Today we faced a darkish and rainy day and decided that the best way to spend it was by doing a cave tour underground and seeing New Zealand's famous glow worms. We drove over hundreds of hills and dales to reach Waitamo. It turns out that the owners of the farm land also own the caves beneath, and those caves are leased by the caving companies which get sole access to the caves and pay the farmers a royalty for each tourist as well as the leasing fee. To reach the cave access we waited while sheepdogs rounded up cattle, then sheep and moved them to fresh pasture.
It was a three hour tour and there we six in our group. We were dressed to the gills in swimwear, a farmer John wetsuit with a long sleeved jacket over top, two pairs of booties and Wellingtons over those. We wore helmets with lights, and those of us with glasses had them taped to the helmets, and down in we went!
I don't know what we had in mind, but all of us were thrilled with underground drama, with swimming at times in 50 degree water, with tubing and with being scared out of our minds. A snack break midway of hot orange ade and chocolate was perfect somehow for this occasion! We emerged three hours later the most bedraggled bunch I'd ever seen. Each of us had gained about 15-20 lbs. with boots full of water and mud. A hot shower and a nearby pub ended the perfect adventure.
My favorite thing currently about NZ is the diversity we confront everywhere. Last night at a special Maori dinner 22 nations were represented among the 150 diners. This trip is turning my understanding of the world and geography literally upside down.
More soon,
Claire
