11 members ventured underground through lava caves in Mt Eden which we entered through private property. The entrance to the cave is awesome, gated to keep out the riffraff. On entering the cave, one of our members mentioned she was way out of her comfort zone and needed some encouragement. Our first hurdle was descending into the caves on our bottoms over a 2 metre ledge.From thereon it was quite straightforward with a little shuffling so our beanies didn't get knocked off our heads. Our guide Peter Crossley, was full of information. Formally mushrooms were grown in the caves, and this explains the rails at the cave entrance. It was also used for filming where the crew threw glass glitter around to make it look better and there is still evidence of that today. Peter took a bag with him to continue collecting the rubbish they left behind. We were accompanied by 3 of his friends aged from 72-84, along with the local neighbour's cat. Two of Peter's friends have travelled worldwide and written books on caving overseas. One 82 yr old lady used a walking stick and it was with the help of our members that she was able to get in and out of the caves. A really interesting afternoon. We just don't know what we are walking and driving over, do we.
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