Waitomo Glow worm Caves

The weather looked very grey today so we decided to head over to the Waikato region and visit the glow worm caves.

On the way we stopped at our favorite coffee shop and visited the Wool Shed shop which sells lots of possum and merino wool clothing. Jon has been looking at a jacket there since we first visited the place in January and he finally bought it.

We then carried on to the caves a journey of nearly two hours. We had lunch before we were picked up by a van and taken to the caves. There were only five and the guide in our group us and an American woman and a girl from Australia so it was just right.

The caves were amazing with lots of stalactites and stalagmites and the limestone looked like marble and there was also cave coral which I have never seen before, really beautiful. We saw the threads from the glow worms which hang down like tinsel and the glow worms were amazing. The whole place was like a Christmas grotto. The glow worms are the larvae and are like that for about 9 months before the cocoon stage. When they hatch they only live for a few days, long enough to mate and lay eggs and then they fall to the floor of the cave and die. The roof of the cave looks like stars in the sky and were really beautiful and quite magical. The tour took us deep underground via a constructed drum like walkway, the lighting was amazing and you could hear a loud underground waterfall which is used for the dare devils that do the underwater tube rafting (wet suit, boots, hat with a light and you sit in a rubber tube and are pulled along by the current - not something I would do). I cannot begin to describe just how beautiful it is and the tour of nearly two hours flew by. One drop of water from the stalagmites takes 18 months to get there from the surface so it takes about 100 years for them to grow an inch - impressive!!!

Out next visit was to a smaller and much dryer cave but equally beautiful had it not been for the Korean people who talked the whole time the guide was talking - so rude. She told us they hold Christmas carol concerts there and they have had famous opera singers perform there, too. It is a huge cathedral like cave and the acoustics are said to be very good. We then got onto a boat and were lucky enough to board last and so got the front seat. We were pulled, by our old lady Maori guide, through the cave by ropes on the roof of the cave and there were thousands of glow worms, just magical.

It was a really lovely day and worth the drive over to that area. Jon and I will certainly go back that way when the weather gets better as there are so many things to do and see there.

Poor Totty was very hungry by the time we got home at 6.15. I think I will have to get my neighbour to come in and let her out if we go on such a long day again..