Note: All Photos in this post courtesy of Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours unless otherwise specified.
If Epcot ever gets a New Zealand pavilion, I already know what the ride should be: a quick sail through dark waters illuminated only by glow worms.
Let me explain. New Zealand is home to a lot of magnificent sites. From its many mountains to its hot springs, to its Lord of the Rings filming locations, there are a plethora of natural things to see and do here. And while I haven’t seen them all, I have seen quite a few, yet none of them have been as magical or as memorable as my time spent in Waitomo.
Waitomo is a small town on the North Island that has a population of about 50 people. However, its population grows by the thousands on any given day, as travelers from all over come here to see glowworm caves. Now, to be fair, glowworm is a nice name for the fly maggots that glow with bioluminescence in the area, but still, they are a really beautiful sight to behold.
The many caves in the area are also where Waitomo gets its name. In Maori, the language of the native New Zealanders here, Waitomo is a combination of two words: “wai” or water, and “tomo” or hole. According to the town’s official tourism site, the combining of these words literally translates to “stream which flows into the hole in the ground.” It is these streams that provide the unique environment needed for the glowworms to grow and thrive.
There are a number of companies that run glowworm tours in Waitomo, including one that allows you to go rafting through the caves. However, because I went sort of unplanned, we had to call around and really just go with whichever tour would take us. This ended up being Spellbound, a private tour company who has access to caves outside of the town center. For Spellbound’s tour, we took a bit of a lengthy car ride through town, parks, and eventually a private farm. During this time, our comedic tour guide asked us silly questions like “if you were a cake, what kind of cake would you be?” to pass the time. He also told us a bit of history about the area, including the opening of sinkholes that would often result in the deaths of cows.
The tour we were on included a boat ride through a wet cave and a walking tour through a dry cave. Both are interesting and informative, but the first cave is far more spectacular. During this tour, not only are you treated to your first look at the glowworms but also you are given plenty of time for your eyes to adjust before getting into the boat. This means you see more glowworms more clearly.
I have to be honest, the whole thing really felt like a ride at Disney World. It seemed totally unreal and completely out of a storybook, and I found that I had to repeatedly remind myself it was in fact, not only real life but also a natural phenomenon. Sure, the lights were being made by maggots but they are beautiful. (Our comedic tour guide also told us that the glowworms sometimes fall from the ceiling, but luckily this did not happen on my trip.)
After the boat ride, our tour stopped off for coffee and biscuits before heading to the dry cave. The dry cave is a little more traditional and features the tour guide explaining the difference between stalagmites and stalactites. However, there were some only in New Zealand moments. Including a close up look at the skeleton of a Moa bird, an ostrich-like animal that was killed off when the Maori arrived on the island hundreds of years ago. (We also were shown cave wetas and a huntsman spider, but I was a little less thrilled about those things.)
Overall, I have to say the glowworm caves are a must-see for anyone visiting New Zealand. While there are glowworms elsewhere in the world, the ones here are larger and more plentiful than anywhere else. And the tours aren’t expensive, either. Our entire tour cost $75 NZD and was 2 hours long, but some of the other tours cost as little as $35 NZD. Much cheaper than Disney World.
This is amazing. I would love to check out the glow worm caves. The glow is awesome.
If you ever are in this part of the world, its really the most amazing thing I’ve seen in all of New Zealand. It would be my top must-do!
Wow those glowing caves look spectacular! Hope I get to see them one day!
They are really amazing! I would absolutely add it to your bucket list if you have one.
Great pictures!!
Thank you so much! I can’t take credit for all of them this time though.
I have to visit there! It’s so gorgeous! So many pretty sites.
It is definitely worth a visit to New Zealand if you have the time and money to make the trip all the way out here. There are so many things you can only see here!
Wow what an adventure! It looks amazing. Thanks for sharing a great post
Oh, thanks! It really was an adventure, and something I will never forget. Thanks so much. 🙂
That sounds cool yet scary!! Also why did you have to ruin it for me and spill the fact that those are insects? hahaha! I have a great phobia of anything that flies and isn’t a bird!
It’s not scary at all! You’re with a group of at least 10 other people the whole time, so just bring a friend and you will be fine. And yeah, sorry about the insect thing. Nature is weird. But hey, since they are larvae, they can’t fly yet!
This looks totally out of the world ! A unique experience for sure 🙂
It really was both of those things. Thanks for reading!
Thank you! It really was all of those things.
I’ll think of you and this adventure anytime the song “Glow, little glow worm…” pops into my head. Many thanks for taking us on your amazing ride.
Haha, I don’t know if I know that song. I remember there being a popular stuffed glowworm toy as a child though!
I have always wanted to visit New Zealand and now I have to go. The pics are amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! To imagine New Zealand was pretty low on my list when I set off to travel the world. And to think I ended up staying for a year. I would highly recommend a visit!
What an amazing adventure. New Zealand has some of the most memorable experiences. I wish that I had done this cave experience
It really is full of unique places to see. And I’m so sorry you missed it! The good news is New Zealand is great when it comes to preservation, so the tours will be around for awhile I’m sure, so you can check it out if you ever come back. 🙂
Wow that sounds like quite an experience. It’s amazing that there are such natural phenomenon out there. New Zealand sounds like a magical place to visit!
Thank you! And yeah, New Zealand has a lot of neat natural finds like this one, so its a bit magical for sure.
This is amazing! What a cool experience. Loved your beautiful photos
Thank you! I can’t take credit for all of them this time, but it was a great site to see for sure.
I never knew this existed. Looks amazing!!!
It really is an amazing adventure to be hand. I would highly recommend it!
New Zealand is a place that both my husband and I would like to go to someday. It looks like such a beautiful place through your eyes!
Aw, thanks. It’s not even my favorite place in the world by I do enjoy sharing it with everyone. There’s some great stuff here. 🙂
Glow worms!!!!! I need to see them!!
You really do! They are so amazing to see in person. 🙂
What an amazing adventure. Thank you for sharing.
It was a lot of fun. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