A-Z of NZ Locations, New Zealand

A-Z of NZ Locations – Waitomo Caves

Suzanne

“Titiwai” – Maori translation for glowworms – “Ray of light by the water”

Apart from a certain Haunted House we stayed in, Waitomo is famously known for its amazing cave-dwelling worms, which aren’t really worms at all but fly larvae that emit a phosphorescent glow that shines from the inside of the caves like a starry night, lighting up the ceiling. 

Before entering the Ruakuri Caves, you can enjoy the rolling Waikato hillside.

In 1887, local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau, accompanied by an English surveyor, Fred Mace, first explored the caves. Of course, the Maori knew of their existence, but the subterranean caverns had never been extensively explored until Fred and Tane went to investigate. They built a raft of flax stems and, with candles as their only lighting, floated into the cave where the stream goes underground.

Take a seat and enjoy the view above the ground.

They were opened to the public shortly thereafter, with local Maori acting as guides. While the government took over the caves for many years, they were eventually returned to the Maori. In fact, some of the present-day workers are descendants of the original founders of the caves. The Ruakuri cave, in particular, has significant links to the spiritual traditions of the Maori.

The Ruakuri Cave
Inside Ruakuri Cave – the stairway

A few more facts about Glowworms

When you head down a rabbit warren in search of information about worms, you will find a multitude of them, perhaps too many. Here are a few I found fascinating.

Titiwai – glowworms

The adult glows worm fly has no mouth, so it lives for up to 2 weeks after emerging from its cocoon, mates, lays eggs, and is then eaten by its young.

The egg hatches into a white larvae (about 2 cm long) with a little light in its tail to attract bugs in the darkness. They make long, sticky saliva strings, and all sorts of little gnats and sandflies get stuck in them, as do many other glowworms. They then get sucked up like a spaghetti noodle and eaten. No doubt it’s delicious for some.

Glowworm habitats can be found throughout New Zealand and can be enjoyed for 12 months of the year, although they are mature and glowing brightest from September through to March.

For many New Zealanders, the opportunity to experience Titiwai (glowworms) is not far from our own backyards, including Tauranga. If unable to visit the Tourist Caves at Waitomo, head to Tauranga’s local ecoforest, Mount Tutu, where you can experience these wonders of nature that are less than 50cm (18 inches) in front of you and alongside you as you walk through them. Stay at their Ecolodge 12 kms up Ohauiti Road from the junction of State Highway 2a and 29, and you get to experience their amazing fairyland up close.

Do you have the opportunity to view glowworms around your area?

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

26 thoughts on “A-Z of NZ Locations – Waitomo Caves”

  3. As a child, the thought of the Waitomo Caves was some idea of unattainable magic …. when I finally did visit them as a middle-aged woman, I recall being disturbed by the description of them as fly larvae and kind of ducking (we were in boats) and hoping one wouldn’t fall (how very shallow of me)… and yes, we have glow worms on the bush track near where I live. Great pics and interesting back history, thank you.

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    1. Thanks Maggie, I’m assuming it’s you? I’m not sure I would’ve enjoyed having a fly larvae fall on me, either. Nature can be wonderfully weird to produce something pretty from something that is not.

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  4. I’m not sure if we have them in the southwestern U.S., though there are some notable caverns. Mostly they house bats and some other cave insects. I enjoyed your description of their life cycle. Just today I nearly stepped on a tarantula hawk, which is actually a very large black wasp with orange wings. She seeks out the large spiders, stings them into paralysis, lays her eggs, and the larvae eat the immobile (but still living) tarantula. Now, that is gruesome enough, but to be eaten by your own offspring is a whole ‘nother level!

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    1. Beware Mother dear 😉 Luckily, you didn’t step on that tarantula hawk, I would imagine it would’ve been painful? We do have bats though not as many as Australia especially in Northern Queensland. We found that out by parking the rental motorhome by a group of trees which was home to hundreds of bats. Batty neighbours aren’t quiet.

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  9. Wow, what an amazing display of glowworms. Beautiful. We do have them here , but I think Ruth of Walking Away above is the only person I can think of whose seen any. X

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