Sunday morning I was up nice and early (thanks to the trio of coughing americans sharing my room) and headed for Rap, Raft and Rock for some abseiling, black water rafting and climbing to see the glow worms in the Waitomo cave system.

After being dressed up in wetsuites, gum boats, hard hats and harnesses (alas, I refused to buy the photo cd so no photographic evidence exists) we headed to the entrance to the caves. The intial abseil into the caves was rather good fun, it was an absolutely stunning environment to slowly lower yourself into, this was followed by walking and wading into one side of the cave system.

after a few hundred metres, a few specs of light could be seen on the roof - but it wasn't until we'd stopped and turned out the lights did the full extent of the glow worms become apparent. They were absolutely stunning, the entire roof was carpeted with them, each with their own little garden of silk threads. The beauty of the occasion was some what spoilt be the english 'lads' who made up the rest of my group. As the guide told us to 'stand in silence and darkness and just appreciate the sound of the water and the glow worms' they began to make farting noises and try and push each other in the water. mmmhhh.

Due to the low water levels the 'black water rafting' was none existant and we had to paddle our inner tubes along the other arm of the cave. This of course gave ample oppurtunity for the rest of my party to try and push each other in, rather than appreciate the glow worms.

By this point the guide just started taking lots of posed photos for the $20 photo cd and I was getting bored. Not unlike the glacier walk, it began to feel like they were filling time and it lack purpose. It would have been nice to know more about the caves and the glow worms, but his knowledge was woeful.  I don't want to sound negative, it was well worth doing to see the glow worms and the caves. Just a shame that they feel that the photos are more important than the actual experience.

Most of Thursday was spent driving from to Waitomo Caves but it was beautiful weather and it was definately the most scenic drive we have done so far.

We weren't sure what cave to visit or what company to go with, in the end we thought we would do something a bit different.....black water rafting! It was brilliant, I had such a good time even though I was a bit apprehensive at first. We were kitted out in wetsuits, wellies, a hard hat with a light on and a rubber ring. We drove to Ruakuri caves and to begin with we had to jump backwards into a river, which was freezing and then after a climb we made our way into the caves. It was like proper caving, trying to fit through smallish gaps. After turning our lights off we could really see the glow worms, they were amazing and for some of the journey they were our only light. At one point we had to jump backwards off a waterfall in the cave, I never thought I would do it but I did. Guess the swimming lessons paid off - thanks Russell!

We all moved on to Waitomo where there is not a lot there but some big caves. We stayed in some nice chalets and then had a game of football UK vs Rest of the world which was good fun. Had a big group BBQ for dinner and then had a few drinks in a tiny local bar where two sisters from Hull had a massive argument over the black ball in pool, I went to bed early.

Next morning woke up early and went black water rafting which is getting in water in a tube in the cave. Started off with a 45m absail in to a big black hole which was a little scary and then jumped in to the water which was freezing despite wearing a wetsuit and thermal stuff. Did a zip wire thing in the dark aswell and jumped off a big cliff. These caves are special as they have glow worms in and when you are floating around they are very beautiful and look like stars in the sky. On the way out we had to climb up 3 waterfall, i thought they would be water over some stairs but this was a vertical climb and someone fell 3m in to the water. Very good fun.

The joys of sleep! After a 21 hour flight with a 10 hour complete waste of time at Hong Kong airport we arrive at Auckland int. Flaky, undernourished and sleepdeprived. It's about 9 in the morning. The sun is out and the bird's are singing as the New Zealand border patrol wastes no time on finding contrabande, weapons or plastic explosives. Instead they focus on orange peels, food of any kind and what we got in trouble for.. dirt under our boots.

After going through a santized cordoned off area we are put through tests and scrutiny. Ultimately Ilja's boots are taken away. ..To be cleaned by the customs official. He even put in in a pretty plastic baggy for her. I had to march on a soapy pillow and wipe them clean on a neatly spread towel. Welcome to the land of the long white cloud.

