Waitomo
For more than 100 years the Glowworm Cave of Waitomo has attracted millions of people from all over the world. The glowworm, a small glowing insect no bigger than an average mosquito, has fascinated and intrigued people from all walks of life. The walk-through guided tours of the Glowworm and Aranui caves may seem tame in comparison to the adventure caving trips, but are still well worth doing to see the exceptional beauty of these caves.
The Glowworm Cave
This cave has 3 levels and is linked to the Waitomo River 13 metres below by a shaft which was the last formed feature. Long, narrow passageways carved out by a river lead down to the second level, referred to as the Banquet Chamber. Early tourists would stop there for meals and evidence of smoke on the ceiling confirms this. This links back to the upper level where the Pipe Organ is situated. The third level leads down to the Cathedral, with its demonstration platform and the jetty. The enclosed shape, with its rough surfaces and height (14 metres), provides excellent acoustics.
Glowworms - Arachnocampa luminosa
Glowworms are the larval stage in the life of an insect called the fungus gnat. Although they are most spectacular in caves, glowworms are also quite common outside - they can be found wherever conditions are damp, food is in good supply and there is an overhanging wall. The scientific name of the New Zealand species is Arachnocampa luminosa. Similar glowworms can be found in the south-east of Australia.
The New Zealand glowworm is one of many creatures that naturally produce light (bioluminescence). The light is the result of a chemical reaction that involves several components: LUCIFERIN, a waste product; LUCIFERASE, the enzyme that acts upon luciferin; ATP, adenosine triphosphate, the energy molecule; and oxygen. These combined form an electronically excited product capable of emitting a blue-green light.
The light is used to attract insects, brought into the cave in the rivers, which the glowworm catches and eats. If a glowworm is hungry its light will shine a little brighter and is even more effective. When the female glowworm reaches the adult stage the light is used to attract males for mating.
