Cave Stream- Arthur's Pass

Heading home from Arthur's Pass, we stopped at Cave Stream- you walk in the river/stream through a long limestone cave.

Here is the entrance.  (where the stream exits the cave)- most people go in the direction of going upstream- this is what we did.

Definitely recommend headlamps and long underwear with shorts.  and shoes that you can get wet.

Right off the bat I was in waist-deep water.  Very cold mountain water.

Gets a bit narrow in places, and the water moves fairly fast.
At times it felt a bit scary- nerves were not helped when we came across an abandoned headlamp and pair of shorts on the rocks!  I kept looking out for a dead body in the dark.  (I think I have watched too many "Bones" episodes...)

But we made it safely to the end (where you climb up a metal ladder then crawl between the rocks as Mike is about to above).

Waterfall down at the far entrance of the cave- this is where you climb a metal ladder next to the waterfall.

Safely out of the cave!
We actually got used to the cold water quite quickly, and it was a nice warm day when we emerged.  I can imagine this not being as fun in the winter, or if there has been a ton of rain/snow melt and the water level is much higher than what we experienced.

Then we changed, went home, and I headed to work.

For weeks people at work had been telling me that Boxing Day is just crazy a the clinic- the busiest day of the year and long waits for patients- it ended up not being that bad!
The following days, though, were busy (as almost all GP offices were closed), and Jan 2nd ended up being one of the busiest days (about 360 people seen).