Waitomo Region: The Caves

Because we didn’t see any glowworms in the previous cave, we decided to buy tickets for the commercial ones in Waitomo. The tickets cost us 80 CHF per person for a combo deal involving two tours.

The Boat Tour: We went through a water cave where sadly photography was strictly prohibited.

The Walking Tour: A 1.5-hour guided trek through an extensive tunnel system.

Throughout the entire trip, they taught us about the cave itself - its research history, its commercialization, and how it was originally formed.

A brief overview of the glowworm lifecycle:
They live on the cave ceiling as larvae for up to nine months. After that, they transform into flies that live for only about three days to reproduce. During the larval stage, they hunt for food by hanging sticky "fishing lines" from the ceiling and waiting for a moth or fly to get caught in them. Their glow actually comes from their tail and is technically speaking, shiny poo.

Fun Fact Time:
In the Netherlands, they call glowworms “glimwormen”. So, there you go - you might have learned something new today! Whether that’s actually useful information or not doesn’t really matter, you’re welcome anyway. ;)

Since photography was tricky, the pictures of the "glimwormen" aren’t that great and are a bit fuzzy, but try to enjoy them anyway!Read more