Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Waitomo - where the glowworms go

We were almost getting used to the gorgeous green scenery (and sheep) that comprised our daily drives all over New Zealand. Almost.


We arrived at our first destination of the day, Waitomo Caves, around noon. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves visitor center is really cool – sustainably built, and inspired by the shape of Maori eel trap.

We took the standard glowworm cave tour, which included a walk through some caves with stalactites & stalagmites, and a beautiful Maori song sung by our guide in the “cathedral” cave room – it’s huge with amazing acoustics. Then we got into a boat and were silently pulled along a long cave filled with glowworms. They really do look like a starry sky. Magical.

We weren’t allowed to take any pictures on the tour, so I have borrowed these from the glow worm center:


It was a pretty incredible tour. Our boat emerged from this cave:

Then our drive continued and we arrived in Hamilton in late afternoon.

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