14 November 2013 ~ Glowworms
Listening to: Shawn Colvin ~ Diamond in the Rough (Paradise, Boston, 7/8/91)
All my colleagues kept telling me about "glowworm" caves. So, I booked a trip to Waitomo, about a 2 1/2 hour drive south of Auckland to see for myself what all the amazement was about.
Wow!
Arriving at the caves the visitor center has a nice totem commemorating the centenary of the cave exploration. The carving depicts Tane Mahuta -- the god of the Forest -- guarding the entrance to the cave and the inhabitants below.
Here we are being led into the cave entrance.
No photography is allowed in the caves, and I can understand why. The glowworms emit a light to trick the insects that come into the cave, so everything must be kept as dark as possible, or they turn off their lights. It was really cool that no one spoke during the short ride as well.
So these pictures are official from the website, not taken by me.
It's like floating under a meteor shower, only smaller.
This is another view, actually lit in the cave itself, of how the glowworms create a single web thread. When an insect gets caught in one, it will reel it up like a fishing line, have dinner, and then produce another web line.
The glowworm doesn't really live that long. Here is a depiction of the lifecycle.
Here we are exiting the cave.
And the river continues.
Leaving the caves the bus went by this totem pair, but unfortunately I don't know what it is representing.
All my colleagues kept telling me about "glowworm" caves. So, I booked a trip to Waitomo, about a 2 1/2 hour drive south of Auckland to see for myself what all the amazement was about.
Wow!
Arriving at the caves the visitor center has a nice totem commemorating the centenary of the cave exploration. The carving depicts Tane Mahuta -- the god of the Forest -- guarding the entrance to the cave and the inhabitants below.
Here we are being led into the cave entrance.
No photography is allowed in the caves, and I can understand why. The glowworms emit a light to trick the insects that come into the cave, so everything must be kept as dark as possible, or they turn off their lights. It was really cool that no one spoke during the short ride as well.
So these pictures are official from the website, not taken by me.
It's like floating under a meteor shower, only smaller.
This is another view, actually lit in the cave itself, of how the glowworms create a single web thread. When an insect gets caught in one, it will reel it up like a fishing line, have dinner, and then produce another web line.
The glowworm doesn't really live that long. Here is a depiction of the lifecycle.
Here we are exiting the cave.
And the river continues.
Leaving the caves the bus went by this totem pair, but unfortunately I don't know what it is representing.
posted by ~L~ @ 10:21 PM
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