Good morning! For today’s Saturday Snapshot I thought I would share with you a little information on the Glow Worm Caves in New Zealand. When traveling there last month I had never heard of the glow worm caves. Our travel-mates were signed up to do a tour at the caves and we decided to join them.
What a trip in education!
The caves are located in Waitomo, New Zealand. From our cruise ship that had docked in Auckland it was about an hour to the caves.
The glow worm is actually while pretty to look at, also gross. It is apparently the larvae life cycle of an insect and looks like a maggot. (The caves were dark so thankfully we only seen the pretty part).
The caves themselves are beautiful lime caves. I wish we could have taken pictures inside, the rock formation was beautiful.
The female glow worms drop a line which is what you see in the picture. The line attracts insects and they get stuck to the line. It is crazy but the females live two days and the males live three days. The cycle continues due to the thousands of eggs each female lays in her short lifetime.
It is deep within the caves that we then get in the small boats. We are asked to remain very quiet as our voices cause vibrations and disturb the glow worms. It is a pretty cool experience.
You can read more about the glow worms on the Glow Worm Tour website. It is a unique tour. I had never heard of a glow worm until the tour.
Check out more Saturday Snapshots here.
Today I may just read. Or I am talking big. I keep saying I am going to read all week but I have been busy with projects and the books kind of go to the wayside. I do need to have some book time this weekend. Order of the Phoenix and a few others wait on me.
What are you reading this weekend?
Book Journey 
The boat tour through the caves looks like a lot of fun. We saw some glow worms somewhere near Wanaka on the south island years ago. It wasn’t a cave but it was in a park or something like that. That was interesting but I could only imagine that the caves that you went to would be even better!
Sean at His and Her Hobbies
It was a little eerie… so quiet and dark and the caves were glowing.
I’m not sure I’d like being down in that cave but the picture is pretty. I’m reading SUMMER ON THE SHORT BUS but will be heading to work soon.
I love the title of the book you are reading!
So interesting. There was a song about a glow worm, as I remember. Never saw any in real life, but I have seen and captured a lot of fireflies. Maybe some kind of similar component. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I’m dipping in and out of BEING MORTAL this morning. Trying to read a chapter or part of one each day. It’s kind of depressing, but very thought provoking as well. Then I’ll get back to my nice mystery. Have a good weekend!
Enjoy your reading, I just made a commitment to go to a movie with my cousin this afternoon so we will see if I get to a book or not 😉
The song is “Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer!” sung by the Mills Brothers in the early 50s.
I took this tour in the mid-1980s. Thanks for the memory, Sheila. I’d completely forgotten about it!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I may never…OK probably will never get there. So this is nice:)
Right never say never! I would have never thought I would go to New Zealand – it wasn’t even on my radar.
I guess the song lyrics come from the worm, “Glow little glow worm glimmer glimmer” I can’t remember the rest. Vacations are fun when you end up doing worm boat rides! I am reading The Husband’s Secret.
I never thought of that until now! And that glow worm kids toy too! I really enjoyed The Husbands Secret!
I am really awed by your post!
Here is my snapshot post!
Thanks… it is one of those crazy things you think you will never do.
Caves make me feel the claustrophobia coming on! LOL. And it is funny how something so gorgeous could actually be gross.
Exactly! I wouldn’t open my mouth and hold my head up high…lol
I haven’t had much time to much time to read so therecis on one review on site. My site does have other new items one on Idaho and cats
http://idahobluebird50.wordpress.com
Thanks Betty!
That is really interesting. The ceiling of the cave does look really pretty.
The cave was amazing, I wish we could have taken pictures. We toured the cave about 30 minutes before we got in the boats.
Great post & super interesting, though I wouldn’t want to visit the place myself. Worms – glowing or not – come with a big eeeek factor for me.,.
LOL… it is kind of a gross tour isn’t it?
Sheila, I’ve never seen glow worm caves before–this is fascinating, Sheila! Thanks for sharing photos from your trip. New Zealanders do seem friendly. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Crazy cool!
I went there when I was in my twenties and enjoyed it. Probably changed a bit since then but I do remember about having to keep quiet! I actually only rememeber the boat part so perhaps they’ve added more in later years.
There was an open area where they say choirs sign in for the holidays because of the acoustics and some famous opera dude sang there too.
That is super fresh!
Thanks!
Sounds like a fascinating experience!
It was 😉
I wouldn’t have known about this if you hadn’t told me/us here, Sheila. Very cool, and yes—gross! lol What’s amazing is they only have a 2-3-day life span.
I went there in the late 70s on my first trip to NZ. I’d like to get there sometime again. I’m reading Redwall this weekend- and loving it. I see Lost and Found has been released in America now. I read it last year and enjoyed it’s quirkiness.
How interesting! Sounds like a fun experience. Too bad they don’t have anything like this in the US.
How exciting – I did that same tour way back in 1993. I’m glad the glow worms have survived years of tourism 🙂
Wow, yeah, definitely a mix of cool and gross! LOL
Interesting yet disgusting. I do not mind worms in the garden-but hate seeing them squished after it rains.
Wow, great pics! I’d never heard of these caves before. All I knew about glow worms was the toy! Pretty cool stuff – sounds like an amazing trip.
Sue
Book By Book
I’m just a tad bit jealous right now. I would love to have seen that.