April 22 - 23

We left Rotorua and headed for Waitomo which didn't take long at all. On arrival we realised that everything was pretty easy to find as due to the land in Waitomo being owned mainly by the Maori tribes there hasn't been a hug amount of development. Waitomo actually means 'water hole' in the Maori language as throughout the countryside there are numerous holes/shafts which drop abruptly into underground cave systems and streams.

There are over 300 caves currently known and they expect that there are many more underground. The caves were formed due to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and the river running through them. When the land was only habited by the Maori's they never went into the caves when they came across them as this is where the chiefs and leaders of the tribes were traditionally buried, but one day some guys in the local tribe built a canoe and continued along the stream and into one of the caves discovering the amazing display of stalagmites, stalactites and glow-worms for which the area is now renowned for nationwide. This is also what we had come for! Tours of the underground caves have now been going on for over 100 years, today these continue by a small number of companies and the land is still owned by the Maori's but the council also helps with regards to tourism. This means that the descendants of the tribe have priority when it comes to employment. Today you can also participate in various activities including abseiling, black water rafting, caving, climbing etc.

We were only really interested in seeing the glow-worms so headed to one of the visitor centres, compared two tours and set of for the chosen one. Prior to the tour you get to see a short film about people in the local area, many of which are Maori and talk about their land, discoveries etc, but one also showed a scientist/naturist who said there are strange noises in the woods and apparently these are fairies! There you go - fairies really do exist! Our tour guide was a local Maori girl, a true descendant of the local tribe. She led us into the cave which started quite narrow but was immediately spectacular - huge limestone rugged walls with lots of stalagmites and stalactites everywhere you looked. She led us into different chambers of the cave showing us different formations which had been there billions of years. A few glow worms were already visible with their lines running down to catch their prey. It was an amazing sight and one that is rare around other parts of the world.

Once we reached one of the deepest chambers of the caves with the biggest 'tites and 'mites the tour guide turned all the lights down and sang a beautiful Maori love song to us all. She really was on the best tour guides we've had in New Zealand! After this we got into a small boat and went along an underground river in pure darkness and in complete silence. On this boat ride you could see thousands of glow worms on the ceiling of the cave, the light they give of really is amazing! We loved this little trip but photo's were not allowed and it's really difficult to describe it in words - you need to see it to believe how amazing it really is!

After the tour we headed to Otorohanga with a plan to stay there for the night. We found one holiday park which was expensive and another that just looked awful so we made a hasty decision to head for Hamilton instead. By the time we got there it was dark and we didn't know where we were staying. We looked for a Macca's so we could get online and usually they are everywhere - but for some strange reason, even though the outskirts of Hamilton are full of retail parks, we didn't seem to be able to find a McDonalds. In the end, after driving around in circles we found one holiday park and stayed there regardless of the cost!

Saturday was spent driving from Hamilton to Whangateau where we spent the night by the ocean and amongst lots of families on their Easter break.