Waitomo is a Maori word made up of two parts. 'Wai' which translates as water and 'tomo' which means entrance or hole. Waitomo can be translated as the 'stream which flows into the hole in the ground'. This meaning is reflected through its fantastic geological history and landscape, rich tourism and cultural history.
30 million years ago the entire Waitomo region lay far beneath the sea. Today, both above and below ground, it stands as a revealing testament to a landmark period in New Zealand's and the world's natural history. Undulating green fields, tumbling waterfalls, spectacular rural vistas and, of course, its world renowned limestone formations and cave systems make Waitomo a destination like no other.
Most visitors tour Waitomo on a day trip. I would seriously recommend that you stay at least one night here to experience the best of it. It is one of the most tranquil places in NZ. Besides, you can do the bush walk in the night and experience the glow worms for free. I have seen the fire flies in Malaysia and I thought that was spectacular but nothing had prepared me for the glow worms.
During the day, you can always do the tour of the glow worm cave and follow it up with the spectacular limestone formations at the Aranui cave.
The rolling hills of Waitomo country
This is what the larvae look like in the day, while in the night they glow beautifully.
Glow worm is the common name for various different groups of insect larvae and adult larviform females that glow through bioluminescence. They may sometimes resemble worms, but all are insects. Once they evolve into insects, their life span is a few days or maybe hours.
The entrance/exit of the Waitomo glow worm cave.
The beautiful limestone formations of the Aranui cave.
An inch of these take 1000 years to form! Very very delicate.
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