Glow Poop in Waitomo

New Zealand is famous for its glow worm caves and the awe-inspiring stalactites and stalagmites hidden in the treasured troves deep underground.

Waitomo is the most famous of them all.

2 to 3 hours south of Auckland, this sleepy little village boasts a total population of…. 44 people! (yes! It’s actually called a village! And 44 residents is on a good day. On a not so good day, maybe 40.) But these 44 folks (and some from the neighbouring villages) host the throngs of visitors passing through to visit the famed caves of Waitomo.

Waitomo has 3 caves: the original Waitomo Glow Worm Cave, the Aranui Cave and the Ruakuri Cave. Actually, all the caves have glow worms, but the physical layout of the underground tunnels differ, thus presenting a uniquely different experience even if one visited all 3.  

Ruakuri is the only cave in New Zealand that is wheelchair accessible – that determined our destination.

The 35-million-year old cave is distinguished by an illuminated, long spiral staircase that leads visitors to the underground level of the tunnels.

Once inside, the cool, crisp air is a welcome reprieve from the warmth of the mid-summer heat outside. Beautiful limestone formations built up over history takes one's breath away. The intricacy of nature, the wonder of natural beauty - all encapsulated underground.

Beautiful stalactite formations inside the cave

 

Walking through the underground tunnels, stalactites hanging above your head



A fossil imprint of a shell


There is one part of the cave that is segregated from the rest of the tunnels. And one senses a something amiss straight away upon entry because there is a heavier density of the air that surrounds you.

Even more eerily, there is no echo in this part of the cave. Legend has it that this section is cursed, being situated next to a Maori burial place. The (white) man who discovered the caves had stumbled across bones of Maori ancestors but had thrown the sacred remains away. Needless to say, his family was cursed and suffered terrible ends.  

But once out of the "haunted" alcove, visitors are greeted by pretty lights gleaming on the walls of the cave. These are actually glow worms - even close up, the glow worms look like little blue specks of sparkly dust - definitely not what you'd expect from the worm family!

But what’s interesting is that glow worms get their glow-claim-to-fame not because the worms themselves emit light, but because their poop does!

So they should be called glow poop worms. Or glow dung worms. So as not to confuse the biological science behind the phenomena. Such misnomers can be so misleading!

Oh, and get this: mating between a male glow (poop) worm and a female glow (dung) worm goes on for 12 hours straight. Non-stop. And then right after, the male worm flips over and dies.

This is what it means to die for love.

Well at least he enjoyed his final moments. (One hopes.)