nettlebed - discovered
|
| 1969
| Xanadu - discovered
|
| 1969
| Second Gardners Gut 'staydown' - 336hrs
|
| 1969/70
| First Australasian Ellis Basin expedition (Blackbird, Tomo Thyme - EK327)
|
| 1970/1
| Second Australasian Ellis Basin expedition - first SRT usage in NZ caves
|
| 1971/2
| Third Australasian Ellis Basin expedition (Gorgoroth)
|
| 1972
| First NZSS Bulletin cave conservation article
|
| 1973
| First Australasian expedition to the Muller Range, Papua New Guinea
|
| 1974
| Turks Torrent - discovered
|
| 1974
| Greenlink - discovered
|
| 1975
| Pearse Resurgence first dived
|
| 1975
| Middle Earth - discovered
|
| 1975
| Harwoods Hole still deepest cave in NZ
|
| 1976
| Honeycomb Hill Cave - discovered
|
| 1976/7
| East Owen Karstfield - first Australasian expedition
|
| 1977
| Dye traces Owen Chasm to Blue Creek (Mt Owen) and Grange Slocker to Pearse Resurgence (Mt Arthur) - Paul Williams
|
| 1977/8
| East Owen Karstfield - second Australasian expedition
|
| 1978
| NZSS has 238 full members
|
| 1978
| First National Venturer Caving School, Waitomo
|
| 1978
| Second Australasian expedition to the Muller Range, Papua New Guinea (Atea '78)
|
| 1978
| Greenlink/Riwaka sumps dived
|
| 1979
| Nettlebed - squeezes passed
|
| 1979/80
| Nettlebed - first expedition (Jacob's Well climbed, Salvation Hall reached)
|
| 1979/80
| Laghu/HH Cave - discovered
|
| 1980
| NZSS has 300 full members
|
| 1980
| First NZ Cave Atlas published
|
| 1980
| Profanity cave rescue - start of official recognition of cave SAR in NZ
|
| 1980
| Deepest cave in NZ - Greenlink (-358m - 1m deeper than Harwoods Hole!)
|
| 1980/1
| Nettlebed - second expedition (Knee Trembler, Diamond Alley, Antlion)
|
| 1980/1
| HTG/Sydney University Ellis Basin expedition, Mt Arthur
|
| 1981
| Waitomo Museum of Caves opened
|
| 1981
| Puketiti Flower Cave - cave gate installed in Flower Passage
|
| 1981/2
| Nettlebed - third expedition (Hammer Heights)
|
| 1982
| Third Australasian expedition to the Muller Range, Papua New Guinea
|
| 1982/3
| Nettlebed - fourth expedition (TVNZ "Soft Rock Cafe", Overlander breakthrough)
|
| 1983
| Al Warild (Sydney) solos Gorgoroth, HH and Laghu, Mt Arthur
|
| 1983
| Michie phones constructed in NZ for cave SAR
|
| 1984
| Honeycomb Hill Cave System - surveyed
|
| 1983/4
| HTG expedition to Tawarau State Forest, Waitomo
|
| 1983/4
| Fourth Nettlebed expedition ('far end' of cave)
|
| 1985
| Windrift - discovered
|
| 1985
| Babylon Cave - discovered
|
| 1985
| Bulmer Cavern - discovered
|
| 1985
| Cave SAR Seminar, Police Training College, Wellington
|
| 1985/6
| First Bulmer expedition (upper levels)
|
| 1986
| Elver Canyon connects with Waipu Cave
|
| 1986
| Castle Keep connects to Bulmer Cavern
|
| 1986
| Castle Keep/Bulmer (-728m)
|
| 1986
| Deepest cave in NZ - Blizzard Pot connects with Nettlebed (-884, 16th Oct)
|
| 1986
| Windrift '86 Expedition - longest time, remotest underground camp in NZ caving
|
| 1986
| Blue Creek, Mt Owen - 'Hydraulic Algebra' sump syphoned
|
| 1986/7
| Bullock Creek expedition, West Coast
|
| 1986/7
| Second Bulmer expedition (Gormenghast, Eye in the Sky)
|
| 1987
