Glowing Maggots & Minibeasts

Last weekend (our 4-day weekend) we ventured north from Napier. First stop on our journey was the beautiful town of Taupo, which is nestled along the banks of Lake Taupo, the largest lake in NZ. I saw my first view of NZ snowcapped mountains!

Not a picture I took, but you get the point! 

View from our room 

After a bit of blustery lakeside exploration, we happened upon a brochure that advertised the Huka Honey Hive. A FREE explorative beehive was just too fantastic to pass up. We jumped in the car and followed the winding road about 15minutes up the road to this cute little building with some adorable signs. Inside, the little store/hive bustled with tourists and bees alike. We were able to watch a hive in action at the glass display cases, taste an assortment of delectable honey, and even sample some mead and honey bourbon!

After the Honey Hive we traveled just a bit further to the Huka falls that the locals kept telling us about. We weren’t sure exactly what to expect, but once we got there we were amazed! As a result of spectacular geographical configurations, a serene waterway transforms in almost an instant to a raging river gushing 220,000 litres (~59 gal) of water each second over an 11-metre ledge. As quickly as the ferocity appeared, it dissipates almost immediately after plunging into the pool below. It was an amazing strength to witness.

After a night in Taupo we took the two-hour drive to Waitomo. I had booked us the tri-cave package where we explored each of the three stunning caves in the area- Waitomo Glowworm Cave, Ruakuri Cave, and Aranui Cave. (I said each of those names about a million times to get the pronunciation correct!)

First on the list was Ruakuri. Between the lively tour guide and the formations, this one was my favorite tour. It was 2 hours filled with cave jokes, rushing underground rivers, and millions of little glowworms. As an entomological side note, these ‘worms’ are actually maggots that will become flies after about 9 months of glowing and eating within the cave. Each maggot descends 15-20 lines of sticky spit. As flying insects (mosquitoes and such) approach the luminescent dots they become entangled in the lines. The maggot reels them up, turns their insides into goo and devours them. As adults they only live for about 3 weeks.

I don’t understand how that didn’t make it into the brochure.

These are the strings of spit from the glowworms 

Aranui was short and sweet. There were no worms in this one, but I did get my first glimpse of a weta!!

Not the weta I saw, but this is what they are! Photo by Mike Locke

The last tour was the tour- the amazing Waitomo Glowworm Cave. It definitely lived up to the hype and Dave and Eva’s recommendations. The use of cameras was forbidden and our guide was mediocre, but nothing could stifle the experience of gliding through a pitch-black cave in a big aluminum boat while hundreds of thousands of tiny glowing larvae twinkle just above you. As with any good tour, it did not last nearly long enough!

Our guide going back into the cave after the tour 

There is another tour, the Black Abyss, where participants spend 5 hours in the cave crawling through holes, rappelling down subterranean cliffs, and navigating the clandestine rivers by raft…. next time!!!

After a very exciting day below the surface of the earth, we drove back to Taupo and snagged the last room in the whole town- the man came out and put up the ‘No Vacancy’ sign as Chris was booking the room! Apparently Taupo is the place to be on a Saturday night! Also on this Saturday night was the NZ vs. Australia rugby game- the All Blacks (not as racist as it sounds, their uniform is all black) against the Wallabies. We went to a bar to watch it and a very kind gentleman explained what was happening. Now I understand why Kiwis consider gridiron (American football) a sissy sport. Rugby is brutal! And apparently you can tie because after an intense and bloody match it was a draw!!

Photo: Anthony Johnson

Following our long weekend was another fabulous school week. We have both been given considerable responsibility within the teaching and are looking forward to our weeks of full control, which will be within the next few weeks. I was fortunate enough this week to teach one of the final Minibeast lessons. I discussed insect habitats and made a big poster to assess what students knew about insect homes. Now, many little hand-drawn insects have a home in the air, on a plant, or on the ground!!

Chris and I were both fortunate enough to accompany a couple classes on field trips to a nearby estuary. Thursday was my day to play in the mud and find sea creatures and Friday Chris adventured with the older kids. This ‘pond’ is such a marvelous teaching resource!

 The week was made complete by my first package!! Thanks, Mom! 

Pretty flower I found 

Yet another week is upon us! I don’t know where time goes, but it sure does fly! We love every minute of it here and we’re looking forward to the summer weather.

Spring clouds churning 

Sending all our love,

K & C 

**You should be able to post comments by choosing 'anonymous' (if you don't have a gmail account) in the "comment as" section. If you don't see a comment box, click on the 'no comments' link. Once I approve the message, since this is open to the public, it will appear on the blog!** =D