07 Napoleon Hill

Day 4. Napoleon Hill - a hotly anticipated off road track was one of the stand out days of the tour.

We started the tour on the farm of the Smith's. They were very 'off the grid' and even had a 'wheely' big wheel powering their house! A quick tour of some old caves and a big natural rock cathedral and we were chomping at the bit to get back into the trucks.

The first part of the track saw us descend towards the Nobles Creek area. The rate of descent increased dramatically and the track became very narrow. Once we had completed the descent into the river gorge the river crossings began.

The Waipuna Caves were to come and we followed the route which saw cliff faces 7-8 metres high on both sides of the gorge. The

waterway presented some challenges and navigating the caves was a really different experience.

The first cave was quite short but the second one was substantially longer and we needed lights on in order to make sure we didn't hit anything submerged! Having the lights on meant that the caves walls were illuminated. The effect was pretty awesome and unlike anything I'd seen before. A beach at the exit of the tunnel provided the group with a great photo opportunity and a chance to reflect on the breath taking drive.

More stream channels lead to the discovery of the way out to

Waipuna Road and the road back to Waiuta Lodge.