I don’t know how to describe it. There’s just something magical about New Zealand. Waitomo Caves only adds to the spiritual wonder of the country as one of the best glowworm attractions; one of the best attractions in general! I was left speechless after visiting Waitomo Glowworm Caves, and I want to share that magic with my readers, so here goes.
The History of Waitomo Caves
Waitomo Glowworm Caves have a deep connection to Māori culture. Local Māori Chief Tane Tinorau was the first to explore the caves in 1887 with an English surveyor Fred Mace. They built a raft of flax stems following the stream of water into the cave. Once they were inside, they saw the ceiling was covered in little blue lights from the glowworms’ bioluminescent bodies. As the pair explored further on, coming to an embankment within the cave, they discovered even more beautiful spaces and rock formations. The Waitomo Caves are now a very special tourist destination, with many of the staff being descended from Chief Tane Tinorau, the original Waitomo explorer.
After learning the history of the caves and the significance they have to the Māori people, I was even more excited to go in and see them with my own eyes. We were taken to the entrance of the cave by our tour guide who gave us a little more history and information of the caves, as well as some safety information. This was also a special day for our guide, as it was his first tour! He seemed fairly young but he did an amazing job! Anyway, more on that later. After the briefing on what to do and what not to do, we were led through the beautiful 30 million-year-old limestone formations.
Because of the significance of the caves to the Māori people, photos were not allowed throughout most areas until the end. So you’ll just have to believe me when I say that this place was absolutely stunning. This is probably the only time I’ve actually wanted to listen during a geology lesson, partly because everywhere I looked was ethereal, and partly because our guide/teacher was super nice and super funny. We learnt about limestone, stalactites and stalagmites, and how the Earth’s movement is moving the caves. There were quite a few stalagmites and stalactites, some of which had fallen because of the earth’s movement. But we got to see them forming right in front of us! Well, sort of. One of the cave’s stalactites was dripping small drops of water onto one of the stalagmites, eventually growing bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Maybe one day they’ll meet.
We moved on to the caves “Cathedral”, the tallest chamber of the caves. Because of the way this area is shaped, any sound made here is so crisp and perfect as if it came from a recording studio. That’s why Waitomo Caves have had choirs, performances, and even weddings in the Cathedral of the cave. To demonstrate how the sound reacts in this part of the cave, our guide sang us a Māori song that sent goosebumps all down my body. We were then taken to see some of the glowworms, a sneak peek into what we would get to see in a moment. We learnt some more about the insects and how they catch their food. It’s quite interesting actually! When our guide turned on a dim light, bright enough to see but not bright enough to harm the glow worms, we saw their webs. Yes, webs! Every single glowworm had a singular web a few inches long hanging down from where they were chilling on the cave’s ceiling. This is where they would catch any small insects that find themselves unexpectedly flying into these webs. Kind of like fishing in mid-air!
A constellation of glowing bodies
Now it was time to start heading down to the boats! Waitomo Glowworm Caves have different systems you can explore by foot and by boat, and we did both! We boarded one by one before our guide led us along by a wire above the boat. There were so many glowworms! The cave was absolutely beautiful, it felt like I was looking up at the night sky. Thousands of tiny blue lights covered the ceiling. I honestly felt like I was a kid again experiencing all those magical things for the first time. Were they fairies? No, it’s pixie dust! No, it’s pure magic! This whole experience really healed something in me, and I’m truly grateful for that. I never thought a bunch of little insects could soothe my childhood, but I guess you find remedies in the strangest places. You just have to be open to it!
We floated along to the opening of the glowworm cave, where our guide told us we were now allowed to take photos if we so wished. I didn’t want to forget this place so I snapped a couple before hopping off the boat and heading for the gift shop. Yes, you knew it was coming. I bought a little crocheted glowworm keychain that actually glows in the dark, so cute! I may not be able to drive but I still have a house key, so this little guy won’t go to waste. I’ll remember the amazing time I had and the beauty of Waitomo Caves whenever I see him. Because that’s what souvenirs are really for!
All photos in this post were taken by me.
For more information on Waitomo Glowworm Caves, visit https://www.waitomo.com/glowworms-and-caves/waitomo-glowworm-caves
The Travel Journal 
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