| Falcon Cave - discovered
|
| 1987
| First NSG Ellis Basin expedition (Falcon, Blackbird)
|
| 1987
| NZ/China exchange expedition (NZ cavers to China)
|
| 1987
| NSG Hut built on Takaka Hill
|
| 1987
| Paparoa National Park opened to protect lowland podocarp forest on a karst landscape
|
| 1987/8
| Third Bulmer expedition (lower levels)
|
| 1988
| Te Reinga Cave System, Whakapunake, Gisborne - discovered
|
| 1988
| Tomo Thyme re-discovered
|
| 1988
| Black Water Rafting established, Waitomo
|
| 1988
| First national cave SAREX, Waitomo
|
| 1988
| Second NSG Ellis Basin expedition (Tomo Thyme to Kortakay, Falcon)
|
| 1988/9
| Fourth Bulmer expedition (Wildcat Series, Gormenghast connected)
|
| 1989
| NZ/China exchange expedition (Chinese to NZ)
|
| 1989
| Third NSG Ellis Basin expedition (Tomo Thyme to final sump)
|
| 1989
| Tomo Thyme rescue (main streamway floods)
|
| 1989
| NZSS/DOC Draft Cave and Karst Management Plan submitted for approval
|
| 1989
| Fox River survey finally completed (CCG)
|
| 1990
| Exhaleair - discovered
|
| 1990
| Bohemia - discovered (Czech Expedition)
|
| 1990
| Blindman's connected to Ringlefall, Waitomo
|
| 1990
| Deepest cave in NZ - still Nettlebed (-889m)
|
| 1990
| Renewed interest in NZ cave diving
|
| 1990
| Renewed interest in Paturau, first NSG Easter trip
|
| 1990
| NZSS 'Navel Gazing' weekend, Wellington
|
| 1990
| NZSS Constitution rewritten,NZSS Council restructured
|
| 1990
| Second national SAREX, Blizzard Pot & Farriers Cave - discovered
|
| 1990/1
| First HTG Exhaleair expedition (Exhaleair connected to Tomo Thyme, Thunderchild)
|
| 1991
| Ringlefall commercialised - effectively closed to recreational cavers
|
| 1991
| Haggas Hole/St. Benedict's commercialised - effectively closed to recreational cavers
|
| 1991
| 'Bandleader' column repaired - Waipuna Cave, Waitomo
|
| 1991
| First NSG Mid-winter Dinner (Takaka Hill)
|
| 1991
| Sump 3B, passed to dry passage - Riwaka Resurgence
|
| 1991
| First NZSS organised training course (cave leadership)
|
| 1991
| TVNZ 'Castles of the Underworld' documentary made
|
| 1991
| Lost World commercialised - effectively closed to recreational cavers
|
| 1991/2
| Second HTG Exhaleair expedition (upstream Thunderchild)
|
| 1991/2
| Incognito found and connected to Falcon Cave, Ellis Basin (Australian team)
|
| 1992
| 'Rescue Wrap' stretcher specifically developed for cave rescue (Aspiring Enterprises, Chch.)
|
| 1992
| Waitomo rescue trailer and garage built (HTG Hut)
|
| 1992
| NSG Cullifords Hill expedition (Mt Owen)
|
| 1992
| NZOIA caving 'grand parenting' course
|
| 1993
| Gorge Creek (Takaka Hill) sump passed to dry passage
|
| 1993
| Greenlink connected to Middle Earth, Takaka Hill
|
| 1994
| Second Czech caving expedition to Bohemia, Mt Owen
|
| 1994
| Third national cave SAREX (Tomo Thyme, Ellis Basin, Mt Arthur)
|
| 1996
| Kahurangi National Park opened - includes marble caves of Mts Owen and Arthur
|
| 1996
| NZSS forms it's first Web Page in the Internet
|
| 1998
| Fourth national cave SAREX (Bulmer Cavern, Mt Owen)
|
| 1998/9
| Largest NZ cave rescue to date spanning 3 days in Bulmer Cavern's Lower Levels
|
