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Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Coordinates: 38°15′39″S 175°06′13″E / 38.2608°S 175.1036°E / -38.2608; 175.1036
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(Redirected from Waitomo Glowworm Cave)
For the Waitomo cave system in general, see Waitomo Caves.

Glow worms in the Waitomo Caves

The Waitomo Glowworm Cave (officially, Waitomo Cave)[1] is a cave with several large chambers at Waitomo in the North Island of New Zealand. It is a tourist attraction known for its population of Arachnocampa luminosa, a glowworm species found exclusively in New Zealand. This cave is part of the Waitomo streamway system that includes the Ruakuri Cave, Lucky Strike, and Tumutumu Cave.

In 2013 it was stated that the Waitomo Glowworm Cave was "the most visited glowworm display in the world".[2] The attraction has a modern visitor centre at the entrance, largely designed in wood. There are organized tours that include a boat ride under the glowworms.

History

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The name "Waitomo" comes from the Māori words wai, water and tomo, hole or shaft. A local Māori, Tane Tinorau, and surveyors Laurence Cussen and Fred Mace were shown the entrance in 1884.[3][4] The local Māori people had known about the cave for about a century, but there is no evidence that they had ventured inside it. In December 1887 Tinorau and Mace built a raft and entered the cave where the stream goes underground (now the cave's tourist exit), exploring by candlelight. As they began their journey, they came across the Glowworm Grotto and were amazed by the twinkling glow coming from the ceiling. As they travelled further into the cave by poling themselves towards an embankment, they were also astounded by the limestone formations. These formations surrounded them in all shapes and sizes. Tinorau and Mace, accompanied by others, explored further in February 1888.[4][3] Tinorau independently discovered the upper level entrance to the cave, which is now the visitor entrance.[3]

Visitor access improved when the railway was extended to Ōtorohanga in 1887.[5] By 1889 Tinorau and his wife Huti had opened the cave to visitors and were leading groups for a small fee. Thomas Humphries, (Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor of Auckland 1889 – 1891)[6] did a full study later the same year, noting that graffiti had already been inscribed on the ‘most delicate portions’ of the cave. He noted that "the natives are now taking great care of the caves", but recommending that government take over the cave to provide more visitor facilities. About 500 tourists visited the cave in the first two years. After years of attempts to buy the cave, the government used the Scenery Preservation Act 1903 and the Public Works Act 1905 to take it over for £625.[4] In 1906, after an escalation in vandalism,[citation needed] administration of the cave was taken over by the government.

In 1910 the Waitomo Caves Hotel was built to house the many visitors. Tourist Hotel Corporation, a state-owned business, took over in 1957. The hotel was sold to Southern Pacific Hotels Corporation in 1990 and, in 1994, they agreed a licence for the cave with DOC and the Māori owners, selling it to Tourism Holdings Limited in 1996.[4]

In 1989, the land and cave were returned to the descendants of Tane Tinorau and Huti who comprise many of the employees of the caves today.[7][failed verification] The descendants receive a percentage of the cave’s revenue and are involved in its management and development under the 1990 Waitomo Deed of Settlement.[4]

The Cathedral in the Waitomo Glowworm Caves.

Geology and features of the cave

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Visitor Centre

Geological and volcanic activity has created around 300 known limestone caves in the Waitomo region over the last 30 million years. The Waitomo Glowworm Cave is situated in a ridge of Oligocene limestone[8] formed when the region was still under the ocean about 30 million years ago.[9] The limestone is composed of fossilized corals, seashells, fish skeletons, and many small marine organisms on the sea beds. Over millions of years, these fossilized rocks have been layered upon each other and compressed to create limestone and within the Waitomo region the limestone can be over 200 m thick. The cave began to form when earth movement caused the hard limestone to bend and buckle under the ocean and rise above the sea floor. As the rock was exposed to air, it separated and created cracks and weaknesses that allowed water to flow through them dissolving the limestone, and over millions of years large chambers within the cave were formed. Stalactites, stalagmites, and other cave formations grew from water dripping from the ceiling or flowing over the walls and leaving behind limestone deposits. Many features and the large chambers have been named.

