Kiwi Exp. - Hot Water Beach to Waitomo

We both slept lightly after a night in our dorm (Alex got up at 5:00am). This is as good time as any to explain that along with Pierrick, Jamie and Abi, the other member of our travelling family is Gali, a young Israeli woman who is travelling between finishing her compulsory 3 years service in the Israeli Army and starting her new job and life in Paris. The absence of mentioning Gali before has not been intentional and she has very much been part of our group. However when travelling you will meet many people, some very fleetingly and others you will stay with as you move about. Yet it is not always certain for how long.

We left Hot Water Beach behind as the sun was still rising over the waters, moving further south onto Waitomo, stopping to walk along the trail and swing bridges of the Karangahake Reserve. Once at Waitomo we went underground in search of its famous glow worm caves. Kitted out with wet suits, helmets and most importantly guides from a local company we descended into rushing waters of the caves, lit only by the lamps on her helmets.

The noise of the water was deafening in places and we struggled to keep our balance over wet rock and the strong current that flowed around us. Our hands clasped at oily rock, trying to maintain a grip and remain upright. The ceiling would rise and fall to become as tall as a building and so low that we had to float underneath on the inflated rubber tubing that we carried with us, our faces just inches from the rock face.

It became necessary for us to jump down waterfalls and to do so our guides would get us to turn our backs to the falls with the tubing held behind us before jumping backwards to land afloat on the water. This took nerve and trust in our guides as we were descending into black water and the unknown below. It was an exhilarating experience that revved your adrenaline. This was needed as the temperature inside the caves with all its water was cold even with the protection of our wetsuits.

In contrast to the excitement of the waterfalls was the serene calm felt as we turned off our lamps and floated in complete darkness to gaze upon the glow worms on the ceilings above us. They appeared like a sprinkling of stars that glowed a bluish haze. Only our breathing and the drip of water from above could be heard.

When we ascended back out of the cave, sunset had been and gone so the darkness of the cave continued. This caused some confusion as the presence of trees made it appear as if we had entered an underground forest. The hardest part of all was yet to come, with us having to take off our cold wet suits outside. We shivered and struggled to pull the clinging material away from our bodies before rushing into the embrace of hot showers. This with hot soup brought our body temperatures safely back up. It was smiles all round as we relived our experience through the photos taken by our guides along the way (we were not permitted to take our own cameras) before returning to our hostel for dinner and sleep.Read more