Waitomo (glowworm) Caves, New Zealand
It’s certainly a number of years since I was in New Zealand, but it’s a place that really stays with you and one of my favourite trips was visiting Waitomo Caves, aka The Glowworm Caves.
We opted for a dry tour of the 30 million year old caves with a guide taking us though the tunnels of stalagmites and stalactites, highlighting formations such as the Catacombs, the Pipe Organ and the Banquet Chamber, and then onto a boat through the lower level semi submerged caves underneath a canopy of luminescent lights provided my millions of blue/green glowworms.
The sheer number of glowworms in the grotto is breathtaking, and you will crick your neck by craning upwards to bask in the beauty of the colours and light. You can also see the billions of sticky strands hanging from the rocks, and these glitter and shimmer in reflected light and are used by the glowworms to ensnare insects attracted by their bioluminescence.
Top tips for Waitomo Caves: There are lots of different cave systems to explore here and you can partake in various adrenaline fuelled activities such as black water rafting, tubing, caving, climbing and abseiling (which we would have done if budget had allowed). Our guided tour was with Spellbound, and whilst you can’t take flash photography in the caves due to scientific reasons, they did email us some great pictures for us to keep (see below).
Take a look at my other posts on New Zealand and Fiji here.
Do you know what Winston Churchill said about Glow worms? (to Margret Asquith I think) He was speaking about how Short life is, and how we are ultimately all worm food, or worms in fact, and then he got a little depressed for a minute, thinking about mortality, transience and death,. But then he cheered up. and he said, “We may be all worms, but do you know: I do believe I am a GLOW worm! ” That has more or less always been the height of my ambition too. Good post above, nice to see the real-life creatures up close. and thanks for your visits. -Arran.
Hi Arran, thanks for the comment, really insightful and gives a certain perspective to life I think. All the best
Very pretty pictures Sarah.I live in the USA state of Utah.I plan to visit Aotearoa in a few month.I would like to spend a few days in Waitomo and move on to other magnificent areas in the land of the long white cloud.Any suggestions about where to stay in Waitomo?What about the air plain rental?Is it still exist? Thank you.I am Mamalimai Fantaztik.
Hi Mamalimai. I did not stay near Waitomo – only passing through the area to visit the glow worm caves. There are a lot of activities based in and around the caves, such abseiling, tubing and black water rafting. There are lots of companies throughout New Zealand who offer scenic flights and helicopter tours. Try here: http://www.viator.com/New-Zealand-tours/Air-Helicopter-and-Balloon-Tours/d24-g1