POHUTAKAWA CAVE

“Are we there yet? “ I ask mum in my most irritating voice.
She rolls her eyes and says, “Five minutes nearly.”
I sigh and go back to my book.
Hi, my name’s Debra but I definitely prefer to be called Debbie. I love animals and absolutely adore my awesome pet snake, Viper. I’m going on holiday to a place called Kawhia, which sounds pretty boring-snoring to me, the only exciting part is there’s heaps of pohutakawa, and everyone knows pohutakawa is great to climb, which I love.
As the car pulls up to an ancient blue Bach, I gaze out the window to the gorgeous green trees with bright red flowers sticking out of the massive, mossy thick branches. This is what I’ve been looking forward to for ages, POHUTAKAWA! I jump out the car and rush up to the dusty track, leading down to the black sand beaches of Kawhia. I creep down the path, as slowly as possible, making this mysterious journey last as long as I can. Questions whirr around inside my head, like angry bees in a cardboard box. “Where does this path lead to? What am I doing here? When will this freaky path end?” I wonder to myself.
I creep around the corner and my questions are solved. This freaky path leads to a brilliant black sand beach, and as I gaze around, my eyes set on an odd looking cave. It wasn’t huge but it looked unbelievably long. A pinprick of light glows at the end of the tunnel, making a weird tingle go up my spine. Suddenly a massive bird darts out of the entrance; it swoops so low over my head that I could feel the breeze blow my hair back. It darts up to a branch high in the tangle of pohutakawa. I sprint back up the path in shock, flying two steps at a time to the safety of the old blue Bach. Yikes!
The next day I wake up, jump out of bed, get changed and grab a torch faster than you can say “pohutakawa cubby”. I rush down the path fast as lightning and stop at the entrance of my new cave. I sneak in hoping with all my might that that pesky bird has gone; I creep into the darkness to have a look and flick on my torch. As I shine it around, my curiosity takes over me and I can’t help but carry on.
Each time I step, dust puffs up around me. I make my way to the speck of light in the corner, dreading what’s going to happen next. “Ouch! “I yell, and then clamp my hand to my mouth. Something sharp had poked me in my back; I turn around to see a thick pohutakawa root, hanging down from the dusty root infested ceiling, obviously the culprit of my attack. I can scent that earthy smell, mixing in with the salty fragrance of the sea outside. Noisy crickets play their early morning music, drowning out the sound of waves lapping the shore outside. As I grab a pohutakawa root to stable myself, I pull down on a huge clump of dirt which suddenly tumbles down from above making me squirm as it falls into my hair and clothes. I shake it out and keep on going. I’m almost there! I step out of the eerie darkness; bright sunlight slaps me in the face.
I peek back into the tangle of roots, leaves and branches. I stumble up the dusty track, still half in my dream. As I reach the Bach I gaze back up at the web of pohutakawa, it slowly waves back at me in the breeze, and in my mind I thank it for my adventure. I can’t wait to return to my incredible pohutakawa cave!
By Holly Williams