Waitomo Cave, an underground cavern on New Zealand’s North Island, never sees daylight. But there’s plenty of “natural light” in this cave, produced by thousands of tiny glowing worms!
Visitors to Waitomo Cave descend into a cavern 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. They then ride a boat along an underground river.
All around them on the ceiling and walls of the cave are thousands and thousands of glowworms. the larva of a certain kind of moth, whose tails flicker with blue-green lights.
These glowing insects make the 40-foot-high ceiling of “Glowworm Grotto” look like a sky filled with thousands of twinkling stars! It is believed that the local Maori people first discovered the caves.
Related Posts
-
Where Is New Zealand Located and Is New Zealand Close To Australia?
New Zealand is not really that close to Australia. New Zealand lies about 1,000 miles (1,610 km) southeast of Australia, across the Tasman Sea. Most of the country consists of two main islands,…
-
How Many People Live In New Zealand, How Did New Zealand Get Its Name, and Who Are the Maori People?
It is estimated that about 4.4 million people live in New Zealand in 2010. Of those, about 78% identify with European ethnic groups, and most the remainder are of Māori decent. The indigenous…
-
How Did New Zealand Get Its Name?
If New Zealand is "New,' then where is "Old" Zealand? These large Pacific islands were sighted by a Dutch explorer in 1642. They were named after Zeeland, a region of the Netherlands along…
-
How many Sheep are there in New Zealand Compared to the Number of People who Live There?
There are more than 13 sheep for each of the 3,853,116 people who live in New Zealand. Sheep are an iconic part of New Zealand's culture and economy and it has the highest…
-
What Makes New Zealand Unique and How Many of Its Plants and Animals Are Not Found Anywhere Else On Earth?
New Zealand is located in the Southern Hemisphere about halfway between the Equator and Antarctica. It sits on top of two tectonic plates, whose movement has resulted in the South Island's magnificent mountains…
-
Does Every State In the United States Have Caves?
Not every state in the United States has caves. Several states do not have caves, including North Dakota, Nebraska, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Delaware. Most caves in the United States are karst caves.…
