Waitomo Glowworm Caves

An enjoyable drive today through such varied scenery as we left the delightful town of Rotorua and headed for Aukland, our final destination in New Zealand.

En route we stopped at the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, an amazing experience of walking into the huge limestone caverns and then boarding a boat in the dark (just a small torch from the guide to show the way).

The reason for the darkness became obvious as we looked up and saw millions of tiny “stars” on the roof of the caves - the glowworms switching on their lights as they try to lure flies etc to their hanging threads. Absolutely magical:-). There were no photo opportunities inside the caves, so the blip is of our guide returning in his boat to collect the next group.

our second stop was at Hamilton Gardens, a series of beautiful garden “rooms” over a vast area of parkland. It was 29 degrees, so I only managed to get as far as the Rose Garden, where many of the blooms were going over, but there were still masses of lovely roses to enjoy.

We arrived in Aukland late afternoon and are now resting in our very large (and rather soul-less) skyscraper hotel, though the room is spacious and comfortable. We are here for two nights before our return to the UK and there’s a city tour in the morning to get us orientated.

Wifi is free for three hours, so must be quick as there are things I need to do!