First a few facts:
1. Glow worms are in fact, not really worms at all, they are gnat larvae. They use bioluminescence to attract their prey in these slimy tubes and live in caves. All of which sounds off putting but turns out to be quite pretty.
2. Jim says there are similar gnats in Alaska, but they don’t do the bioluminescent thing. A tragedy.
3. In the area of Waitimo, there are some 300 caves but only a fraction are open to the public and the locals have been doing guided tours so for 150 years. These limestone caves have the mythical glow worms.
4. In short they are super cool. But the logistics of getting in to see them are the trick.
You can go in a boat with a bunch of others and do it the easy but not very cool way. You wan walk on some ramps for an abbreviated version. Meh. Or as interesting. You could rappel into a cave and do it the super hard way. Yikes! Or, you can do the middle of the road way which mind you, isn’t that placid either but at least they aren’t strapping me into climbing gear PLUS a wet suit. Did I mention WET suit? As in already wet and semi water logged and therefore not only hard to pull on but also cold. And the more water it takes on the heavier it gets making walking around in it a bit like carrying an extra 30 lbs.
Oh and you have to be able to jump into the underground creek with plunges intermittent water falls. Wade though areas and climb over rocks. Yes, you get an inner tube but it’s still not for the faint of heart. And you are wearing a helmet with a light which is good. The guides, Hannah and Pippin, were rock stars.
This isn’t selling it, I know, but the entire experience as AMAZING. A little nerve wracking yes, and I was cold at the end, yes. But the glow worms were thrilling to see and truly magical. Bryce marshalled her nerves and made it through even though she is NO FAN of small underground spaces.
And we got a hot shower and soup when we finished. Jim met people who know people in Alaska(cuz the world is small)and he got extra points for being a cave geologist. He in fact got deputized a few times to assist. . And we will all sleep well tonight. Staying on a farm tonight. With horses and dairy cattle.
Good day all around. We couldn’t bring cameras for all the obvious reasons. Once the pics from the company upload, I will post them. Interim, here are pics of Bryce feeding the dressage horses at our farmstay this morning, as proof we made it out alive. Stay tuned for the down deep pics today hopefully.
Comments
Post a Comment