Cave is a town located in the Timaru District, South Island, New Zealand. It is approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) north-west of Timaru on State Highway 8. St. David's Memorial Church was commissioned by Thomas Burnett and designed by Herbert W. Hall. Built in 1930, it is registered as a category I heritage building with Heritage New Zealand.

Although the name suggests otherwise, there are no caves for the public to explore in Cave. The town was named Cave after several limestone caves in the wider area.

Cave is described as a rural settlement by Statistics New Zealand, and covers 1.24 km (0.48 sq mi). It had an estimated population of 90 as of June 2024, with a population density of 73 people per km. The settlement is part of the larger Levels Valley statistical area.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
2006	78	—
2013	81	+0.54%
2018	78	−0.75%
Source:

Cave had a population of 78 at the 2018 New Zealand census, a decrease of 3 people (−3.7%) since the 2013 census, and unchanged since the 2006 census. There were 36 households, comprising 42 males and 36 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.17 males per female. The median age was 54.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 9 people (11.5%) aged under 15 years, 9 (11.5%) aged 15 to 29, 48 (61.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 12 (15.4%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 96.2% European/Pākehā, 3.8% Māori, and 3.8% Asian. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.

Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.8% had no religion, 34.6% were Christian, and 3.8% were Buddhist.

Of those at least 15 years old, 6 (8.7%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 24 (34.8%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $26,500, compared with $31,800 nationally. 9 people (13.0%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 33 (47.8%) people were employed full-time, and 12 (17.4%) were part-time.