| The rock bivy at lake Bulmer - home to the annual Black Christmas (summer caving meet). The rock in the centre is actually 10m high and acts as a shelter as well as a store of carbide for caving expeditions. The main entrance to the 800m deep Bulmer cave lies behind me on a shelf up above the lake, on the left. The cave reputed to have the largest chamber in NZ is on the bivy side of the lake, it's entrance is concealed in bluffs above. This was only recently discovered by a Czech expedition... living off Opossums - so I heard(?) Lake Bulmer occupies an impressive cirque of steep limestone bluffs - this view is misleading as it looks out the exit of the basin. The way up to Lake Bulmer involves a fun climb up 600m high limestone bluffs via a diagonally slanting ledge. From a distance it looks daunting - but there's actually only one little step to climb up and there's no sense of exposure... unless you go the wrong way! |
