glow and behold
With 30 million years in the making, the glow worm caves of Waitomo still leave Alexia Santamaria in awe
When think of Waitomo, remember the one glow worm cave we all went to as kids when relatives visited from overseas. I had no idea there were more than 300 limestone calcified cathedrals of varying sizes and shapes running labyrinth-style under farms, properties and public spaces all around the region. For me, this was mindblowing.
For nostalgia’s sake, I wanted to go back to that original tourist cave to show our kids, and I’m happy to report that (unlike many childhood experiences relived as an adult) it was even more enchanting than we remembered. Wandering between the giant limestone columns, stalactites and stalagmites and descending to the boat in darkness, it was hard not to be wowed by this natural wonder, which was formed more than 30 million years ago.
I loved that the guide made us all stay quiet as we drifted through the underground passage; there’s a fine art to getting large groups to experience a true sense of wonder but the enforced silence made us feel like the only people in the place.
Our boys even paused their usual scrapping to absorb the magic of gliding silently
through the tunnel of twinkling bioluminescence.
In the afternoon we headed to our accommodation at Te Tiro B&B.
Set on 650 hectares, our rustic cottage had views from its veranda that stretched to the coast on one side and to Ruapehu and Ngauruhoe on the other.
After admiring the lush bush and entrancing valley vistas, we headed to Ruakuri Bushwalk. Coming from West Auckland, bushwalks mean a lot of native foliage, and while this walk had all of that, it also contained so much evidence of a landmark period in New Zealand’s — and the world’s — natural history when things that were once under the sea came closer to the surface.
It’s hard to capture how impressive these natural structures are, more so since they just sit casual-as-you-like on your walking path through the bush. There were limestone arches and a giant chasm with a river running through, as well as a huge, fern-clad rock opening which looked like a portal into a lost world. Even the teen seemed impressed. We planned to head back and get an early night but had no idea what our accommodation held for us after sunset. The B&B had its own tiny bush walk, which ended in a gorgeous grotto. Not a cave, but rather a bench in the bush next to limestone faces which were home to a serious amount of glow-worms. As we sat chatting with our host Angus — who has guided in this area for years — more and more lit up, creating a fairylike twinkly wonderland within minutes. Imagine having something like this at the bottom of your garden — not to mention that inky black sky crowded with more stars than this city family had ever seen at one time.
The next day we were off on a ziplining and climbing mission with Waitomo Adventures — inside a cave. The boys were excited but I was trying to mask a healthy dose of nerves.
I needn’t have worried, because it was a thoroughly exhilarating experience all round. Any fear from the climbing or ziplining was quickly erased by the otherworldly subterranean scenery on the way.
The tour is called “Lost World Through the Window” and there could be no better name. Looking out from the majestic cavern down to the clear flowing water and out to the foliageframed sinkhole exit was the stuff of Tolkien’s fantasies. Our guides were so knowledgeable and very gentle as we navigated the lines and heights that a 100-metre-high cave entails. We all emerged slightly speechless from this once-ina-lifetime experience.
Overseas travel may be off the cards for a while but our family would return to see more of these geological wonders of the world in a heartbeat.