24 hours - Why is a day just that short?
Finally, I'd been looking forward to this trip for quite a few weeks and today some dear friends and I went to the popular and extremely spectacular Waitomo Caves. This trip is a highly recommended must for kiwi traveller!!! So I really couldn't miss it, could I? And our programme should become more packed than a nearly bursting suitcase ...
At first we just wanted to visit the legendary Glowworm Cave but after I had searched for more information my friends were convinced of the neat and really not too expensive 'Two Cave Combo' offer. So we decided to book our trip (a guided tour) to both the Aranui Cave and the Glowworm Cave online because this was easy, quicker and even cheaper than buying our tickets at the counter. Great!
The Waitomo Caves with their awesome underground limestone formations and mystic Maori legends belong to the most exciting (tourist) destinations in New Zealand.
We started in Hamilton so that we were at the Glowworm Cave at 11am.
Wow, just a few more minutes and we would be part of the great world more than 30m under sea level … exciting, exciting!
First our friendly and entertaining tour guide had told us about the cave's history and than we entered a new world. Some minutes after entering the cave we saw amazing limestone formations (stalactites and stalagmites) all around us. And some single blue little dots, the first glow-worms could be spotted above.
While walking through the cave our guide told us about wedding ceremonies that have already been held in the 14m high natural cathedral and she sang a nice Maori song to demonstrate the excellent acoustics - well done!
Then the absolute highlight followed: a boat trip through the actual Glowworm Cave.
After coming back from this dreamy place we went to the 4km distant Aranui Cave, which is famous for its limestone. A lovely guide was waiting for us and showed us a fantastic and millions of years old underground world.
How impressive! Every stalactite grows just a tiny bit in 10.000 years and we saw single formations that weight around one ton.
If you had had just a little bit more imagination than J.
We could have spent hours in these caves because this destination was a great experience (and the temperature was so much more pleasant than the summery 31 degrees outside).
Now we were walking along the Ruakuri Bushwalk that is located nearby the Aranui Cave. The natural tunnel, a waterfall and talkative cicadas made the jungle feeling perfect!
The final stop for today was the Kiwi House - Native Bird Park in Otorohanga.
A few kiwis live in the dark kiwi house so that they are always visible for visitors. Some more live outside but those ones were hiding today.
Lucky us, at least we saw the kiwis in the dark! If there hadn't been a window the holes digging kiwi would have picked our noses. Kiwis so close, absolutely awesome!
This Sunday was such a fantastic day with heaps of unforgettable impressions!! Just one single experience could have made me even happier but I guess for it the day must have had 36 hours. That means I have to come back for the unbelievable Black Water Rafting through the Waitomo Caves one day …
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The place is awesome and breathtaking that words can hardly describe the feeling when entering this very special world. Especially if you are not used to shiny glow-worms in your garden every night.
You just can imagine how Tinorau and Mace must have felt when they came into the cave more than 120 years ago …
There you can find the unique Waitomo glow-worms, which lighten the room and give this limestone cave a more than great atmosphere.
Friendly, well-informed and pretty entertaining tour guides show you around and give you all the information about the cave you possibly could dream of.
The glow-worm experience is divided into two stages. There is a walk along narrow paths around 30m under sea level (don’t forget to bring your favourite walking shoes) and a boat trip into the very dark Glowworm Cave itself.
The limestone formations are impressive but countless blue glow-worms above your head are just incredible. We really loved the whole tour but enjoying the dark and quiet atmosphere with these little blue ‘stars’ at the ceiling was just amazing!!
I also recommend booking your tour on the Internet because so you can safe time and quite a few kiwi dollars, you are able to plan your trip properly and you might discover special ‘Cave Combos’ that you can’t resist as well.
Please remember: you’re not allowed to take photos of the glow-worms! That’s quite a pity but I think it’s very understandable, too.
Come around! It’s definitely worth a trip!!
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After following the friendly and very helpful guide through the natural entrance into the cave you'll see the most impressive stalagmites, stalactites and flowstones, just so nice!
Narrow paths and quite a few stairs guide you through the amazing and extremely old underground world. So, don't forget your best walking shoes (and your fitness card ;-)).
I would say one of the most amazing structures is the more than 20m high cathedral. Incredible, just imagine a whole house could fit in there.
I also liked the original entrance that Aranui used almost 100 years ago. Of course, there are some lights in this area today but Aranui didn't even bring candlelight. What an achievement!
I recommend booking your cave tickets online that means you'll get 10% discount and you might even find some very nice 'Cave Combos', which are absolutely worth booking.
And really important: don't forget your camera! You are allowed to take as many photos as you like and the nice guide offers to take pictures of you on Aranui's trail.
Don't miss this experience!!
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Nobody of us was expecting such a fantastic wildlife experience but who doesn’t like positive surprises?
The walk is a free attraction and offers good fun for all age groups.
The kids will love the running around (up and down quite a few stairs) and hiding in tiny caves just beside the track while their parents and grandparents will definitely enjoy the beauty of New Zealand’s green and wild forest.
A natural tunnel, a waterfall in the middle of nowhere and wild jungle noises will surprise you along the way.
This is an absolutely enjoyable walk that isn’t that well known among tourists. So if you are near the caves just look out for the Ruakuri Bushwalk and experience a piece of almost untouched nature!
A nice picnic area nearby also offers an excellent possibility of having a snack surrounded by the green splendour.
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