Waitomo Glow worm caves are very beautiful places. Surrounding them is a lush forest, just right for hiking, camping, horse back riding and just learning more about nature. In the depths of the caves you will find thousands of ancient stalagmites and stalactites. Caves are usally found in the side of a hill or mountain. There are thousand of caves all over the world and some of the most spectacular are the Waitomo Caves. Waitomo Caves is a really exciting place. The cave is famous for the glowworms. They attract thousands of tourist every year.

Inside the cave there are rock formations to see, then you get to sit and relax while the tour boat pulls you on your silent journey through the glow worm grotto. At the front of the caves is a totem pole and they call it Poupou A Tane Maheeta- god of the forest, who guards the caves and all of its inhabitants. More than 500,000 people visit the caves every year. The caves in NewZealand are a very beautiful place for a family vacation!

But scientists say that every breath from a person wrecks the cave a little by destroying the limestone and the inhibiting the glow worms from our carbon dioxide.

In 1979 people did notice the shortage of glowworms around the caves and scientists realised that they didn't know very much about cave systems. Since then research has been done and an environmental monitoring group is looking at ways to protect and preserve the resource.

There are other cave systems around Waitomo. Adventure tourists go black water rafting (cave tubing) in some of these systems. Some systems involve abseilling deep into the earth to experience the delights of the underworld.

For more on the caves click here.

The caves also have some interesting creatures to check out. These are the Long Tail Bats and Wetas. Check them out here.

Return To Tour

 created by Marissa - Can
edited by Christopher - NZ

photos from Lucas - NZ