We left Wanganui this morning and headed up Hwy 3 toward the town of Waitomo and the Glowworm Cave. The ride was about 200 miles or so up along the coast. We never did actually see the ocean as the highway ran several miles inland and was actually quite mountainous. There were long stretches of maybe up to 40 miles or so with no towns and very little evidence of civilization. The scenery was very pretty, though. We took this pic about 50 miles up the road, and it was pretty typical of the terrain we saw. Hilly, winding roads, and a lot of land that had been cleared for pastureland:
We stopped along the way at Raukawa Falls, which was pretty scenic:
We got to Waitomo around 2:00 this afternoon and took the guided tour through the Glowworm Caves. THIS WAS WAY COOL! The caves are only about 50 feet below the side of the hill and the walk is really easy. That part was similar to other caves we've been through over the years. Our guide was a Maori named "Uncle Trev" and he was a hoot:
That's Pat's hand that Uncle Trev is holding and we actually saw the glowworms from a small boat that Uncle Trev pulled through the caverns. The glowworms are the larval form of a mosquito. During their lifespan of about 9 months, they attach themselves to the ceiling of the cave, spin a cocoon, and emit a greenish light to attract food, which they paralyze with hair-like strings that they spin that hang down about 12 inches. There are enough of the glowworms on the ceiling that they looked like the stars in the sky. Very pretty, but, of course...no pictures.
The Visitor's Center was very interesting from an engineering point of view. It has a clear canopy over the whole area that is supported by wooden beams that are curved and cantilevered over one another for support. Very pretty:
We're in the town of Matamata this evening, and Pat is taking the Hobbiton Movie Set Tour tomorrow. The town's Visitor's Center is pretty appropriate, we thought:
We're leaving Hobbitt-ville after Pat's tour tomorrow and headed up to Auckland for three nights. More tomorrow!
Pat's Paragraph........... I wish you could have been there with us in the glow-worm cave. It was totally black and the only light was from the cocoons. No one, and I mean no one, said a word, or even breathed loudly. You just stared and absorbed and it all felt magical. We were floating on the river and it was like a mirror of glass as Uncle Trev pulled us along under these star-like heavens. It's hard to find words to describe the feeling of awe.
There were 2 other caves in the system but this is the only one with the glow-worms. Just 3 weeks ago the caves had been flooded because of heavy rain and they had only re-opened up the boat tour 10 days ago because of all the cleaning and debris. For 3 weeks they do a Christmas carol concert by a local choir in the 'Cathedral Room' every night. Over 200 people attend each evening and the tickets are sold out every year for Next year before February. You can imagine the size of this room to hold and seat 200, the choir and all the people there for guides, security and technical help. I could ramble on about the technical things like the special lights they use to prevent heat build up, special sensors for gases even the materials used in steps, handrails, paving that would not change the environment in the cave system itself. These are dedicated people that do not want to lose such a precious gift and I am so glad they do what they do. Mother Nature at her best. Magic...
