Glow worms

Waitomo, New Zealand Friday, August 26, 2016
Aug 26, 2016 We had to use a paper map because our rented navi decided not to work for us.
photo #1 It was a nice drive through the picturesque countryside from Rotorua to Waitomo. We ride next to fields with sheep, cattle and bee boxes. The bees are working on native trees not agriculture. We could not see far but what we saw was very nice. Our drive was through light rain with heavy showers intermittently.
photo #2 We see fields that are striped in a strange fashion to me. Chick says the sheep make the trails across the field as they graze on the grass. Odd looking but I can imagine them stepping in the same

routes day after day to cause it.
photo #3 We see a fence with shoes attached to it. It is definitely odd. Bee boxes sit next to the fence.
After scouting out the advertised 'Glowworm Cave' tours offered on the main road through town we find our motel without too much trouble. It is called Glowworm Motel and the proprietors are very nice. Our host helps us get on the internet and then tells us his sad story about business over the last 10 years. When he leaves we drive to see the black sand beach about an hour away. It has truly black sand especially since it is damp with the rain. This is Maori land and from 1864 to 1883 it was closed to Europeans unless they had permission. There is a story about how the country was divided with the Maori land in the center and the European land all around. A hat was used to draw the oval to designate which land belonged to which people.
photo #4 I had an accident driving today. I was trying to get too near

to a wooden fence pulling off the road. Wrong side of the car and, all I gave the fence a rub and took off some paint. Bummer but I am glad it won't fill up my credit card when they charge me the $2000.00 that they promised when I refused their expensive insurance.

August 27, 2016 Waitomo, New Zealand
We get up early to drive to 3 of the recommended sites for tourists. photo #5 A lovely and large 43 meter waterfall. It is reported to be the most beautiful in New Zealand. Chick and I have a nice romantic walk through the picturesque landscape and are rained on by the mist from the waterfall when we get near enough to see it. Then we drive to the Piripiri cave where I decide not to explore since my

flashlight is too feeble to do much against the darkness of the cave. I will have to explore it on youtube. It is rumored to have fossils inside and down a long flight of wooden stairs. Too spooky for me.
photos #6 and #7 Our third stop is at the Mangapohue Natural Bridge that is approached by a very long boardwalk alongside the river. It is the last remains of an ancient cave and is a 17 meter wide arch. The route includes walking over 4 bridges one of which swings a bit as I cross. I am impressed by the lovely scenery and the walls of the huge rocks that line the sides of the river. I take photos of the small natural bridge that I can see in the distance. As I am returning I finally notice that overhead is the real natural bridge. It was hidden from my view by foliage as I approached. It is high above me and I cannot get a photo of it due to the position of the walkway and the foliage.
photos #8, #9, and #10 The scenery is just lovely.
photo #11 A creative way to build a set of steps. These are made with 2X6 boards and they only surround the dirt that makes up the step. I think it is pretty smart to build a step this way. The surface you walk on is packed dirt and gravel.
We leave in time to make our appointment to go to see the glowworms. The cave is on private property and our guide is a Maori descendent who as a youth worked for the cattle and sheep farmer that owned the land. He is knowledgable about the area, the caves, geology, glow worms, cattle and sheep. We learn a lot from him. On our drive there we pass beautiful

countryside with grazing cattle and sheep. We are told that the cows get first shot at the grass. They wrap their long tongue around the grass and pull leaving an inch or two. Then the sheep get their turn and will bite it off very short. We drive past lots of sheep and lambs on our way to the cave. There is fencing to keep the livestock in the right areas for use of the grass. These hills are full of caves. It is a hazard to the ranchers who have to pull up their livestock when they fall into a hole in the hill, a new entrance to a cave. When the ranchers found that they could earn money by showing the caves to tourist they became an asset instead of a liability.
I take a photo of what looks like an elephant butt to me with my flash. Then we all turn off cameras and flash lights. Inside we walk through the cave and use very little light to let our eyes adjust to the dark. Over head we see the little spots of light just like we saw in the bushes last night along the river. We get into a nice wooden floored rubber

raft and are pulled along the cave by our guide using a rope hung overhead. As our eyes adjust we see more and more of the spots of light. They are white with just a hint of green. The blue of the advertisements must be related to the low light photography. I always thought the blue in underwater shots was related to properties of water. I guess it is properties of low light instead. As our eyes get more adjusted to the darkness we see the spots of light multiply. We learn that the brighter ones are older. We are told that the bioluminescence is created with very little heat. Only %20 heat vs %80 of light.
These are not worms but larvae of a flying insect something like a large mosquito. Their latin name is Arachnocampa, named for their style of hunting. They create multiple sticky mucous threads which hang from the ceiling of the cave and will catch flying insects much like a spider web. We see the thin clear threads in our headlamps.

Occasionally we can see larvae, some cocoons and even a large mosquito looking insect or two when we shine enough light. As we are pulled through the river in the cave we look up and see the milky way looking ceiling. This is the perfect hunting lure for flying insects. The prey insects, which come in with the river or stream, are attracted to the lights probably thinking they are the stars above and they are stuck into the threads. After this cave we see another cave including in situ Moa bones and it makes for a really nice outing. After lunch we visit the local museum where we learn more about the life cycle of the worms and the local cave formations. The surrounding area is thick with caves and most of them have the worms. It was a boon to the farmers who were struggling after England joined the EU and New Zealand's economy tanked. Tourism now helps them stay in the black financially.

August 28 2016, Sunday We drive three hours to the airport in Auckland. The sky is clear and a soft powder blue. We get to see the lovely landscape as we drive this time. Almost every view is postcard perfect. It is definitely the most beautiful country I have seen. When we get to the airport I realize I have left our pyrex bowl in the refrigerator with our lunch. We are able to get some Subway sandwiches which are delicious. Here beets are one of the choices and it makes the sandwich unusual and tasty. When we turn in the rental car Chick claims the accident and we pay the deposit for damages. In a couple of days they tell us that the charge will be under $700.00 so we will get a refund of the extra $1300.00 that we paid.