Waitomo Caves and Glow Worms

By James Anthony

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If you are travelling in the central North Island of New Zealand then an absolute must-see attraction is the cave system at Waitomo.

Situated a short drive from the quiet town of Te Kuiti in the King Country - and less than an hour's drive south of Hamilton - the Waitomo Caves not only offer remarkable limestone rock formations, but also a chance to see the famous Glow Worms.

The cave system was discovered more than 100 years ago when a couple of locals followed a stream underground. The pair explored and mapped it over a number of years and eventually it became a major tourist attraction.

There are two main caves - the Glow Worm and the Aranui - and the latter offers some of the finest limestone rock formations around.

The limestone in the caves was formed up to 30 million years ago yet today you can still see formations being created.

Drops containing limestone dribble through the cave roof and down the walls leave deposits of limestone crystals that continue to build up as either stalactites (that hang from the ceiling) or stalagmites (that grow from the cave floor).

There are various chambers within the cave system with interesting formations to look at - including an elephant's head - and you can also get to sing in an accoustically pure area known as the Cathedral.

Fear not, I resisted the urge to belt out Khe Sanh and instead listened as the Maori guide sang a particularly fine version of Po Kare Kare Ana.

Now while the cave formations are really interesting, the highlight of the journey underground has to be visiting the Glow Worm Grotto.

You need to stay a pretty quiet as the little brutes don't like a lot of noise - and clearly you can't take photos (in fact photos are banned within the system) - but you hop in large boats that get hauled around the underground stream and get to view the spectacular display.

The little Glow Worms light up the darkened areas like stars and the boat trip through the cave is like being out in space. It is memorable stuff.

Of course, the romantic image of Glow Worms is somewhat shattered by the excellent guides who take great delight in telling you that they are not worms at all but rather maggots and the lights are their bottoms shining to attract prey. Never mind.

The Waitomo Caves are magnificent to visit and the guides take tour parties around every half hour or so. The caves are large and so only people who get claustrophobia really badly need to be concerned.