Checking Out Glowworms in New Zealand Caves

First NewsChannel 3’s Kelsey Gerckens and Joe Buttitta traveled the world on “The Amazing Race” and now they are traveling abroad to give us a firsthand experience of an adventure down under, in Waitomo, New Zealand.

Waitomo is known for being one of the only places in the world to see glowworms in action and instead of just getting a glimpse of these glowworms, Gerckens and Buttitta decided to abseil 115 feet into a dark cave and take a zip line through the cave, before jumping into the cold cave water.

Once in the water, their instructor, Logan Doull, with The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company, took them on a black water rafting experience through the caves. They traveled miles into the darkest depths of the caves to get a glimpse of these incredible glowworms close-up. Once the three turned their headlamps off, the real show began. The glowworms put on a display of green and blue lights stretching miles across the caves walls.

“The glowworm is an insect, not a worm, and they glow to survive. The light on their tail lures insects out of the water. They trap them with this sticky thread that hangs down under their nest and then they haul them up and suck out the insides,” said Doull.

Besides checking out the glowworms, Buttitta and Gerckens also took in some special features of the caves like the stalagtites forming on the cave’s walls.

“It’s from water dripping from the surface with a little bit of dissolved limestone solution and if the conditions are right the water drips away and every time a drop of water drips away it leaves a little ring a pile of crystal. So it is limestone in crystal form. This water is not dripping really fast, so that gives you an idea of how long it takes for these things to grow,” said Doull.

After seeing what they came to see, Doull then led Kelsey and Joey out of the cave, which was an adventure in itself. It required them to squeeze through tight spaces, go down cave slides and climb up waterfalls.

After the trek in and out of the cave, Buttitta and Gerckens topped off the journey with some photos, and hot soup. The two left with memories they will never forget.

For more on the Waitomo Glowworm Caves check outThe Legendary Black Water Rafting Company.