We take the shuttle or Air bus as they're called into Aukland city and end up where all the other backpackers inevitably end up. The Queen Street Backpackers Hostel. We drop our stuff. After a quick soft drink on a sunny terace in the harbour, we buy necessaties. Water and cookies and granola bars at the supermarket and conk out.

16 hours later we emerge from our deep dreamless coma's in time for breakfast. Our main preoccupation today is buying rucksacks or "tramp-packs" as they are reffered to here. I stubbornly demanded we haul our stuff here in cargo duffle's. NZ is famous for its packs called Mac Pac. For many reasons I won't bore you with they are excellent and unlike Holland considered a shopping good, relatively cheap and with lot's of sizes and models. I've only seen 3 up close so for me it's the Mac Pac Wallhalla. We both get one for what comes down to bargain prices ( I manage to bargain off an additional 20% ) If we'd bought Mac's not these but the regular ones in Holland we would have paid about 250 Euro's more.

We spend the rest of the day doing the Vulcano walk. Two vulcanoes accross the bay that the NZ navy once used as artillery forts to overlook the harbour. It started to drizzle so we ended up having dinner at a restaurant operated by germans. No bargaining over the price with Gerries ofcourse no matter how fluent you speak their vernacular.

We left Auckland yesterday by flexi bus. Basically you buy travel housr like you would a mobile phone. We both have 45 wich will suffice for the trip. We we're dropped off at a lodge in Watomo. Just before we arrive a tragic occurence. My daypack that has served me faithfully for over five year's dies. the zipper has broken. I blink away a few tear's and give it a a proper burial. Straight into the trashcan. Waitomo our current haunt is famous for it's caves filled with glow worms.

More on that next time as we only had time to walk. We did a four hour stretch through the countryside. Mostly mountains, hills and forrests that left us so exhausted we slept another 14 hours straight. I'm just about to get suited up for my abseil into the cave system where we will dwell for 2-4 hours. According to the brochure it has a " rambo" factor. Yes I'm quoting! for 8 out of 10. No gyms to be found but atleast with all the climbing I'm getting some exercise.

Greetings from down under. It's 25 degrees with a razor-sharp sun!

After this trip I'm quite happy I'm rather slender, if I had been 5 cm more to the sides I would not have fit through some of those holes. Makes me wonder what they do if a big bloke (or bloke'inne) books on to the tour. As we decended into the depths it was yet dry and an ordinary caving adventure. Soon it started to smell like wet dog, though and the mist was rising from the black beneith. Before we knew of it we had to abseil through several underground waterfalls and crawl in small rivers running through narrow tunnels. At the end there was a big cave filled with glow worms. We turned the lights off and behold, the sight was fantastic... thousands of little lights, bright as stars were drizzled over the cave surface.... after getting our self together it was up, up, up... I felt like spider woman, steep up a wall with nearly nowhere to hold. Amazing adventure.. and even more amazing to get a hot shower after being dipped in 10 C cold water ;)

I slowly descended the winding path leading to the Ruakuri Caves where I got a history lesson on the Maori people that discovered it. Ruakuri in Maori means “den of dogs.” The old entrance to the cave is a sacred grave yard where the dogs now rest. Our guide led us through the caves where we got an up, close, and personal look at the glow worms. There butts glow in the dark in order to attract flying bugs which get caught on their sticky threads. The sheer size of the stalactites had me ewing and awing the entire time. God’s beautiful creation staring me in the face.

As I trekked along the Ruakuri Bushwalk I noticed warning signs indicating there were poisonous pellets all over the park. Apparently rats and possums which were introduced to New Zealand have become a huge problem because they stunt forest growth. The sign didn’t even phase me until  I was sitting by the stream listening to the waterfall when I was startled by some movement. I turned around and there beside me was a possum in the middle of the day. It was so cute unlike American possums. It appeared a  little startled but it didn’t run away. In fact it stared at me for a good two minutes so I had a chance to take a picture before it wobbled off  to the nearest bush. I thought it was strange seeing one in the middle of the day but then I realized that it was sick and dying. I couldn’t help but burst into tears because there was nothing I could do to end the poor possums suffering. Tears continued to stream down my face as I wondered what it would feel like to be considered a pest and exterminated.

