Climbing out
As we walked through these tunnels, we could hear the sound of water crashing.  Effectively, a waterfall.  This became louder and louder as we progressed.  The tunnel narrowed down into one of these dining room table tubes, and then subsequently opened up into a small little area.  One side of the area was the tunnel we just came through.  The other side of the area was the waterfall.  If you can imagine what it would be like to be standing behind a waterfall.  That's what we are looking at.  When I say small little area, I'm talking about a very small area. 
 

An image not from that spot, but similar in terms of elbow room.

 

Coming back to the dining room analogy, imagine how you are sitting underneath the dining room table.  That's how much room there was in this area.  But, there are eight of us.  One side is the narrow tunnel, the other side is the back of waterfall.
 

Our guide said, "you have to follow my instructions very carefully.  You put your hand where I show you to put your hand, and you put your foot where I show you to put your foot." 

He proceeded into the next area where the waterfall was crashing down.  Three of our group immediately followed him.  Two of this group proceeded around the corner and up out of our range of vision,

This is an accurate photo of the view of the waterfall from 'under the dining-room table'.

and the third guy ends up sitting right there in the middle the waterfall with water crashing down on his head.  He sits there for about five minutes, not moving.  It’s so loud from the waterfall, that there is little point in trying to communicate with him and ask why he’s sitting there.   I figured there had to be a good reason.  The rest of us, sitting underneath this dining room table-sized area, decided we're going to sit tight, where it's dry, without a waterfall flying over our heads.  The adjacent chamber appears just as closed-in and crowded as where we were at the time but it's hard to tell because of the very limited visibility, both from being blocked by the walls of the cave, and also the water coming down.  So, all things being equal in terms of elbow room, we were better off being in a tight chamber that's dry, than in a tight chamber that has a waterfall in the middle of it.  So, after about five minutes, the guy sitting in the waterfall picks himself up from the ground and just disappears.  It's now my turn to go into the next chamber.  I go into the next chamber, and discover that it's a little bit larger than what I'd expected, larger than what was visible from underneath the dining room table.  There's an open place right in the middle of the chamber where the water is crashing down,  Just to the right of the well irrigated center of the room was a little niche where you could somewhat escape from the water crashing down.  Opposite of the waterfall was another niche. Our guide was standing in that niche, also a bit sheltered from the water.

This person is standing in the niche on the right.  Guy on the right is emerging from 'under the dining room table'. Photographer was standing where the guide was standing.

 

He points to my right hand, and then points to a little ledge on the rock.  He points at my left foot, and then points and a little ledge on the wall on the opposite side of the waterfall.  Remember, at this point the water is crashing down in the center of his room, and is very loud.  He could give verbal instructions, but that would entail shouting.  At this point, the nonverbal instructions are perfectly fine.  So, I grab one rock with my right hand, and wedge my toe into the niche where he pointed for my left foot.  He then pointed at my left hand and then pointed at another little ledge in the rock about 1,5m above the niche for my left foot.  He then gave a thumbs-up signal, indicating at should lift myself up, and then grab onto this third niche with my left hand.  I follow his instructions, and then he pointed my right foot, and then at another niche on the right side of the chamber.  At this point, I'm standing right smack in the middle of the waterfall, neither foot on the floor.  The left foot wedged into the wall on the left side.  The right foot is wedged into the wall on the right side.  The sequence of events repeated itself, with the guide pointing and hands or feet, and then at various niches  and crevices that I should use to lever myself further, up through the waterfall.  This ascent was perhaps 3-4 m.  This did not happen quickly.  I looked at where the guide pointed, and cautiously set some weight on it, testing the stability and grip.  I did this for each foot and hand placement.  This is not bounding up a staircase, nor climbing a ladder.  This all takes time.  I understood then why that guy sat under the waterfall for several minutes.  He could see that the two people ahead of him were slowly climbing up through the waterfall, and that his turn would be coming soon.  Also, there was more room in the waterfall chamber, so perhaps he thought it better to stay there with a little more room, than try to return to the cramped space we were in.  Besides, we were all completely soaked, so the water really made no difference. 

 
 
 

Here's an image, not from this trip, but in circumstances similar to this first waterfall climb.  Except the water is not falling on her head.  If you fall, you're completely fukt.

 
 

After this well irrigated clambering, I arrive in another small chamber, also about the size of the space underneath the 'dining room table'.  Like the previous dining room table space, this is a little alcove adjacent to where a waterfall is crashing down.  This waterfall provided water for the waterfall that I just climbed up through.  When I squeezed up to this little chamber, the first thing that went through my head, was "oh shit we have to do this again."  And indeed, this was exactly the case.  We all sat huddled in this little bitty chamber, knees against our chests, waiting, as each of us proceeded up the next waterfall.  The subsequent waterfall was a repetition of the first waterfall, in  that it was a fairly tight cylinder through the rocks, with water pouring down through it. One of our guides was standing on one side of the waterfall, and choreographed our ascent in a similar fashion.  Point at the foot, point at a rock.  Point at a hand, point at a little ledge.

 

About midway up through this waterfall, an ascent of perhaps four to 5 m, I see daylight above of me.  With the daylight, it is much easier to see the little ledges and grab places where I can lever myself further up through the tomo.

These images are from that second waterfall.
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Once up out of the tomo, the first thought through my head was, "I really want to go to Raglan, and sit on the beach."  Wide open ocean, wide open sky, fresh air.
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