far out grotto

caving this weekend

board@fog.org.nz — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:05:37 +0000

Didn’t die. Would repeat.

trading waves for caves

board@fog.org.nz — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:31:11 +0000

After the King’s Birthday Charleston Meet came to a close, I ended up taking a detour to Sydney. My intentions in Sydney was to get some admin done, see the family and attend some work event, then squeezing some surfing in during the weekends. Because, lets be honest, who goes to Sydney to go caving (I’ve been spoiled rotten by caves in the Nelson region). Despite being born and raised in Australia near amazing surf, I haven’t surfed in any meaningful capacity. So I scramble for a day meeting people through Facebook Marketplace to get all I need squared away. As soon as I finish collecting gear, I do a lil post to my story on Wednesday night looking for people to go surfing with.

kublai kahn cave

board@fog.org.nz — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 18:00:00 +1200

Alex Motyka shows off a really cool cave down in Tasmania, with impressive rooms and stunning features, which needs some more hype and visibility, and he claims cannot be oversold.

privacy policy

board@fog.org.nz — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 07:12:00 +0000

The far out grotto (FOG) is bound by Aotearoa New Zealand legislation, including the Privacy Act 1993 and the 12 privacy principles contained therein. This policy outlines FOG’s commitment to protecting the privacy of its members in accordance with the Privacy Act.

what

Personal information is information about identifiable, living people. As part of our membership process FOG will collect personal information about you including but not limited to your name, date of birth, pronouns, address and contact details. If you choose to participate in trips, events or courses, we may also need to collect personal information about any medical or other relevant condition you may have and your level of experience in certain activities.

code of conduct

board@fog.org.nz — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 07:09:00 +0000

scope

This code relates to all members of the far out grotto (FOG) when acting as members or otherwise as representatives of FOG (together “us”, “our” or “we”). It covers all interactions including attendance at meetings, functions, events, training, communications in all forms, use of any FOG property or service and any field activity. We reserve the right to update this policy at any time.

values

We aim to uphold the highest standards of behaviour, conduct and courtesy. Our code of conduct reflects what we would look for in a caving partner: safe, responsible, friendly, reliable, inclusive and honest.

conservation amendment bill explained

board@fog.org.nz — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 04:24:08 +0000

Submissions have now been extended to closing at midnight on the 13th of July 2026.

Why you should pay attention to the Conservation Amendment Bill as a caver.

The Conservation Amendment Bill is currently open for submissions to the select committee - Now extended to closing at midnight on the 13th of July 2026. This bill would allow the “disposal, sale or exchange” of 60% of our Public Conservation Land and rewrite the purpose of the Department of Conservation to make economic development their core function. FOG would like to encourage all our members who take joy in accessing our Public Conservation Land to read up on the Bill and make personal submissions.

what are caves

board@fog.org.nz — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:00:00 +1200

Join Travis as he talks about his research, industry experience, and exploration. Stalagtites and glowworms were harmed in the making, but under strict govt supervision. A thorough presentation about one man’s journey with caving in the NZ and a few fun anecdotes along the way.

cave stream survey adventure

board@fog.org.nz — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:11:07 +0000

Do you like being cold and wet? Do you like shooting lasers at each other then interpreting your dots to form something semi resembling a cave passage? Then come on a surveying trip!

This is exactly what myself, Sach, and Anya got up to on Saturday 26th June. What started off as a plan to to go mountaineering turned into a survey trip for Cave stream. A wonderful horizontal sporty cave by Castle Hill. The cave is an approximately 560m phreatic passage with a streamway which runs the length of the short system. Water levels do vary pending on rainfall/snow melt and there are a few short climbs which involve battling the water if your going upstream but when we went the water level varied from knee to thigh. I was very impressed to find my sports bra pretty dry despite me falling off a short 1m climb into a waterfall. Don’t worry though, the tablet survived.

expedition disaster and learnings

board@fog.org.nz — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 23:51:00 +0000

If you are like me and love seeing the world, experiencing new culture and rather than actually doing that, you end up wanting to spend copious amounts of time underground then an international expedition is the trip for you.