The Waitomo Glowworm cave consists of 1,300 m of interconnected passages and several large chambers on two levels.[8] The top level of the cave is drier than the lower level where the Waikato River passes through the cave. There are two entrances which are 14 m apart vertically. Two passages lead from the top entrance: a 40 m long passage leading to the Blanket Chamber, and the 39 m long main passage which leads past a 16 m vertical shaft through the limestone, known as the Tomo.[8] The Tomo links the two levels and allows air to flow between them. The Blanket is a notable stalactite formation that looks like a blanket hanging from a rail.[10]

The Blanket Chamber leads into the Cathedral, the largest chamber in the cave. The Cathedral is 40 m long and 13 m high.[8] It has good acoustics, and a number of famous singers and choirs have performed here including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.[11]

From the Cathedral a side passage leads to the Pipe Organ or Organ Loft. On busy days this area is closed to the public because the build-up of carbon dioxide may be hazardous. Other chambers include the Catacombs and the Banquet Chamber, so called because this is where early visitors stopped to eat and there is evidence of this in the smoke on the ceiling of the chamber.

On the lower, more humid level is the Waikato Stream, Glowworm Grotto, Demonstration Platform, and the jetty. At the jetty, visitors board a small boat and then float along the Waikato Stream through the Glowworm Grotto, the lowest part of the cave. This is a cavern about 30 m long and 10 m wide[8] with a ceiling covered in glowworms.[12]

Flora and fauna

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The most common animals in the cave are insects, including the renowned glowworm Arachnocampa luminosa, a species of fungus gnat endemic to New Zealand. The larval stage and the imago produce a blue-green bioluminescence.[13]

There are several small underground lakes that were created by freshwater streams, which are home to New Zealand longfin eels.

The walls of the cave are covered with a variety of fungi including the cave flower (a distant relation to the genus Pleurotus) that is actually a mushroom-like fungus.

Glowworms

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Main article: Arachnocampa luminosa

Glowworms live in caves and on sheltered banks in the native bush where humidity is high, as moisture helps to maintain their silk structures that capture prey.[14][15] Glowworm larvae build a mucous tube that hangs from the rock and is attached by a network of threads. Long threads hang down from the attachment threads. These have evenly-spaced sticky droplets on them, with the multiple hanging threads forming a curtain effect. The glowworm larvae lure prey with their blue light, and the prey gets stuck on the sticky droplets on the hanging threads. A midge, Anatopynia debilis (=Tanypus debilis, Chironomidae), is the main prey for glowworms in the cave. Midge larvae live in mud and streams inside the cave.[14]

The adult glowworms are gnats around the size of an average mosquito. At the Waitomo Glowworm Cave, glowworms are found in the Demonstration Chamber and on the ceiling of the Glowworm Grotto, a large chamber on the lower level of the cave. The Waikato Stream runs through the chambers, providing aquatic prey insects for the glowworms as well as the humidity they require. [2]

The cave had to close between April and July 1979 because glowworm numbers had decreased significantly after the upper entrance door was replaced. The new door had a grill that allowed air to flow through the cave, drying out the glowworms and increasing the temperature, which in turn encouraged growth of a glowworm-killing fungus. The problem was rectified and glowworms from other caves were transplanted to the cave to build up the population so that the cave could reopen to tourists.[2]

Photo-monitoring of the glowworms between 2009 and 2013 showed that they glowed on a 24-hour cycle, appearing to reach peak intensity in the late afternoon.[2]

Cave monitoring

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Environmental management of the Waitomo Glowworm Cave balances protecting the cave and glowworms with enabling visitors to enjoy them. The main issues are carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and humidity. The size of tour groups and length of time they spend in the cave affects the carbon dioxide concentration in the cave, since visitors' respiration combined with limited ventilation increases carbon dioxide levels. Increased carbon dioxide can form carbonic acid which damages calcite features in the cave. But if ventilation is too high then the cave dries out, which is harmful to the glowworms. The cave has two entrances at different levels. Air exchange with the outside occurs via a 'chimney' effect, with the direction of air flow depending on the whether the temperature outside is higher or lower than the temperature inside the cave. On days when there is little temperature difference inside and outside the cave, there is little airflow. Visitors' body heat and lighting required for tours also affect the microclimate of the cave.[16]

During the Covid-19 lockdown in New Zealand in March and April 2020, there was a period of 60 days during which no staff or tourists visited the cave. This allowed scientists to study the natural carbon dioxide levels and microclimate within the cave. It was discovered that carbon dioxide varied and tended to sit at levels above that of the external atmosphere. Rain outside the cave caused drip water inside the cave and changes in the level of the underground stream, influencing carbon dioxide levels in the cave.[17]

