North of Westport, the coastline squeezes between high mountain ranges and pounding surf. Among the sprinkling of tiny settlements is Karamea, known to most people as the southern entry (or exit) to the renowned Heaphy Track, which starts in Golden Bay. But there's a bit more to Karamea; it's also a fine trout-fishing destination, the western entry point to the wild ranges of the Kahurangi National Park, and home to the Oparara cave system. These caves are a series of huge limestone arches, passages, and caverns, surrounded by lush forests. One of the best is the Honeycomb Cave, an underground system of roughly 13 km (8 mi) of passages. Bones from the extinct moa bird have been found here, and chances are good that you'll see glowworms.
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