Waitomo Caves

Wow!  This was an experience!  Our road towards the caves was a winding spiral through rolling hills of New Zealand forest and sheep and cow pastures.  When we did arrive at the registration building which was beautiful, I was still wondering where the caves were.  We were given a map and told to drive about 5 kilometers up the road, park and wait for the tour guide.  When the tour guide did come we were led down a hill to a hill that had a mound of rocks on it.  We were still surrounded by New Zealand forest, containing some of the wierdest spruce I have ever seen. 

 That mound of rocks was the entrance way to the first cave we were about to explore. There were three that we did view; Raukuri, Aranui and Glowworm cave.  We were standing in a spiral pathway that led down to the bottom of the cave.  The tour guide told all of us to look down and as we did he turned on some lights that highlighted the pathway going all the way down.  It was beautiful.  On the bottom in the center of our spiral pathway was a mound of rock that served as a basin for some water that was dripping from the ceiling.  When viewing the picture it looks like a head of a monster.  We were told that Maori believe that when you sprinkle the water onto yourself it is a form of spiritual cleansing. 




Rock Monument at base of spiral pathway



Lights around the spiral pathway - view from top



The caves are fully lit but when the tour guide turns the light off it gets pretty scary. 

The caves started forming over 24 million years ago.  Small creatures would fall to the ocean floor after they died and embedded in the surface.  Once they accumulated they formed the rock strata known as limestone.  This is made mostly of fossils and calcium carbonate.

Over the last 24 million years, the Waitomo landscape has been formed by faulting, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.  The limestone layers were pushed up from the sea floor, buckled and broken.  Cracks and joints separating the huge blocks allowed water to flow between them, gradually dissolving and carving out the caves.  Inside the caves, stalactites, stalagmites and other cave decorations begin to grow, formed over time as water drips from the roof, drops to the floor or flows over the walls and rocks.  Stalactites hang from the cave ceiling while Stalagmites grow from the cave floor.  If the stalactites and stalgmites join they form a column but this takes millions of years.  As each drip of water comes down it leaves small traces of calcium carbonate on the surface.  After millions of years they form one of the above.  For this reason tourists are encouraged, no told, not to touch the stalactites.  It would be a shame if these caves were destroyed by the simple act of touching.  The oils on our skin have devastating effects on the caves.  Some caves were actually destroyed because one too many have taken souveniers as a tribute to their travels.  We were allowed to handle a stalactite that had broken off and is used for the purpose of satisfying someone's curiosity and it is quite heavy.  I sure wouldn't want one of these falling on my head.

One of the most facinating creatures in the cave was the glowworm.  When the lights are turned off, the whole cave ceiling lights up with neon dots that look like stars in the night.  Actually the Maori have named these creatures puratoke which means light reflected from water or stars.  Though the tour guide had a better explanation and it sounded much better. 

We also had another photo of us in the glow worm cave on a boat.  But I will save that for a time when we get a chance to visit.  Stay on the lookout for our next blog on Tongariro Crossing.