Thursday, March 9, 2017

Waitomo Caves

Yesterday was a rainy day - so much so that parts of the North Island were completely flooded (we weren't affected). We left Rotorua and made our way to Otorohanga, which is 20km from Waitomo village. Since it was rainy we didn't have any specific plans for the day, so we made a small detour to Tokoroa to satisfy our curiosities about a well known news article from last year (don't worry, it's not under serious consideration).  Once we arrived in Otorohanga we found ourselves a motel (we're not interested in pitching a tent in the pouring rain!) and signed up for two different tours for today - a glowworm cave raft tour in the morning, in the caves used for the Planet Earth filming, and a cave adventure in the afternoon. The adventure included a 27m abseil (rappel), tubing, caving, and rock climbing. It was totally amazing!!!


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4 comments:

  1. JKMarch 10, 2017 at 3:29 AM

    Wow, his and hers red pants and sleeveless T s! Must be on a charity mission to feed the hungry insects. :)

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    Replies
    1. KarenMarch 10, 2017 at 11:56 PM

      Haha! Our fancy outfits were provided by the tour company - a full body (sleeveless) wetsuit, loose pants to protect the wetsuit, rubber boots with drainage holes, and the helmet with a light. All we were supposed to provide was a swimsuit to wear under the wetsuit and socks for the boots. And no charity mission - there were no insects in the cave! (Though we did encounter an eel.) Any insect that finds its way into the cave flies toward the glowworm's light, becomes tangled in its sticky threads (like a spiderweb) and turns into the glowworm's dinner!

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  2. JKMarch 11, 2017 at 4:33 AM

    Somebody should introduce fireflies to the glowworms!

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  3. drradan@gmail.comMarch 11, 2017 at 11:35 AM

    Hey Karen & Neil. I've been following but have neglected commenting. the end of February and Early March have been busy on this end, so the 'vicarious reprieve' offered through your posts has been much enjoyed. Sounds like many adventures and stories will be returning with you and I look forward to hearing them in person as the weather slowly turns to summer here and we can find a spot on the porch some fine evening.

    All the best as always. Enjoy the road ahead and keep the posts coming

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