Waitomo

Dotted throughout the countryside in and around Waitomo are numerous shafts (300 documented) dropping abruptly into underground cave systems and streams.  We booked a trip to go 'blackwater rafting', which is not white-water rafting underground, but basically walking and travelling along underground caves and rivers, by walking, swimming and using big inflatable rings.  Kitted out with wet suits, wet suit jackets and socks, wellies (gum boots for the Aussies) and a helmet with light, we climbed down a ladder through a tight hole in the ground.  I think Brad and I both realised that although we both are not up for jumping out of planes or bungy-jumping, we're not claustrophobic.

  The lights on our helmets gave surprisingly little light, which was a bit disconcerting at first.  We made our way walking along rock tunnels.  When the water level was high enough to get into my boots I made a big show of how cold it was and trying to tip the water out.  Little did I know that soon we would be knee-deep, waist-deep and, at times, actually swimming in this water.  It wasn't too cold at 14 degrees, but the moment where the water seeps into your wetsuit and reaches waist height takes your breath away a bit.  Particularly when you stand and the water moves out of little pockets of the wet suit around your body.  The water was pretty clean looking and smelling, and as long as you didn't think about the eels in the water, it was fine!

  Inside the first section of the cave system was a Milky Way of lights on the ceiling - glow worms.  Thousand of little spots of bright white light.  These can be seen in other caves and places around NZ, but are meant to be pretty special here because conditions are just right in the cave for their growth.  Glow worms are not actually worms, but the larvae of the fungus gnat (a big mosquito insect with no mouth parts).  Having no mouth parts, the fungus gnat dies within days, alive just long enough to mate and make loads more larvae.  The glow from the larvae is apparently from the waste in their nether regions (like poo), and attracts bugs to the sticky threads that are suspended from the larvae.  When bugs are caught in these threads (including the adult fungus gnat - these things are cannibalistic) they are paralysed, reeled in and eaten.  The spots that shine the brightest are the hungriest.  It's best not to shine a light on them because it means the light fades and they can't feed.  We sat in our inflatable rings and formed a line, each one holding onto the feet of the person behind us.  At this point we had the lights on our helmets turned off.  We were able to gently drift soundlessly along the tunnel, the only light coming from these glow worms, which was pretty amazing.  Quite a surreal experience.  

There were sections of the caves with amazing stalagmites and stalactites ('tights come down, or you hope they will', as our guide told us).  I won't struggle to remember which one's which again.

Our guide was absolutely hilarious and had us cracking up every two seconds.  He was English, but had been living in NZ for four years and had the weirdest hybrid accent, saying 'eh' at the end of every sentence like all Kiwi people seem to.  He had a few laughs with us, hanging back while he sent us on ahead a few times.  At one point we walked staight on rather than take the right turn we were supposed to and ended up having to swim in a deep dead-end.  Another time the other girl in our group of four squeezed herself through a tiny gap (her friend helped by pushing her through) only to meet a tight dead end at the other side.  Don't worry, there was actually a bigger hole for her to return through just above the tight one.  We all painted warrior clay stripes on our faces and Brad had a clay X painted on the back of his wet suit so that the NZ version of the Loch Ness Monster (can't remember the name but any Kiwi person would be able to tell you) would get him first.  We stopped in 'Hard Rock Cafe' for some chocolate and hot drinks.

  At one point we climbed up the side of a rock tunnel holding the ring in position behind us and jumped backwards into the water below.  I discovered that the water didn't taste too bad either!  There were parts that were such a tight squeeze we had to walk sideways, or crawl or lie on our back with our arms crossed over our chests and get pushed through.  At one point, with the guide leading us, we walked holding onto the shoulders of the person in front of us in absolute darkness.  It didn't matter if you had your eyes open or shut, it was just as dark.  It was great fun.  Walking out the cave and back to the changing shed (and welcome hot showers), we passed by a field of sheep.  Adventure activity and sheep - how very NZ.