Cave diving · Oceania
Cave diving in New Zealand
New Zealand's best-documented cave dive is the Pearse Resurgence in the Tasman region of the South Island, a 6 °C resurgence that expedition teams have explored to 245 m since 2007. The surrounding Mount Arthur range also holds some of the deepest dry caves in the Southern Hemisphere.
How access works
No national cave-diving access body or site-rating scheme comparable to Australia's CDAA was identified in this research pass. Published information on New Zealand cave diving comes mainly from expedition accounts, so access arrangements should be checked with land managers before any visit.
A general summary; each site page gives its own dated access information.
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Cave systems
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Entrances and dive sites
| Site | Cave system | Type | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pearse ResurgenceMount Arthur range, Pearse River valley | Pearse Resurgence | Resurgence | Access status not verified |
Every fact on this page, with its source (3)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Expedition divers have explored the Pearse Resurgence since 2007, reaching 245 m in 2020, in water of about 6 °C.Expedition leader's account. | Reported | [1] |
| In 2014 cavers linked the Stormy Pot and Nettlebed systems on Mount Arthur into a cave about 1,200 m deep, the deepest known in the Southern Hemisphere.Press report, 2014. | Reported | [2] |
| No published diver access procedure was found for the Pearse Resurgence.Absence of evidence in this pass, not a confirmed rule. | Reported | [1] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction