Waitomo caves

Day 163 – Rotorua, New Zealand

Today was long in travel but short in visit. I took a bus from Auckland to Rotorua with a stop in Waitomo Caves, which are the home of glowworms.

These glowworms spend their life in the caves, above the underground river, where they feed on insects that come in, following the water; they are a larvae stage that lasts 9 months, before changing into their next stage… where they can’t feed, so they reproduce quickly, lay their eggs, and die of starvation. That stage lasts 2 days.

The first part of the caves is lit, and we can admire stalactites and stalagmites. There is a “cathedral” part with a high ceiling, columns, and a good acoustic.

Then we go a little further, board a boat, and slide into darkness… because if we want to see the glowworms, we have to keep them thinking that it is night and that they must keep glowing. (That means no outside light, so no camera!)

There is a network of ropes above the boat that our guides, standing, can reach and use to move us forward.

The worms’ glow is blue, and it is like looking at thousands of tiny, tiny blue lights on the ceiling. It is spectacular and gorgeous.

The whole visit lasts less than an hour, with groups going at a high cadence, following each other from place to place.

I am now in Rotorua, city known for its geothermal activity, and I should discover some pretty sights in the next few days!

And tomorrow I go to Hobbiton…!

I have started uploading my pictures from Auckland, but the connexion is sketchy and I am having difficulties to upload them all. So I put a bonus fluffball picture as header.