Waitomo Caves

Hit the road in our 10 year old Automatic Nissan called 'Punchy'. (Rocky was the in-flight film).

The landscape was just as you would imagine the Shire. Minus little fellows with big hairy feet.

The Gloworms in the Caves

Arrived at Waitomo, the best place in the world to see gloworms. Natalie was intent with just walking into a cave and looking up at the ceiling to see the little critters.

However, within 5 minutes of arriving we had agreed to abseil 27m into a cave, float along an underground river on a tractor tyre, squeeze into narrow gaps, get soaking wet and climb out. Oh - and we saw some a full constellation of the little glowing fellas, trying (and succeeding) in convincing insects that they were flying towards the stars and not their doom.

It was great fun and we thoroughly enjoyed our bottle of beer and soup. We didnt enjoy getting drenched in our cheap tent. Could've been worse though, had went gone north from Auckland we'd have been washed away in deluge of rain!

The weather here is like an unpredictable August at home, but there is so much to do and see and the distances (unlike Oz) are all reachable.