New Zealand is known worldwide for its magnificent nature, and one of the unique natural experiences you can make while in the country is a visit to the famous glowworm caves in Waitomo. Waitomo is a Māori word that means "water enters", and in the area you'll find many caves that has been formed by the rivers digging into the ground made of limestone.
There are various caves in the area that have glowworms in them, but Spellbound boosts of having access to a cave where the number of glowworms are larger, and where you can get closer to the worms than in the other caves in the area. When Sir David Attenborough visited the area with BBC to film for their 'Planet Earth' series they chose Spellbound to take them around. We inquired about some of the other tours at the local Discovery Centre before making our desicion, but as the other tours didn't allow photos and gave tours for groups of up to 50 people the choice was pretty easy to make.
We departed from Waitomo in a bus with other excited tourists, and after a twenty-minute drive we arrived at the area where the first cave was located. This was the cave where we would see the glowworms, known as titiwai in Māori or arachnocampa luminosa in Latin.
Their Latin name comes from the fact that the glowworm (which actually is a maggot) hunts for its prey using a slimy net, just like spiders. When flying insects get lost and end up in the cave they'll see what they believe is a shimmering starry night. But what they don't know, is that the light comes from thousands of glowworms fishing for a delicious meal. As you probably know, insects are attracted to light, and they'll soon find themselves stuck in the sticky net that covers the ceiling.
Interesting fact: Although the glowworm produces light during its time as a larva only 5-10% of its energy is lost as heat. In comparison, 40% of the energy in fluorescent bulbs are lost as heat.
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| At the Waitomo Caves Discovery Centre you can learn more about the glowworms in their little museum. |
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| If you have the time and money the choice is pretty easy to make.. |
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| The cave entrance |
Interesting fact: Although the glowworm produces light during its time as a larva only 5-10% of its energy is lost as heat. In comparison, 40% of the energy in fluorescent bulbs are lost as heat.
A glowworm can live 10-11 months, and 6-9 of these months it spends as a larva. Once the glowworm has "turned into" a fly it can no longer eat, and it thus needs to consume as much as possible in the larva stage. This can ensure that the adult glowworm fly has enough energy to reproduce before it dies.
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| A single visible glowworm |
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| Glowworms on the ceiling |
After having seen the glowworms up close we had the pleasure of enjoying a river cruise in the cave with literarily thousands of glowing bugs above our heads. It reminded me of how you can take romantic cruises in amusement parks with pretty light ups along the ride. Except this one was made 100% naturally just by the force of some shiny maggots!! The rides in the adventure parks will never be the same again..
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| River cruise in the cave |
After the ride we did get some opportunity to take photos of the glowworms. Unfortunately it is quite hard to get good pictures in the dark. But thanks to the generosity of the Spellbound staff we got some photos mailed to us the very same day.
As you can see, my photos did not turn out too well. However, if you write down your mail address when you check in for the Spellbound tour they'll send you some photos from the cave for free! The three following photos show how it actually looks like in the cave:
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| photo credit: Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours |
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| photo credit: Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours |
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| photo credit: Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours |
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| Lunch break! |
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| Reflections in the water |
We did also see some fossils inside the cave. These included a goat, a bull and a moa. The moa is a huge struts that was native to New Zealand, but which went extinct due to over-hunting by the first human settlers about 600 years ago.
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| Some insects also live in the cave |
The Spellbound trip takes about 3 1/4 hours so you'll have to spend more time on the trip than with other companies that offer similar tours. However, if you want to experience the caves to their fullest this is probably the tour you should choose. It takes time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and by spending more time in the cave you can ensure that you'll see the glowworms more brightly.
Other pages:
All blogposts from New Zealand
Hotel Booking:
Hotels in Waitomo
Hotels in Auckland
Hotels in Wellington
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About Anette
Anette came to Japan as an exchange student in 2010, met the love of her life and got stuck. From her base in Tokyo she writes about her experiences as a full-time worker in Tokyo and about her travels in Japan and abroad. She's a free-spirited adventurer who enjoys both the great outdoors and her urban lifestyle.
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