Glow Worm Caves

By chance, on our way to Paihia, we noticed signs for the Kawiti Glow Worm Caves. It turned out to be a great, spur-of-the-moment side trip.

Driving up to the Kawiti Marae, you first notice the huge, rocky outcroppings. They're sandstone and limestone. Tens of stories high. And randomly carved into bizarre natural shapes.

The Kawiti tribe has occupied the land since the 17th century. Our tour guide is part of the 16th generation of guides descended from Roku, the runaway wife of a Maori chieftain.

The caves twist and turn through the inside of an outcropping. A small stream runs through it. The tribe has built a wooden boardwalk through it. Inside, there are thouands of tiny worms hanging from the cavern walls, the stagtites and the stalagmites. Their tails emit a small, blue-green light to attract insects to their sticky tendrils.

In the dark, it looks like the Milky Way; thousands of points of light, shimmering in the inky blackness.

After the cave tour, there's a 15-minute trek through the bush, back to the car park.

We may have skipped Waitomo Caves... but we still got to see glow worms! Yea!