An early check out, We lazily drove next door to start our Charleston GlowWorm Cave Tour. We were the first group of the day. I say group, it was Stevie and I and one other along with our guide. The group was small which gave us the advantage of more exploring by moving more quickily. We got changed into our wet suits and flippers.

After a 10 minute van drive we arrived in a small field in the Paparoa National Park. Where our knowledgeable and engeretic guide collected a small old train from a shed. It had 4 carrages each capable of holding 4 people. The 3 of us sat in the middle cart. while our guide drove the train down the track. The train ride took us 30 minutes through primeval rain forest, the guide told us the history of the area and the gold mining era there as we headed deeper into the Nile river canyon. The site is also famous as it featured in the 'Lost World' film by the BBC because of its overwhelmingly unspoiled environment.

After arriving at the end of the line our guide kitted us out with helmets, tourches and a rubber ring. We then took a short forest walk crossing the Nile River Suspension Bridge to a vast amount of stairs that took us to one of the many cave openings.

We started on the upper level of the vast cave system, I remember seeing a huge spider at the opening that freaked me out. The cave system is one of New Zealand's largest unmodified cave systems it was like a calcitic maze with stalactites and stalagmites which form over hundreds of years when the water seeps through the rock picking up the calcum in the rock and eventually dry forming these natural wonders.

We took the cave system down to a lower level, where we looked at vast rooms carved out by the water millions of years ago. We had time to go another entrance. The main entrance to the cave. It was one of the most beauitful sites I have seen. Us imerging from the cold, dark , hard enviroment and ahead of us this grand cave opening. Glowing from the morning sun, the early mist creating an errie worm sillhette into the cave, the rainforest looking utopian tropical and green. It was a beautiful sight that we took at few minutes to really take it in. I was a little gutted to leave and even more that I didnt have a camera.

We ventured back into the cave system, where we proceeded to the lower level. About half way in our guide told us to turn off our torches, suddenly hundreds of glow worms appeared right before our eyes. Our guide told us that that are in the same catagory as spiders, however they form their silk web from their mouths which catch insects that get drawn into their glow. Aparrently they hatch without a mouth so once they come out of their cacoon they start to starve to death.

We moved further along the cave system eventually headed to the lowest level which was filled with water. We got into our rubber rings, linked ourselves together in a line one behind another and turned off our torches,. The water was freezing. Our guide lead us down this pitch black stream after banging her rubber ring on the wall to get the glow worms active. apparently the vibrations mimic potential prey.

We floated further down the turnnel and all of a sudden we saw millions of incredible glowworms, It looked like space and we were staring up at galaxies of glowworms. It was amazing.

The tunnel lead us out through a tiny opening onto the Nile River. We stayed in our rings and floated down the river which took us through mini rapids all the way back to the train.

We eventually headed back to base, a quick shower later we hit the road.

We decided to head back via Arthur's Pass National Park is in the heart of the Southern Alps. It was established in 1929, the same year as the great Earthquake. The road took us past high mountains with large scree slopes, steep gorges and wide rivers. They say the mountains are the 'back bone' of the South Island dividing Canterbury and the West Coast.

We stopped every so often to take photos and admire the scenery, sometimes the roads were so steep that it was a slow crawl to get to the top.

Time was ticking away so we had to really speed to get back in time to drop the hire car off. So we didnt have to pay for another day. We called them up and delayed our return time from 4pm until 5 which unfortunately was rush hour in the CBD. It took us forever to get through Christchurch city. We managed to get there just in time exactly on 5pm as they were closing. We thought it was a job well done......until we got a speeding ticket a month later for $120. It would have been cheaper to have just purchased another days rental.