It all sounds fun and all but as I learned on my expedition with Speleo club ‘Z’ in 2026, it’s a lot of trust your placing on an unknown entity and this can lead to disaster. My own experience saw a group leader with no concern for our safety and well being, only focused on his own wants and made it a truly miserable experience resulting in the majority of the group leaving the expedition early. Luckily for me, I had a wonderful travel partner and made a further amazing friend and together with two other wonderful expedition members, we made a dramatic escape back across the Laos boarder into Thailand where we had a fantastic time caving thanks to the wonderful John Spies and Fred Vishnevsky at the Cave Lodge in Ban Tham Lod.

far out grotto constitution

board@fog.org.nz — Wed, 20 May 2026 07:03:00 +0000

Introductory rules

Name

The name of the SOCIETY is FAR OUT GROTTO INC (in this CONSTITUTION referred to as the “SOCIETY”).

Charitable status

The SOCIETY is already, or intends after incorporation, to be registered as a charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005.

Definitions

In this CONSTITUTION, unless the context requires otherwise, the following words and phrases have the following meanings:

“ACT” means the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 or any Act which replaces it (including amendments to it from time to time), and any regulations made under the Act or under any Act which replaces it.

uk mine exploration

board@fog.org.nz — Fri, 15 May 2026 18:00:00 +1200

Join Emma, as she shares her passion for the man made underground! A short presentation about mining in the UK and her experience of having a mooch around them.

thailand/laos trip

board@fog.org.nz — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 18:00:00 +1200

A presentation on a recent international expedition to Thailand and Laos recounting the experience and some pretty photos to a company it.

beginners guide

board@fog.org.nz — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The very cave you are afraid to enter holds the treasure you seek

--Joseph Campbell

disclaimer

This guide is intended to compliment suitable instruction. Caving can be a dangerous activity and proper training should be sought before leading trips or taking part in trips without experienced practitioners.

pdf download

foreword

I have been wanting to make a guide like this for a little while, putting down what limited experience I have of the underground down onto paper and bolstering it with the expertise of cavers I have the privilege of knowing.

board of directors

board@fog.org.nz — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

president

Emma Ironmonger is born and bred in the United Kingdom . She was introduced to caving in 2014 through the Manchester and Salford University Officer Training Corps where she had the opportunity to take part in a week-long Caving Foundation course in Ripon . She got the taste for the underground as she explored the North Yorkshire karst. As she transitioned from student to full time worker in London , the underground adventures took a hiatus until she joined the Combined Services Caving Association and Red Rose Caving Club in 2017. She had the opportunity to experience caving and mine exploration all over the UK and in 2018 she started a Local Cave and Mine Leader Award , where she learned the importance of safe leadership and practice underground. In 2021 she made the move to Aotearoa with her kiwi wife, where she joined HTG and has continued to cave ever since.

members manual

board@fog.org.nz — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

disclaimer

This guide is still in draft format. It is may not be accurate, and might change unexpectedly. We intend to release a final version soon.

pdf download

introduction

The brain child of a group of caving buddies, Far Out Grotto was established in 2026 as a virtual caving club to bring together cavers from Aotearoa and beyond. It began its humble beginnings as a group of friends in far flung corners of New Zealand wanting a collective to stay connected while being able to share ideas and events easily.

Search

board@fog.org.nz — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

far out grotto

caving this weekend

trading waves for caves

kublai kahn cave

privacy policy

what

code of conduct

scope

values

conservation amendment bill explained

what are caves

cave stream survey adventure

expedition disaster and learnings

far out grotto constitution

Introductory rules

Name

Charitable status

Definitions

uk mine exploration

thailand/laos trip

archives

beginners guide

disclaimer

foreword

board of directors

president

members manual

disclaimer

introduction

Search