Though we were sorely tempted to join in some caving, abseil, blackwater rafting adventures in Waitomo, time and money were short, so we opted for a long walk followed by a leisurely tour of the Glowworm Cave.  The cave was known by Maori long before any Europeans had been there.  The guide was entertaining, and the glowworms were wild.  They are the larvae of a short-lived fungus gnat.  They naturally produce light in the larval stage to attract food.  The tiny green dots of bio-luminescence looked like shining stars.  Very cool.  They remain larvae for roughly 9 months then turn into the gnat, mate and starve to death in a few hours because as the gnat they have no mouth.  Our guide informed us that the Maori word for glow worm, titiwai, means ¨to glow over water¨.  They sure nailed that one because in the cave it seems as though the ceiling of the cave over the water had ten times more worms than the dry areas.

Our pace is starting to slow as our time here grows short.  Just a few more days left before some MAJOR changes in geography, culture and lifestyle (especially ours, since we have to leave our campervan)!