You, too, can experience the Black Abyss for only $175 NZD. What does that include? Glad you asked.  Your five hour adventure includes abseiling training with very funny guides, abseiling (rappelling) 35 metres into the Ruakuri Cave, viewing the glowworms while black water rafting, jumping off a ledge into the cold, dark water, doing the flying fox in complete darkness, and climbing waterfalls. The hardest part is putting on the wet suit and fighting back the sting of the icy cold waters. Did I mention the hot chocolate and cookies they give you? At the end of you fun filled evening your guides will drive you back where you can get a hot shower, soup and a bagel. And have the option of buying pictures from your adventure. So if your looking for a wild ride in Waitomo I would definitely recommend the Black Water Rafting company. Who knows maybe you will even have the same guide, Hop, who has been working there for the last 15 years.

Hiya,

Today I did one of the coolest things I've done in New Zealand.  I know I say that about almost everything I see and do here but it's because they are all so good.  I went to Waitomo to go black water rafting.  I had heard from other people on my travels it was well worth the money and a really good time so I thought I'd sign up.  I really didn't know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised.

It was about a 2 hour bus ride to Waitomo from Rotorua.  There was a group of 9 of us and 2 guides going on the adventure.  We first had to get dressed in wetsuit booties, wetsuit overalls, a sweater, wetsuit jacket, white gumboots, a belaclava and a helmet with a light on the head.  Most of the gear was already wet which wasn't too fun to get into.  We then drove a short distance and had a brief lesson about abseiling - ie how to connect the ropes and hold our hands and such.  Some of it was scary as the guides were saying "pay attention, this is your life we're talking about here".  So the first part of the journey was a 30m abseil down into the cave.  It was an hourglass shape so first you were just going vertically down and then through a narrow bit and then vertically down again against the slimey cave.  We had to control our speed and stuff with the "rack"" and our ropes.  It wasn't too bad - kind of scary that you couldn't see the bottom as it was pitch black all around except for the small bit illuminated by your headlight.  Next we climbed through small crevasses and saw the litho somethings (apparently really old).  Next was a zip line right into the dark.  Also very freaky but fun!  We were all screaming.  We stopped for a brief coffee and snack on the ledge of the cave and then took the big jump in our inner tubes into the water below.  The freezing water below!  As soon as the water got into the neck and arms of the wetsuit it was damn cold.  Then came the black water rafting part of the journey.  It's not like white water rafting as there wasn't much of a current or any rapids to carry you along for the most part.  We used our arms and rope to guide ourselves along.  Once we got a fair distance we all linked legs and floated along with our lights off to see the glow worms.  Did you know they are actually maggots and it's just the enzymes in their poo that makes them glow in the dark???  I learned something today!  Anyways there were literally thousands of them on the walls and roof of the cave and they looked like glowing stars above.  Awesome!  There was more going through really confined spaces on our back and stomach and such (definitely not an activity for clausterphobics).  There was some "hiking" along the tunnels of the caves, the footing was quite changing and you'd go from just having your feet in the water to down to the shoulders.  Keep in mind it was pitch black this whole time.  We stopped for another warm drink and chocolate, by this time everyone's lips were blue and extremities numb (I guess that's what you get caving in the winter!)  The last part was climbing up 3 waterfalls.  I'm not talking little waterfalls either.  It was like rockclimbing with massive amounts of water rushing down.  We then emerged from the cave and walked back to the bus completely knackered.  It was about 5 hours in total and really challenging but amazing!  With all these adrenaline activities I've been partaking in the last month (bungy, skydive, abseiling, caving, mountaineering), I'm not sure what I'm going to do for a rush in the future.  A nice hot shower, soup and a bagel were waiting for us at the end.  We got some really great photos so I'll post a few soon.  The group was really fun and I became an honourary member of "team danger".  We will all be traveling to Auckland together tomorrow.

