Waitomo Caves
The Waitomo Caves are located in the southern Waitomo District of the North Island of New Zealand , 12 km northwest of Te Kuiti , on the Te Araroa Trail .
The main caves are Waitomo Cave, Ruakuri Cave and Aranui Cave.
Waitomo Cave
The Waitomo Cave is famous for its so-called glowworms ( Arachnocampa luminosa , not to be confused with the German glowworms ). These are transparent, worm-shaped mushroom mosquito larvae that hang from the ceiling. These leave long sticky threads hanging down. The bluish light attracts insects that get caught in the threads. The larva then pulls in the thread with the prey. The bluish light is generated from luciferin with the help of the enzyme luciferase .
The word Waitomo comes from the Māori words wai (water) and tomo (sinkhole or ponor).
Ruakuri Cave
The name of the cave "Cave of the Dogs" is derived from a pack of feral dogs that are said to have lived in it. This cave is the largest of the three caves. From here you can abseil about 100 m to the lower Mangapu Cave . There are glowworms and stalactites in the cave. Recordings for the film The Navigator were made in the cave . The cave was discovered in 1904 by James Holden.
Aranui Cave
The Aranui Cave is the smallest of the three caves and is about 2 km from the Waitomo Cave. There are no glowworms in it, but numerous stalactites hanging from the ceiling. It was only discovered in 1911 while hunting by the Maori Ruruku Aranui .
The limestone caves are popular show caves that can be accessed by boat.
literature
- Helga Neubauer: Waitomo Caves . In: The New Zealand Book . 1st edition. NZ Visitor Publications , Nelson 2003, ISBN 1-877339-00-8 , pp. 424 f .
Web links
- History of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves . Tourism Holdings Ltd, archived from the original onAugust 31, 2014; accessed on December 30, 2015(English, original website no longer available).
Coordinates: 38 ° 15 ′ 38.3 ″ S , 175 ° 6 ′ 12 ″ E