At Waitomo

Took the kids to Waitomo ("wai" - water; "tomo" - a sinkhole), and went through the caves, looking at rock formations and glow-worms, and floating down the river, out of the cave at the end. Super-cool. Looking at the spread of tiny lights across the ceiling of the cave, otherwise in total darkness, I could only imagine what must've been the reactions of the first explorers to go into the cave; back in 1887 Tane Tinorau, a local chief (with sixteen children, whose descendants make up about 90% of the people running and managing the caves tourist attraction) and Fred Mace, an English surveyor, ventured inside for the first time. Apparently they were most . Perplexed by what seemed like stars in the night sky, having just entered a cave, in the middle of the day.

Here's Tane Mahuta, god of the forest,, depicted guarding the entrance to the caves.