Now I'm back in Rotorua about to go to the Polynesian Spa (a soak in the hot pools is exactly what you need to warm up as I'm still quite chilled).  I am going with Louise, a girl I met in my hostel.  She's a drama teacher from Glasgow and is also going to live in Melbourne soon so it will be cool to have another friend in my new home.

The Maori night concert/dinner last night was fabulous!

Anyways gotta run, a hot pool is awaiting!!

Hannah (the caver - haha)

On our last day in Waitomo we trekked the 12km Waitomo Walkway, described by our Rough Guide To New Zealand as "one of the best short walks in the country." Not too challenging a walk, it took us up to a viewpoint of Waitomo then along Waitomo Stream. From the end of the walkway, we followed the Raukuri Natural Tunnel.

At the end of the walkway you reach a huge cave where the stream heads temporarily undergound. Apparently, the walk is better appreciated at night, when the glowworms that align the stone walkways light a path for you.

Mon 2

We drove to Rotorua today.  On the way we stopped at the Waitomo caves.  We got to go for a cave tour and see glowworms.  On the way to our next destination, we stopped to pet some angora rabbits and buy some warm weather gear to brave the weather made from angora and sheep wool.  Geoff even pet on of the rabbits!  Once we got to Rotorua we went on a traditional Maori tour and dinner.  They are the ancestors of the land of New Zealand, and they have an amazing culture.

The next big thing to tick off was to visit the underground caves at Waitomo, in the west of the northern island, in King Country. The star of the show is the glowworms that hang on the ceiling of the caves, emitting a neon light, looking almost like the stars in the sky. If you're really adventurous, like we thought we were, you can do adventure caving, which involved a day down the caves, which I will tell you a little about.

There are several different tour operators running in the small village of Waitomo, each offering something slightly different - ranging from the extreme rafting and caving adventures to a stay-dry-and-see-the wonder-of-the-cave-type scenarios also offered. Our day was with The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company. If, like me, this throws up images of white water rafting in the dark, then you, like me, thought wrong. It's a lot less intense, the rafting side of it, but the day on a whole was still pretty full-on.

Before we met at the base, we checked out the Waitomo Caves Museum to get some history on the caves and learn about these strange neon creatures. They are not actually worms, you know, but maggots in lavae state, using their neon beam to attract their prey - flies etc - and then devour them, much like a spider. In fact, the worms themselves actually look pretty gross.

From the base we were driven to the hill with the deep hole we were to abseil into and cave and raft. We were given some training on how to abseil, which all seemed easy enough. When it actually came to abseiling, we had to squeeze down a tiny hole that I'm sure was made a lot harder by all those steaks I ate in Argentina. Holding it all in, you descended about 30 metres to the bottom, where it was dark and very cold. Then we stopped for a nice cup of tea - yes, in the cave - before equipping ourselves with our rubber rings and jumping off a ledge into the cold water below. A relaxing - well, as relaxing as it could be in such freezing waters - voyage down the caves ensued, with our head torches turned off for maximum effect from the glowworms. Then just before we abandoned the rubber rings, I heard a "pop, tsssss" sound. Someone's ring had a puncture. Gutted for them.

Then we were faced with a ledge that couldn't be walked across, so, with our torches turned off, we flew down a zip wire into the unknown. The guides were almost complete Kiwi stereotypes - everything was "oh, sweet, man" "Oh, cold water, swell," "yeah, certain death, awesome," and they were keen to try practical jokes on us unsuspecting tourists throughout. I didn't fall for their shenanigans though. Of course not.

Then we began the bulk of the journey on foot, crawling through tiny passages, sliding down jets of water, swimming through tunnels and climbing up waterfalls. It was all great fun, and a little challenging, too. Another "swell" day, "awesome, man", and another thing ticked off the list.

More photos to come... watch this space.

Today we got into Waitomo and went to see the glow worm caves. It was pretty cool, I'm glad that I saw them however it wasn't too exciting - went on the 'Granny' Tour.

The rest of the night I played cards with the bus. I then proceeded to watch the group get horribly drunk. Tomorrow 8.30am start to Taupo. I wish them well on the bus.

Some of the most amazing caves we have ever seen.