We left the wonderful lodge and drove to Waitomo Caves in the rain. Luckily there was no traffic and no closed roads so we made it just in time for our 10am tour of Ruakuri Cave. The Ruakuri Cave entrance is a man-made spiral walkway that brings you down to the cave system. The original dry entrance to the cave system lies on Mauri owned land and is a sacred Mauri burial site so to not disturb the site they built the new entrance. Once down in the cave system you’re guided through the cave system on a raised walkway built to minimize the impact on the natural cave environment.

The cave system was amazing and we also got to see some glow worms and learn some facts about them, the most important fact being that they simply serve no life purpose at all. The glow worm is actually not a worm, it’s a maggot. They spin fishing lines of silk and saliva to catch their food, they shine light from their butt to attract flies to catch in the lines.

The next cave to visit was the Waitomo Glowworm Cave. Unfortunately no photos are allowed in this cave system which is also quite amazing. The main highlight of this tour however is a short boat ride on an underground river with the cave ceiling filled with glowworms. Amazing!!!

After all the fantastic glowworms without purpose it was time to drive to our next hotel in Taupo. Rain wasn’t too bad but the wind was nasty from time to time. We are staying right by the lake and you can just imagine how beautiful it would be on a sunny day!