An Ancient Underground World Hides Beneath Central Auckland 🌋

Who would have thought that beneath the densely populated Mt Eden, such a mysterious underground realm lies hidden! The massive cave in the first photo has its entrance tucked away in the backyard of an ordinary house in a residential area — totally mind-blowing 🤯! Last weekend, I joined EarthFest and explored Stewart’s Cave with veteran geologist Peter Crossley and guide Matt. The entrance looks exactly like a secret passage from a movie — stepping inside feels like traveling to another world! Stewart’s Cave is a masterpiece of the Three Kings lava flow — formed by a volcanic eruption about 28,000 years ago, and the first systematically surveyed cave in Auckland. Walking through the basalt tunnels, you can clearly see the textures left by ancient lava flows, as well as the vibrant roots of Pohutukawa trees piercing through the rocks. The wonders of nature are truly breathtaking ✨! A big shoutout to Grandpa Peter! He has been exploring Auckland’s lava caves since the 1960s — crawling into narrow caverns, documenting their appearances, and mapping their locations. Now with white hair, he can still move nimbly through complex caves (many have rugged terrain, requiring crawling through tight gaps that even young people struggle with). His passion and perseverance for geological exploration are incredibly inspiring ❤️! Walking inside the cave is a surreal experience: residents above might be sipping tea and scrolling through their phones on a normal weekend, while the cave beneath us has witnessed tens of thousands of years of change. It feels like traveling through time ⏳! What’s more, this is just one of the many lava caves in Auckland, a volcanic city. It’s hard to imagine how magnificent the underground world would be if we could fully explore the entire cave system one day! Finally, highly recommend Matt’s Extreme Pursuit — it features amazing content from this caving trip, plus stunning photos of his adventures chasing auroras, volcanoes, and bioluminescent tides. A visual feast you don’t want to miss 📸! #Exploration #MysteriousNature #Caving #UrbanExploration #AucklandLife #Volcano #WeekendGetaway #EarthScience #LavaCave #AucklandHiddenGem