Gardner's Gut

Gardner's Gut is an extensive cave system in the Waitomo area of New Zealand.

[1] It is located in the Ruakuri Caves & Bush Scenic Reserve, an area that also contains a number of other natural features of note.

Various caving clubs from throughout the North Island use it for beginner trips, as it provides a variety of true caving experiences (such as squeeze points, narrow and winding streamways, large underground halls, fascinating formations and bush tramping to get to and from the entrances), yet is easy enough to pass through for any reasonably fit and non-claustrophobic person.

Associated with the large number of amateur trips (whether accompanied by professional cavers or not) is a certain level of degradation in the cave.

As cave systems are very fragile environments, many parts of Gardner's Gut cave have been damaged by the relatively frequent visits of inexperienced cavers (with, for example, formations broken off, and limestone formations dirtied, which prevents their continuing growth).