The glowworms of the Waitomo Glowworm Cave are closely guarded by a Scientific Advisory Group. This group has automated equipment that continually monitors the air quality especially the carbon dioxide levels, rock and air temperature, and humidity. Data from this equipment is carefully analysed by specialist staff. The advisory group uses the information to establish how the cave should be managed. They determine if and when air flow patterns should be changed and how many people are allowed to visit the cave each day.[18]

Guided tours

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Visitor Centre

The guided tour through the Waitomo Glowworm Cave brings the visitor through the different levels, beginning at the top level of the cave and the Catacombs. The visitor then goes down into the Cathedral, demonstration platform, and the jetty. The tour concludes with a boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto. The boat takes the visitor onto the underground Waitomo River where the only light comes from the tiny glowworms creating a sky of living lights.[19]

Location

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The Waitomo Glowworm Cave is located in the northern King Country region[20] of the North Island of New Zealand, 12 km northwest of Te Kūiti. This cave is about 2 hours south of Auckland, 1 hour south of Hamilton, and 2 hours west of Rotorua by car. [18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NZGB Gazetteer: Waitomo Cave". New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d Cross, Travis; Merritt, Dave (2013). "Glowworm Photomonitoring in the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, New Zealand" (PDF). Cave and Karst Management in Australasia 20: Proceedings of the 20th Australasian Conference on Cave and Karst Management – Waitomo, New Zealand, 2013 – via ACKMA: Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association.
  3. ^ a b c "Account of discovery of Waitomo Caves". King Country Chronicle. 1 October 1910.
  4. ^ a b c d e Cleaver, Philip (February 2011). "Maori and the Forestry, Mining, Fishing, and Tourism Industries of the Rohe Potae Inquiry District 1880–2000" (PDF). Waitangi Tribunal.
  5. ^ "Waikato Times". 8 March 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Lands And Survey Department". nzetc.victoria.ac.nz. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  7. ^ "Central North Island Region". Jasons Travel Media. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e De Freitas, Christopher; Schmekal, Anna (1 July 2006). "Studies of condensation/evaporation processes in the Glowworm Cave, New Zealand". International Journal of Speleology. 35. 10.5038/1827-806X.35.2.3.
  9. ^ Waitomo Caves: Landform Evolution, Waitomo, New Zealand. Retrieved on 18 January 2010.
  10. ^ "The Blanket, Waitomo Caves". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Discover Waitomo2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Kerr, David. (1992). Welcome to Waitomo Caves New Zealand: A Photographic Insight to this Spectacular Region of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: First Class Publications Ltd.
  13. ^ Richards, A. M. (1960). "Observations on the New Zealand Glow-worm "Arachnocampa luminosa" (Skuse) 1890". Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 88: 559–574.
  14. ^ a b von Byern, Janek; Chandler, Pete; Merritt, David; Adlassnig, Wolfram; Stringer, Ian; Meyer-Rochow, Victor Benno; Kovalev, Alexander; Dorrer, Victoria; Dimartino, Simone; Marchetti-Deschmann, Martina; Gorb, Stanislav (2019). "Biomechanical properties of fishing lines of the glowworm Arachnocampa luminosa (Diptera; Keroplatidae)". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 3082. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.3082V. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39098-1. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 6395680. PMID 30816149.
  15. ^ Meyrick, E. (1886). "A luminous insect larva in New Zealand". The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine. 22: 266–267.
  16. ^ Gillies, M. J.; de Freitas, C. R. (2013). "Environmental Management of the Waitomo Glowworm Cave: Effects of Visitors and Ventilation on Carbon Dioxide Concentrations". Cave and Karst Management in Australasia 20: (Proceedings of the 20th Australasian Conference on Cave and Karst Management – Waitomo, New Zealand, 2013) – via ACKMA (Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association).
  17. ^ Merritt, D.J.; Hendy, C.H.; Corkill, S. (2022). "Absence of visitors during lockdown reveals natural variation in carbon dioxide level in the Glowworm Cave, Waitomo, New Zealand". International Journal of Speleology. 51 (2): 133–139. doi:10.5038/1827-806X.51.2.2435.
  18. ^ a b "Waitomo Glowworm Caves". Discover Waitomo. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  19. ^ Kerr, David. (1992). Welcome to Waitomo Caves New Zealand: A Photographic Insight to this Spectacular Region of New Zealand. Auckland, New Zealand: First Class Publications Ltd.
  20. ^ Kennedy, Riley (5 July 2020). "Waitomo businesses launch website to promote area". Radio New Zealand.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Waitomo.

38°15′39″S 175°06′13″E / 38.2608°S 175.1036°E / -38.2608; 175.1036

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