I was a little sceptical of the arguments behind the gating of the new extensions to Water Icicle but ensured I was booked on an early trip. I went down this last Saturday with a couple of mates and have to admit I was very impressed - so much so that I?ve already booked a return visit for January. I?ve never been a digger, but at times like this feel so attracted to the thought of finding something so beautiful and being the first person ever to explore it.
On coming out of the gated boulder choke I was greeted by a large, pristine, phreatic passage. A narrow, taped route takes you safely past untouched splendour. The place is not wall to wall formations, but what there is, keeps you fully transfixed. The floor sediments (quite a source of mirth as we know) are actually quite intriguing, there?s a fair amount of calcification and a number of small crystallized pools. The walls are adorned with chert nodules and the odd small pile of stones seemingly defeating gravity, you?d have sworn someone had left there deliberately. There?s a vast array of broken up stals/straws (probably due to water action) now recalcified and two large stalagmites, cracked all over and standing as if someone has picked them up and rebuilt the jigsaw. In a number of spots you find sheets of calcite over a degrading basalt looking like pieces of rusty old corrugated iron. Our guides were excellent, pointing out all of the little things you?d miss by yourself such as a small area of coral along one wall and the most beautiful sea anemone formation, something more akin to Agen Allwedd. It really was an amazing trip, thankyou to Karen and Paul - next time I'll bring a camera that works!
On coming out of the gated boulder choke I was greeted by a large, pristine, phreatic passage. A narrow, taped route takes you safely past untouched splendour. The place is not wall to wall formations, but what there is, keeps you fully transfixed. The floor sediments (quite a source of mirth as we know) are actually quite intriguing, there?s a fair amount of calcification and a number of small crystallized pools. The walls are adorned with chert nodules and the odd small pile of stones seemingly defeating gravity, you?d have sworn someone had left there deliberately. There?s a vast array of broken up stals/straws (probably due to water action) now recalcified and two large stalagmites, cracked all over and standing as if someone has picked them up and rebuilt the jigsaw. In a number of spots you find sheets of calcite over a degrading basalt looking like pieces of rusty old corrugated iron. Our guides were excellent, pointing out all of the little things you?d miss by yourself such as a small area of coral along one wall and the most beautiful sea anemone formation, something more akin to Agen Allwedd. It really was an amazing trip, thankyou to Karen and Paul - next time I'll bring a camera that works!
