Ahhhh (again!)

Mount Taranaki
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Today we saw one of the most awesome sights I have seen in New Zealand - glow worms. Not just a few, but hundreds upon thousands of the little mites.

The location was Waitomo Caves, and basically you get taken on a tour of the caves (which in itself was pretty cool) before being loaded onto a boat, and taken on a tour in the complete darkness, along the river.  Unfortunately you can't take photos as ithe flash makes their lights go out, so I can't share the full experience, but I think it has to be seen to be believed anyway!  I suppose the closest I can get to describing it is that it's like being in the middle of nowhere on a cloudless night, looking up at the stars, except they are green!

When we came out of the caves everyone was totally silent, I don't think anyone knew what to say!

After that we drove on to New Plymouth, where we went to an art gallery and a museum (get me! I must be getting old...), then spent the night in the car at the base of Mount Taranaki, a dormant (not extinct) volcano.