When you think of going out for a night of dancing, a remote cave on one of Auckland’s wild west coast beaches isn’t the first venue that comes to mind.
But for more than 60 years, from around 1900, party-goers used Te Ana Ru cave near Whatipū as a place to meet and mingle – complete with a kauri ballroom dance floor.
Abundance of wildlife
Whatipū is about 40km west of Auckland’s city centre and is a scientific reserve home to an abundance of wildlife.
It is part of Waitākere Ranges Regional Park.
Walking tracks
Te Ana Ru cave is a 20-minute walk from the car park, and there are a number of other walks of various lengths and difficulty in the area, including: