| Famous Caves | Home | Types of Caves | Inside of Caves | Uses of Caves | Activities | References |
Glossary
|
http://www.glowworm.co.nz/photo-gallery.html
| Waitomo |
 http://www.bamjam.net/NewZealand/Waitomo.html http://www.tourcart.net/tourmate/img/tours/7380-1.jpg http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/0e/28/10/waitomo-caves.jpg |
|
The Waitomo caves is located in the southern region of
Waikato, New Zealand. Glow worm Grotto was first explored by a local Maori chief, Tane. He first explored it in 1887. An English surveyor, Fred Mace also accompanied Tane. They first discovered Glowworm Grotto when they stared at the ceiling and saw, well a million little lights. After their discovery, the entrance was mostly used for ceremony burials. This changed in 1889 when it was opened to the public. Tane and his wife Huti now took people on tours. In 1906 though the administration of the cave was taken by the government. In 1989 Glow worm Grotto was returned to the descendants of Tane and Huti. One of the inhabitants of this cave is the glow worm. Found normally in New Zealand, the glow worm has brought great popularity to the place. What is it about this little creature that makes Waitomo one of the most popular caves in New Zealand? Well the answer lies in what this creature can do. This tiny creature has fascinated its audiences because of its ability to glow and turn the cave ceiling into an illusion of the night sky. The glow worm doesn't just do this for our amusement, it actually does this to feed itself. What really glows is snot, which is used to make a silky rope called snare. This light attracts the bugs in the cave until they are helplessly stuck on the snare. Then the glow worm reels in the snare until it is able to enjoy its meal. That's pretty much it. There is your inside view on the glow worm. |
|
