Traveling to the heart of nature and seeing the stars and the sky is one of the most popular and well-known pastimes. (Waitomo Glowworm) or Waitomo Firefly Cave is the name of a cave in Waitomo, New Zealand, which has recently become one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. It is as if a cave always rains stars from its roof and walls. Watching this cave will be an amazing experience that should not be missed in any way. The word Waitomo is a combination of two words meaning “water” and “hole in the ground.” Waitomo luminous Cave is part of the Waitomo Cave System, which consists of the Roakuri and Aranui Caves. In these caves, several thousand fireflies have created amazing views in this cave. Undoubtedly, one of the strange and natural beauties that has been introduced all over the world and from the heart of nature, is the fleshy and creeping fireflies of the Waitomo cave complex in New Zealand. Until the discovery of this cave, perhaps no one could have imagined that the combination of firefly and cave can be one of the most exciting beauties in the world. Glow worms are unique in New Zealand and are not found anywhere in the world. Due to the light emitted by this small creature, the roof of the cave (Waitomo) is so bright that it is as if countless stars illuminated it. This has made the cave such a tourist destination that thousands of people from all over the world travel to New Zealand every year to see this beauty. Can you imagine the glowing creatures on the roof of the cave making you wonder if you were somewhere near the ground at night? These images may seem like dreams, but they are real glowing caves.
The story of Waitomo began more than 30 million years ago with the creation of limestone on the ocean floor. Visitors to the limestone structures, located on the North Island of New Zealand, moving 46 meters underground will see hundreds of thousands of glowing insects perched on the limestone roofs of the cave.
Waitomo Glowworm Cave is known around the world as one of New Zealand’s tourist destinations because of the many fireflies that live there. These fireflies give a stunning and beautiful view of the caves and in fact tourists come to this area to see them. The presence of running water in this cave also shows the image of fireflies on the surface of the water, which delights the visitors. The dark atmosphere of these caves, which are illuminated by the night worms called Arachnocampa Luminosa, has become one of the New Zealand tourist attractions. These fireflies are the larvae of fly-like insects and are found only in New Zealand and eastern Australia.
These worms are lighter than Australian worms and live in larger groups. The greenhouse worm is native to New Zealand, making the Waitomo Glowworm caves a perfect place. These incredibly beautiful worms feed on small insects, so they emit light to attract these insects. It is interesting to know that this type of firefly in the larval stage, with its salivary particles, makes and spreads long strands and then uses it with its light to trap insects during flight, and if they are hungry, they shine more than before. The larvae live in groups of several hundred on the roof of the cave. These insects are active at night, and the interesting thing is that when they feel threatened, they stay dark for 15 minutes.
The environment of Waitomo Cave is the best place for fireflies to live. Because this place is dark, it has enough moisture and it takes care of them against wind and rain. The river that flows under this cave is full of various worms and is in fact a good bed for food preparation by the fireflies. The staff of this cave is always controlling the amount of carbon dioxide in the cave so that there is no problem for these beautiful worms. Firefly is a common name given to the bright insects inside Waitomo Cave. But detailed studies on these creatures show that they have different types. Firefly larvae, beetle larvae, fungi and other types of creatures all shine in the dark of night and give the cave a magnificent and spectacular view.
Guides working inside the cave take tourists to three different parts of the cave, starting from the top or the first part. These three parts are connected by Tomo, a large limestone 16 meters high. The second part of the cave, known as the Reception Hall, is where visitors stop to eat; the final and third part goes down, where there is an area with a rugged roof 18 meters high. In this area, the sound echoes beautifully and returns, it is said that many famous New Zealand singers have sung in this area. Exit from the cave is by boat on the Waitomo River, where the only light available is the light emitted by fireflies.
We have to tell you that it is forbidden to take the camera into this cave. There are various reasons why you cannot take pictures in this cave, including; It may cause problems for your boat and your companion in that boat when you want to find the right angle.
Waitomo Cave has been known to the Maori tribe as the Worm Light Cave for many years, and the cave was famous among them, but it was further explored when in 1887 the chief of the Tane Tinorau took Fred Mace, an English tourist to New Zealand, on an adventurous tour of the Waitomo Caves and showed him the amazing cave. The traveler’s travelogue describes his presence in the cave as follows: We were passing through a world of light and wonder on a boat, and I was sitting in front of the blue lights that illuminated the cave and just watching. This tourist, named Mace, prepared a complete report of this cave in his travelogue and photographed it with all his might, and when all his evidence was completed, he handed it over to the government authorities of his country in full. The chief of the Tane Tinorau tribe opened the cave to tourists in 1889. After this cave became famous in the world, he started working as a guide for the cave tourists!
