Waitomo Glowworm Cave in New Zealand – description, photo, map
The miraculous nature has created such miraculous miracles that, looking at them, you involuntarily think of some kind of supernatural mysterious power that can amaze even the most orthodox skeptics. And there are many such natural surprises that can compete with the legendary 7 wonders of the world on our planet.
How did the Firefly Cave come about?
Millions of years ago, on the site of the current caves, the ocean splashed, the bottom of which was cut by limestone labyrinths. After global changes in the earth's crust, the ocean gave way to dry land, and the unique stalagmite and stalactite caves of Waitomo arose from underwater limestone gyrus. There are 150 of them: Ruakuri, Gardnes Gat, Aranui – it's impossible to list them all. The walls of the caves are made of limestone formed over millennia from corals, fish skeletons, small and large shells and countless different small marine organisms.
The most amazing, full of mysteries and special charm is the Firefly Cave, where tourists who stay in New Zealand are sure to get. Despite the fact that literally every corner here is a spectacle of fantastic beauty, a visit to a cave with a mysterious glow makes one go dumb with quiet delight caused by such an unusual contemplation.
It is truly unusual, almost magical, because one who enters this cave sees under the ground a picture, as it were, of a starry sky with small flickering luminaries. The only difference is that they are all strung in a kind of garlands hanging from the ceiling of the cave, and if you stretch out your hand, you can touch these luminous points. The bewitching spectacle is like a fairy tale, so the number of people who want to see it is growing every year.
History reference
The ancient Maori tribes gave the name to the caves – Waitomo, which in translation means a water hole: “wai” in their language is water, “tomo” is a hole. For many centuries, no one swam in them: the Maori were scared away by the cave darkness, people were afraid to even come close to mysterious objects. But the more civilization developed under the influence of Europeans, the more acute was the desire to penetrate into the unexplored depths of the caves.
The first real survey took place in 1887, which was organized by the leader of the Maori tribe, Tane Tioranu, together with the English naturalist Fred Mace. Several reliable boats were equipped, strong guys were selected who were to row. The expedition was carried out by the light of hundreds of candles in order to study in detail the limestone deposits in the caves. Words cannot describe the amazement of everyone who saw a cave resembling a starry sky: fright, delight, joy.
The organizers realized that in the future this place will bring considerable income as a unique tourist attraction. From that moment on, a struggle began for the right to own an unusual cave between the official government of New Zealand and the Maori tribes on whose territory the cave is located.
As a result, in 1904, the government declared this object with a mystery of nature state property, with the proviso that the leader of the tribe would receive a percentage of paid visits to the cave, as a discoverer. Now the distant descendants of Tiorano receive a percentage of the income from the tourism business. Geologists, speleologists, biologists and zoologists rushed from different parts of the world to uncover the secret of the extraordinary glow in the cave.
The mystery of fireflies
Every miracle has a very real explanation: the bluish-greenish glow in Waitomo Cave also has it. Careful studies have shown that the cause of the glow is … tiny fireflies that live here. According to one scientific version, it is believed that the glow is a way to lure insects flying into the light and falling into the food of fireflies.
When they are hungry, their belly glows brightly and attracts prey to satiate. The hungrier the fireflies, the brighter the glow; as they are saturated, the glow weakens. Thousands of webs hang from the ceiling of the cave, to which these luminous inhabitants attach themselves with sticky saliva and guard their prey. It was noticed that at the moment of touching them, the glow stops, and the fireflies become invisible.
According to another version, it is not at all a way to attract food that makes insects glow. Observations have established that fireflies also feed on fungal spores, which do not need to be lured, and the glow does not stop at this time. Whether there is an exact explanation or not is not so important, the main thing is that this phenomenon pleases people, attracts their attention and leads to the understanding that Mother Nature is fraught with many mysteries, the secret of which is sometimes impossible to reveal. They just need to be admired!
Another interesting place in New Zealand is Bridge to Nowhere.