Waitomo Caves

 Waitomo Caves

- Introduction

Waitomo Caves are located in Waitomo, New Zealand. They are calcareous rock caves that form caves that have the greatest particularity the existence of a luminous worm in the roof of the caves. The luminous worm is the larva of the luminous insect Arachnocampa, which emits a bright light with which it attracts its prey by bringing it closer to a mucous thread in which the attracted insect is stuck with which the worm removes the thread and takes its prey.

- History

The first exploration of the worm cave was carried out in 1887 by Tane Tinorau, local Maori chief and Fred Mace, English surveyor. In 1888 the grotto was opened to the public by Tinorau. In 1904 the grotto was acquired by the government, which returned it to its former owners in 1989.

The caves have been the most important tourist site in the community since the 1900s. Initially the tours were improvised by the local Maori, but after the acquisition of the caves by the Crown, they were managed as tourist sites.

Today, there are companies that offer a guide through the caves, ranging from the most accessible sites to more extreme activities, such as exploring the caves. In 2003 there were 400,000 tourists.

- The Caves

The corridors range from the Waitomo Creek Valley (a tributary of the Waipa River), extending for 3.3 km from Waitomo to the Ruakuri Scenic Reserve.In the reserve, the walk leads between small caves to the Ruakuri Natural Bridge.