All A Glow


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Published: August 13th 2013
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Having been the first to arise from my slumbers I enjoyed a walk among the sheep before breakfast. Our agenda for the day was to visit the Waitomo caves which are the home to thousands of glowworms. we booked onto the twelve o'clock tour and were son greeted by our rather odd tour guide. after attempting but falling to say hello to all the tourists in their various languages we were guided into the depths if the cave. The cave has now been returned to it's original owners having been discovered when a Maori chief paddled his canoe into the caves and cane across thousands of little green lights.

Inside the limestone cave is a huge cavern nicknamed the "cathedral" where several choirs have performed beneath the stalactites and stalagmites. glowworms are not in fact worms but are the larvae of the fungus gnat, an insect slightly larger than a mosquito. The larval glowworms have luminescent organs which produce the same chemical used in glow sticks, to attract other insects into mucus threads they hang down into the cave. When the glowworm gets hungry it can simply reel in the trapped food. Depending on how much good the glowworm catches the larval stage can last between 6-9 months. The adult glowworm is unfortunately designed without a mouth, so only survives for a few days. Our guide gave us some rather basic information which was surpassed by the lonely planet we took with us, but did take on a boat trip in the darkness of the cave to see the glowworms. Insisting on silence, he navigated the cave using a pulley system so we could get close to the magical green lights. We both rally enjoyed it, though i was conscious of the hanging mucus above my head!

After our trip through the cave, we drove to the Marokopa Waterfall. We narrowly avoided the oncoming rain but did have to stumble over a fallen tree to see the impressive falls.

The drive to our campsite at Mokau was much more exciting than either of us had anticipated with the road son turning into a wet, unsealed road. However, we are soon tucked up warm in our camper with free tea from the owner who laughed at his British it was that I was desperate for a cup of tea.


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