My husband, a very proud kiwi (actually a Pom / Kiwi / Aussie, but most proud of the Kiwi part) is on a mission to show me (his Aussie wife) New Zealand (NZ). With each trip to NZ we do another adventure. I have to admit that seeing glow worms had never made my bucket list. However, I love watching hubby show me the backyard of his past. This adventure was accompanied by stories about taking his daughters here almost 30 years ago.

With these adventures I tend not to do any research as I would much rather the let the experience capture me (or not) then have any sort of anticipation.

I love experiences and this is one I will never forget. I seriously could have bought another ticket to go and drift though the cave again. It was magical.

Like any good tourist activity, Waitomo Caves (Waikato) are very professionally run. The architecture of the main building is stunning. Furthermore, it is well designed for the numbers they cater for. Our group numbered 40, as did the group that followed us 5 minutes later.

We were booked on a 60-minute guided walk and boat trip though the caves.

To set the scene, I was not really keen on the idea of being underground and “in a cave”.

I am not a fan of confined damp spaces. I am a beach and tree-climbing kind of girl.

The first 100 metres we had to duck here and there as the stalactites were low. Additionally, our eyes started to adjust to the dim lights. Our guide, Tui was beautifully spoken with her gorgeous kiwi vowels. I loved her tone and gentle humour. Like sheep we followed her instruction, look there and don’t touch here as she imparted her knowledge and the history of the cave.

Once we got through the entrance, with all the weaving and ducking that would make an All Black proud (only joking), the path opened up to an enormous space they call the cathedral. Aptly named for its visual and acoustic qualities. Tui invited us to test the acoustics, we all declined the invitation to sing. Although the following group sang happy birthday and the quality of sound was magnificent. We learnt every year they have the township’s Christmas carols here with about 200 people coming into the caves for the joyous occasion. Now that could be interesting. It also gives you a sense of the size of the space.

We moved into a smaller cave, still with plenty of space for all 40 of us and they turn the lights off to give us our first sighting of the glow worms. Interesting fact, the glow worm produces their bioluminescence from small tubes fixed around their anus, as a by-product of excretion and a chemical reaction. You could say the light truly does shine out of their arse…

The lights of thousands of glow worms was amazing…

Our guide switched on some back lighting in order to show us the sticky threads the glow worms drop from their body. These are used to trap any insects that fly towards their light. When the insects are caught in the glow worm’s thread, they pull up the thread, bite the insect to kill it and either suck out the juices or eat the entire body. Such violence or the cycle of life was way too small for us to see. If I recall correctly, they can survive a very long time without eating and only eat about once a month… A lot of light for one feed…

Back to the beauty of the cave and an interesting observation. In our group there were two young toddlers. Each time they turned the lights out they cried. Not being 100 percent certain, but I was guessing when we were in the boats it was going to be lights out. I was hoping they were not going to cry when we were in the boat. I put that thought aside. Only time had that answer.

Our walk continued and we descended deeper into the caves.

According, to my iPhone app over the last 20 minutes we had gradually descended 14 floors. Although it did not feel like it.

We got to the river and we were ushered into two boats, 20 per boat. Somehow Martin and I scored the front seat, alone. Nice!!!

I need to explain, we descended the stairs with the river to our left. We turned 180 degrees on the jetty and stepped into the boat. As each person settled into their seat and lifted their heads, they were greeted by a dome of beauty created by the glow worms. For me, I felt like I was in the centre of another universe. You could hear the slightest of gasps (and the occasional shhhhh!!) as everyone started to take in the beauty around them. The vastness felt endless.

I was curious how they were going to navigate through the caves as there was no motor, no oars and it was dark.

Being in the front seat gave us the perfect view of the mastery behind the scenes. We were skillfully pulled through a maze of ropes in total silence. The lady navigating the maze of ropes, had to be strong and have awesome balance as she was standing the full 30 or so minutes we were on the boat.

We were all in awe and at one with our surroundings. Including the toddlers. Total silence!

I surrendered to magic as I gazed on the luminescence and the various constellations on the cave roof and reflections on the water form continuous composition of ever changing beauty as the boat glided silently through the caves.

The beauty was breathtaking and my spirits were soaring.

I was sitting with my arm weaved through Martins and I occasionally squeezed his forearm in delight and pointed to the next amazing view. Each worthy of a photo on their own. There was no photography allowed in the caves so the photos in this post are from Waitomo Caves and various web sites.

Eventually our boat was heading towards sunlight. Unexpectedly we did one last turn to the right. This was to make way for an empty boat to pass. Our boat turned again and headed to the light. We were the first to step off and managed to grab a selfie with the cave exit behind us. Every time I see this photo, I feel my spirits soar.

Reflecting back on how I felt about going into an underground cave, at no time did I feel confined, trapped or unsafe. I seriously want to go through the caves again. Next time I want to be even more connected to the environment. You can drift through the caves in a wetsuit on tyre tubes… And that will be March 2021. Bring it on…

#whatareyouwaitingfor #liveyourlife #WaitomoCaves #Glowworms #IloveNZ #drifting