Glowworm Day
June 13th was a day for the caves. I visited Glowworm Cave and Ruakuri Cave, part of the “official” Waitomo Caves tours (which are very expensive and very touristy). Glowworm Cave was cool but Ruakuri was much better. Even with the lower focus on the worms, Ruakuri cave itself is larger and more interesting. But it’s still a lot of money for a 1-1.5h cave tour.
In Glowworm Cave they don’t allow any photos. But here’s what you can expect from Ruakuri:
Amazing stalactites!
Here are a few photos of the glowworms themselves, lit artificially. Look just above the right grouping of threads to see the worm; he “owns” all the threads below him.
Here’s a better photo of a worm, from the natural cave formation on the Ruakuri bush walk:
Now, on to less cavey and more green settings. Here’s what one thinks when New Zealand is mentioned: green pastures with grazing sheep!
Here’s Marokopa Falls, a massive waterfall – I’m guessing 40-50m tall. It was so powerful that even from this distance, a couple hundred meters away, the mist coated my camera in seconds.
The mixed natural & black sand of Marokopa Beach:
It’s hard to believe that one could see so many varied landscapes in one day. Caves, beaches, pastures, and waterfalls. But that’s New Zealand!
Check back tomorrow for the adventure that is now in my “Top 2” of the whole RTW trip: caving with Paul at Green Glow Eco-Adventures!
Tags: Glowworms, New Zealand, Waitomo
