First came lost Tom and Becky (1), then the story of Sim and his unnaturally short life (2), and finally my favorite cave story which isn't a cave at all, but a burrow, (3).

When I was a boy, we kids claimed that we had a cave at the top of the hill above our house. While it is true that a quantity of rock had fallen over the years from the face of a rather large cliff, to call the resulting 3 foot deep concavity in the cliff face a cave was stretching things. Still, an eight year old has a huge imagination working for him and can easily manipulate reality. 

Actually, there was the real, honest-to-goodness cave on the top of Tank Hill. One problem was that it had a steel door that prevented access past about 4 feet. The other problem was that Tank Hill was not "our" territory and one might meet other, bigger kids up there who did consider it theirs, exclusively. One had to keep a sharp lookout. I didn't go up there often, or stay long when I did.

Well, 50 some years later, I have discovered a wonderful place that would fulfill anybody's longing for a cave. That eight year old in Michigan would have given his right arm to see it. In fact, I think he would have fantasised about living in it and never coming home. I wonder if the kids living in the houses that surround North Head appreciate what they have up there. And it's free! 

North Head - World War II artillery emplacement

North Head is located next to the very fashionable and 'artsy' suburb of Devonport. You might guess, and you'd be right, that it is another of the 53 volcanic cones that dot the Auckland area.  

Because of it's position and it's height, an extensive tunnel and bunker system was cut into it's core, starting in the 1880's and gun emplacements were built to protect Auckland's harbor. The largest of these guns were the 8 inch, "disappearing" guns. They got this name because each rested on a platform built below the level of the ground. The entire platform would be raised, the gun fired and then lowered very quickly back out of sight, making return fire by an enemy much more difficult. The tunnels and bunkers allowed a large number of men to move throughout the system to man the various guns and to provide a constant stream of ammunition, to not only the the big 8 inchers, but to the many other surface guns that dotted the top of the cone. 

My heart, as I write this and prepare to copy the following amazing photos for you, is actually beating a little faster. Maybe yours is too, if you are one who loves the mysterious darkness, and the delightful coolness, and the overwhelmingly wonderful mustiness that says, "Come in and explore all my secrets, young spelunker. You'll love it here."  

Well, come on then....got your headlamp turned on?

Pretty amazing huh?  When I was down inside and snapping photos, I didn't know how the pictures would come out, especially in odd situations like this. This one could not have turned out any better, though, it's my favorite. There are several other narrow passageways that we were able to squeeze through since we had lights. Many of the larger passageways look like this.

Maybe you can tell that it's sloped downward and passageways extend in several directions from the bottom. 

If this historic site were in America, because of the numbers of tourists that would descend on it, it would have to be over-managed.  Many of the most interesting passages might be made off-limits because of wheelchair accesibility laws or who knows what. 

Happily, each time we've visited, the number of other families sharing it with us has been modest. We've never felt the least bit crowded.  Since there are so many openings into the tunnel system, people approach it from all directions. Since you can stay as long as you like, there is no rushing to see it all.  It is an ideal place to take kids on a hot summer day. What kid, of advanced years or otherwise, would not enjoy running (or walking sedately in some cases) around a place like this?

And finally, to close, here is one view that the men watching for enemy ships or planes would have seen.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour.  Don't forget to turn off your headlamp.         -djf

(1) The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

(2) Frost and Fire, by Ray Bradbury

(3) The Burrow, by Franz Kafka