The Cave

By Doug Ashby

The main characters of these six stories, Roscoe, Simione and Dan-Dan, are 12 year old triplet brothers who live in rural New Zealand. A forest park and coastal waters are their playground, an environment that has taught them survival skills and tests them to their limits. The special bond between the brothers is an all important ingredient in their adventures. A mysterious person appears in all six stories, a figure who the boys doubt they even saw at all.

Story five, The Cave: On holiday at the top of the South Island, the triplet brothers discover fossils in a limestone cave. Exciting discoveries are made but unexpected natural forces have tragic results. A chance meeting with Katrina proves to be a life saver, and their friendship has a brand new start.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Doug Ashby
• Release date: Jun 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301264520

Book preview

Three out of Three

The adventures of Triplet Brothers

STORY 5

The Cave

by D.R.H. Ashby

Published by Mackay Books at Smashwords.

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Copyright belongs to D.R.H. Ashby 2013 ©

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Published by Mackay Books

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CHAPTER 1

Entombed

The family had been planning this holiday for months and the day had finally arrived. The drive down the island to Wellington would take a full day so they had mostly packed the car the night before and at first light they were off. There was much to see on the way, especially around the central plateau with the peaks of Tongariro, Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe dominating the landscape, the family resisting the urge to stop and explore but promising themselves they would come back to take on some of the challenges they passed.

Can we do the Tongariro crossing next time, Dad? was the call from the back seat when they drove past the three magnificent peaks.

We shall add that to our list, said their father as he concentrated on the road ahead. He had the drive onto the ferry in the back of his mind and wondered how challenging it was going to be.

Five hours later, they arrived in Wellington. The ease of driving on board the ferry was a pleasant surprise; the crossing of the Strait was to be a different story. Six metre swells mid-Cook Strait had most passengers suffering from sea sickness, too ill to stand let alone enjoy the sailing. Passengers lolled around the deck looking miserable, their faces tinged green, and brown paper bags over mouths was a common sight.

But the three brothers stayed on deck, learning how to let their bodies absorb the pitch and yaw, to move with it, not fight it. This was extremely exciting stuff, sailing through a narrow strait that separated two oceans and funnelled wind from the open sea.

Their destination was the top of the South Island where, with so many different environments to explore, it was going to be hard to fit everything into their nine day holiday. The triplets were particularly looking forward to getting into the limestone hills, karst country, where they were hoping to find a treasure trove of fossils locked up in the soft rocks of the Takaka hills.

Three hours later the ferry docked at the Picton wharf and they drove down the ramp, heading for the camping ground, another three hour drive away. This would be their base camp for the duration of their stay.

Arriving at the camp on nightfall, they unpacked the car and stored all their gear in the cabins they had booked. That night they studied their maps, and readied their packs and tramping gear for an early morning start. The tramp they’d planned would take the family four days to complete, trekking the famous route of the pioneer John Heaphy, following his track that wound its way across Kahurangi National Park, from the top of the South Island over to the West Coast.

The next day at sunrise they were on the Heaphy Track and in fine warm weather they made good progress, the magnificent trail taking them from high tussock land and frost flats to the wet and wild West