First up this morning was a trip from our hotel to Waitomo Caves for an amazing glowworm experience. This was one of several glowworm caves in the region that have been famous tourist attractions since the late Nineteenth Century. This cave is owned by the original Maori Tribe who discovered it in 1887. Chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor, Fred Mace, were exploring the caves. They built a raft made of flax and floated into the dark hidden cave using only candles for illumination. Here they discovered a myriad of tiny bright lights dotted along the cave ceiling. They soon realized that the luminescent cave dots were in fact thousands of glowworms. The cave was opened to tourists in 1889 and it soon became a very successful tourist operation. In 1904 the administration of the cave was taken over byy the government. However, in 1990, the land and the cave were returned to the descendants of the original owners. The Crown also retained an interest in the caves which is now administered by the Department of Conservation. Many of the staff employed at the attraction are direct descendants of Chief Tane Tinorau and his wife, Huti.
The extremely beautiful and artistic design of the tourist attraction.
No pictures of any kind, even without flash, are allowed in the caves, thus the following pictures are from our CD. Although the boat is illuminated in the above picture, our trip by boat through the cave was in complete darkness and the thousands of glowworms were like stars in the sky (actually on the cave ceiling).
The glowworm lives for about 11 months, with a four-stage life cycle. Eggs are laid in clutches of 30-40 on walls and ceilings. Immediately after hatching from the egg. the glowworm larvae emit a light, build a nest, put down lines and feed (see above). Sticky substances on the line trap insects and these are drawn up and devoured. The larvae stage lasts around 9 months. It then turns into a pupa in a cocoon and emerges as a two winged flying insect similar to a large mosquito.
Huge stalactites and stalagmites form many decorative sculptures in the caves. Stalactites grow down from the ceiling and stalagmites grow up from the floor.
The Waitomo caves are made up of multiple levels. The upper levels are dry and include the entrance to the Catacombs, the Pipe Organ, the Banquet Chamber, and the Cathedral. The lower level consists of the stream passages and the Glowworm Grotto. Many sweet sounds have been heard from the largest cavern, 'The Cathedral.' Famous singers and choirs have performed there in the past and have been very impressed with the acoustic purity created from the enclosed shape and rough ground.
Exiting the boat after our underground glowworm tour.
Both the walking tour of the caves and the boat trip through them was very powerful. We were advised to be very quiet as we floated through the cave. It truly was a spiritual experience to see these thousands of glowworms shining their light in the total darkness and our privilege in being able to witness them in peace in their centuries-old home.
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