Waitomo Caves

We drove a long time.

We entered a cave.

We queued up in total darkness with a hundred strangers.

We waited in silence.

We listened to the water below bouncing echoes through the cavern.

We descended a staircase and stepped into a boat waiting for us.

Our boat cut out across the water. Tour guides used ropes suspended above our heads to pull the boats down the underground river. Our only source of light was the thousands of tiny blue lights sprinkled above.

Here’s the deal: glow worm larvae live underground in caves because they need darkness and quiet. Darkness because they use their luminescent blue bodies to attract hapless insects who are unlucky enough to get lost in their caves. They have sticky silky strings they suspend below their light to ensnare their food. And they need quiet because too many vibrations from noise will disturb them and make them shut off their lights for the day or move to another location.

I can't compare this experience to anything I've ever seen before. A lot of people say it’s like watching the night sky, and I can definitely see that, with the glowing blue specks set against the black. But it seemed different to me. More alive, like an organic organism. The lights gave away the divots and rolling cavernous shape of the cave ceiling, making it more like a connected physical form than stars suspended in space. It reminded me of an upside-down coral reef, a bunch of tiny organisms making one huge aggregate colony. Or a city at night.

There was only one point in the cave that we were allowed to take photos, at the very end of the tour, emerging from the cave. So you’ll just have to use your imagination for the main event, unless you get the chance to see them for yourself in person! I hope you do. Here’s the end of the river:

Here are a few more photos from the road that day.