Caving!

Has anyone out there watched BBC's Planet Earth? If you have, then you'll know why we were all super excited to visit NZ's amazing Waitomo caves. Glowworms galore...or that's what we thought...

After waking up early at the Rob Waddel Lodge, we all piled into the bus and drove to the Black Water Rafting Co. headquarters, near Waitomo caves. We were booked on a three hour excursion into the caves, but we weren't quite sure what awaited us. We slipped into our bathing suits upon arriving, and then struggled into thick wetsuits, booties, wetsuit jackets, and helmets. Everyone looked a bit like ungainly penguins but spirits were high as we loaded into a bus with our two guides for the short trip up to the entrance of the caves. Before entering, we picked out inter-tubes, took some silly photos, and learned how to float and paddle correctly (on dry land). Then came our first test. As there were a few small waterfalls in the caves, we needed to learn how to jump down them correctly. We lined up and one at a time jumped backwards (intertube first!) into a stream. Cold! Nothing like some freezing water up your nose to wake you up from a long bus ride! We then descended into the caves...

Upon entering the caves our guides told us a short bit about their formation, and pointed out the wetas (massive cave cricket type creatures) that were hanging out up on the walls. We then started our journey into Waitomo caves. We were underground for around an hour, spending part of that time walking and part of it floating, though there was always water flowing through the caves. For the most part our only light was from our helmets, though at one spot daylight made its way through (I think they said from 60 m above!). Our flashlights weren't the only lights in these caves though...we had entered glowworm territory. Throughout the caves, tiny blue lights on the roof of the cave, which made beautiful constellations , hung above our heads.

A bit about these "glowworms" that we learned while in their caves. First, they aren't worms at all! They are actually maggots. Second, they don't glow! It's their poop that glows. These maggots attach themselves to the roof of the caves, then let down long threads of slime. The ends of these threads glow, attracting food, which the maggot then reels back up to eat. Yum. Once these maggots turn into flies (or moths or something) they copulate for a day and then die. What a life...

Towards the end of our trip through the caves, after jumping backwards off waterfalls, getting quite cold and wet, and experiencing views of the most beautiful maggot poop around, we all turned off our headlamps and floated in complete darkness through the last stretch of the cave. This caused a few bumps and scrapes on the cave walls, but the ability to watch the passing of the glowing constellations overhead was more than worth it.

We finally emerged from the darkness, and headed back to remove our wetsuits and rinse off in a hot shower, it was just too bad that no one had told us to bring towels! We were given bagels and tomato soup, which more than helped to warm us up, and once the second group was back we were back on the bus, this time heading to Rotorua for our billeting experience!

Alexa