The Waitomo Glowworm Caves

One of the most popular natural attractions on New Zealand's North Island is the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

The caves are located in the Waikato region of the North Island, approximately 2 hours from Taupō. The caves sit in an area of rolling farmland and limestone hills in Waitomo Village.

I joined a guided tour to explore the glowworm caves. The tour provided insight into the formation of the caves and the science behind the magical, starry-sky effect inside the caves.

Inside the Glowworm Caves

The glowworm caves were formed due to rainwater slowly seeping into the cracks of the limestone, dissolving the rock over thousands of years. As water seeped through, underground rivers formed, further creating chambers and passages.

Eventually, due to the dark, damp environment in the caves, the glowworms moved in. Glowworms are unique to New Zealand, which makes them extra special.

I learned on the tour that the "glowworms" aren't actually worms. Glowworms are the larvae of a type of fungus gnat (a very small insect). The glow is a form of bioluminescence, and they use light to attract insects in the dark because insects think that the lights are the night sky and fly towards them.

The glowworms build silky threads that hang down from the cave ceiling, and these threads are what trap the insects.

Here is a close-up photo of the glowworms' threads.

Glowworm threads

The guided tour that I took brought us into two different caves. The first cave I went into was the Aranui Cave, and it didn't have any glowworms, but it offered a close-up view of the limestone formations in the cave.

Entering the Aranuri Cave

After the Aranui Cave, we moved to the Waitomo Cave to see the glowworms. This cave tour featured a river running through it, so to see the glowworms, we had to take a boat. While gliding through, the quiet, dark cave was quickly illuminated by the multitude of glowworms scattered across the cave ceiling. Along with the glowworms, there were limestone formations that hung both from the ceiling and rose from the floor.

I don't have many great photos from inside this part of the tour because my camera wasn't picking up anything due to the darkness, but a couple of good moments were still captured.

The tour was pretty short, but we definitely ended on an exhilarating note. When we left the caves, we noticed a small stream of water flowing towards the cave. Our tour guide mentioned that Longfin eels live in the underground streams of the Waitomo caves, and we saw a couple of eels in the stream. These species of eels are unique to New Zealand, and our tour guide mentioned that it is common for visitors to see them when the stream water is clear and calm.

The tour guide showed us how you can (safely) touch an eel; however, things quickly took a turn when one of my group members decided to put her hand in the stream water, and an eel, that was hidden under a rock, moved too fast for her to react and bit her finger.

moments before the disater

Poor Rachel

Don't worry, Rachel was okay! It definitely made for a good laugh for the rest of the day, and on the bright side, Rachel had a cool story to bring home from her trip to the Waitomo Caves!