Treasures in Darkness!

Day 2- Honeymoon

Woke up at 6am this morning rummaging through the fridge to make early breakfast of the road. We’re off to Waitomo where the famous glow worms reside. Driving through rolling hills and changing landscapes we arrived no later than 9.30am.

Two activities were scheduled and Black Water Rafting (BWF)* was first up. We both have been White Water Rafting several times. The thrills and spills of it never fail to boost us. But this time around, BWF was altogether new. We got suited up in thick wet suits, booties, boots, thick shorties and helmets before jumping into freezing cold 12c water and floating down a tiny river on our rubber tubes. Shivering from the inside out, our bodies slowly adapted to the change of temperature and we were off into the cave. The entrance into Ruakuri cave is merely a tiny opening into a gorge of darkness. There we ventured into narrow pathways with limestones hovering and surrounding us.

Check out the white booties!

Us and the team of adventure seekers!

Groping in the dark was never the case as we had headlamps on, but there was a stretch of about 50m where we floated into sheer darkness with only the illumination of tiny glow worms just above us. Imagine drifting in space staring at starry galaxies, that’s exactly the feeling.

The adventure didn’t stop there as we had to jump off a tiny waterfall with our tubes plunging into freezing cold water. Those afraid of heights would find this apprehensive, but the jump absolutely worth the while.

We exited into a burst of light and was onto our next activity. This time to Waitomo Caves* where the largest colony of glow worms reside. The condition in the cave makes it an ideal habitation for these worms. The light they emit looks pretty much like those of fire flies – green and bright like an LED. The cave tour took us inside a beautifully crafted limestone mansion dating back millions of years. Then hopping into a large boat we drifted off into darkness with sprinkles of green glow hanging overhead. Such wonder is awesome as we found out that these glow worms can only be found in NZ and parts of Aussie (namely Tasmania).

This is WAITOMO Caves!

As members of the Youth Hostel of Australia (YHA), we’re currently putting a night at one of their cozy little cottages here at Waitomo.

A good night rest is vital… more to come in the next two weeks!

Deb chilling out

Finishing off the chunk of this blog post!

*Other details to note:

$: NZ90 per pax for Blackwater Rafting, NZ35 for a trip to Waitomo Caves
Checklist: Towel, swim wear and change of clothes for Blackwater Rafting
Photography: Water-proof camera is okay for Blackwater Rafting. No photography allowed at all, at Waitomo Caves.

More information can be viewed here