Riuwaka is the name given to the spring, that resurges from the Greenlink cave system, by the Maori canoe captain Hui Te Rangiora. He arrived in Tasman Bay after travelling from Rarotonga via Antarctica (he missed NZ and realised his mistake when he started seeing ice bergs).  He walked up the river and found the spring. The riu is the bilge of a waka (canoe) or basin, where water would gather, and if you look into the water you can see what Hui Te Rangiora saw, the rock is the same shape as the prow of a waka.  In this instance riu is a reference to the pools just downstream of the resurgence.  TheProw.org.nz

More recently pakeha settlers called the spring Riwaka, but that turned out to be a spelling mistake.  The first two sumps of the Riuwaka Resurgence cave were dived in 1963 by five scuba divers.

In 1974 Nelson cavers discovered the entrance to Greenlink cave on top of Takaka Hill. A dye trace confirmed that Greenlink was a tributary of the Riuwaka Resurgence and the dream of finding a route from one to the other was born.  The following year, Middle Earth cave was discovered, but is was not until 1993 that a connection was found to Greenlink.  This highlighted the poor quality of the surveys, as it was difficult to reconcile the maps with what was actually found under the ground.   A notion to resurvey the caves took hold, but so big was the task (about 4.1km), it was not until 2005 that this started in earnest, led by Lindsay Main and John Atkinson.  Another lull, and then Michael Brewer and Bruce Mutton took up the mantle.  It never seemed to finish, and by 2010 there was 11km of survey, 2013, 27km and 2017, almost 34km.

As at 2018 there are a number of other caves that have been connected or nearly connected; Swiss Maid, Perseverance, Dwarfs Door, Black Sabbath, Kiwi Burger, Winter Cave, Snail Cavern, and not least, Riuwaka Resurgence Cave, a mere 1100m away.  It goes on...

Custodians and key players:

Mapping: Bruce Mutton, Michael Brewer

Diving: Kieran McKay

Datasets:

Survey and mapping is managed using our Bazaar Repository

Finished maps can be accessed from the Members Web Portal.  Head to the South Island - search terms Greenlink, Riuwaka , Riwaka, Middle Earth, Swiss Maid  and more.

Software applications used include Therion TerrainTool PocketTopo SMAPS

Raw survey notes and sketches are held in ...South Island/Riuwaka Catchment /Data - Riuwaka Catchment

Media:

CAVES Exploring New Zealand's Underground Wilderness Marcus Thomas & Neil Silverwood 2017 includes a chapter on the Greenlink System

Brandy Wine Part 2, Middle Earth - Jan2019 5:31 Kiwi Cave Dweller. Pushing leads

Brandy Wine Stream Middle Earth - Dec2018 6:54 Kiwi Cave Dweller. Risky Christmas Eve Caving

Summit Tomo climb around sump - Oct2018 10:01 Kieran Mckay. Chris learns to belay

Riuwaka Sump 3B Project - Jun2018  2:53 Kieran's return after 25 years

An Adventure in Middle Earth - May2018  11:55 Kiwi Cave Dweller, A quick trip to the bottom and back

Fun times in Bermuda Rift - May2018 7:02 Kiwi Cave Dweller. Climbing a new aven

Middle Earth Cave & Crazy Hobbit Hole squeeze Jan2018  2:28 Kiwi Cave Dweller.  A short circuit.

Middle Earth, Claustrophobic Dreams Oct2017 2:56 Kiwi Cave Dweller.  Snippets from a long trip.

Summit Tomo 2017 6:19 Kieran Mckay