in which Our Heroes float down a subterranean river in inner tubes

[ilanarama]

Yeah, not the greatest picture, but we bought the set anyway on a CD so I could post a few, since we still haven't gotten the photos off our camera yet. More photos - 13 in all - of the cave and Waitomo area.

So, after Tongariro NP we drove to Waitomo, where alas the last room at the B&B delurker recommended had been reserved two minutes before I phoned, but the owner there recommended a place called Big Bird where the owners, Ann and Ross, raised ostriches. The owners were nice, and we got to see the ostriches up close and personal during feeding time that evening, but the place was too close to the main highway and road noise kept us up much of the night. Also, instant coffee at breakfast, uck. On the other hand, ostrich-egg omelet.

However, Ann let us use the kitchen to cook our (New Year's Eve!) dinner, and recommended what turned out to be an absolutely amazing hike. The Rurakuri Bush Walk is a (free) network of looped paths which are largely made of wooden walkways and stairs which wind along the steep vegetation-covered limestone cliffs of the river gorge that exits one of the major cave systems. The path goes through several little tunnels and one huge cave where we could see the water below, and clearly it was a lot of fun to plan and build - and it turned out, when we mentioned it to Ann, that Ross had built it when he worked for the DOC (Department of Conservation). We told him how wonderful it had been and he said that while building it they discovered all sorts of interesting bits of cave and tunnel that they then incorporated in the path - really quite cool.

We headed out to the walk after a really nice dessert out at the Huhu restaurant, while dusk was just starting to fall (and with it the rain!) and our timing was perfect; the first part of the hike we could see all the vegetation and pathways, and then as we got to the biggest cave it had become quite dark (we brought our headlamps) and the glowworms were out! These are the big draw at Waitomo; they are the larval stage of a fungus gnat, and they make a little hammock and extend sticky strands down, like spiderweb filaments, and then turn on a bioluminescent lure to disorient flying insects and convince them to fly up toward the "sky" where they get entangled and subsequently eaten. We saw "glowies" all the way back to the car, not just in the caves but also along the dark cliffs on either side of the river. So, that was our New Year's Eve - fireworks of a sort!

The next morning we got up early, packed up, and went to do the "Black Labyrinth" tour by the Legendary Black Water Rafting Company. This "black-water rafting" stuff was all over the guidebooks as the thing to do in Waitomo - various options from various outfitters include rappelling, climbing, adventure, blah, blah, and it seemed like a fake artificial adventure a la bungy jumping or tandem skydiving (both of which are also heavily touted in NZ) so I was going to give it a pass until several people on lj mentioned it as being worthwhile, and I am SO GLAD we did it because it was AWESOME. I picked this particular tour because it sounded like the least fake-adventure and most interesting, and doing it at 9am (on New Year's Day!) gave us a tiny group (just us and one other woman about our age, plus our guide; the max they do is 12 people plus 2 guides) and our guide, Laura, was really super, and overall it was fantastic.

They kitted us out with wetsuits, boots, and helmets and drove us to the trailhead where we'd hiked, we picked up inner tubes (silly fannish moment: in the rafting company's headquarters, which is also a cafe, they have a big wooden Gandalf statue with an inner tube around his waist, painted with the Elvish words from the One Ring - one tube to rule them all, one tube to bind them, I guess!) and hiked out above where we'd been the previous night. We entered the cave in a sinkhole where a small stream came in, turned on our helmet lights and walked through the deepening water to a confluence with another underground river (which came in through a small hole that we squirmed through to get behind its waterfall - the photo above!), then headed downstream again until the water got deep enough for us to float. It was a combination of wading and floating through the cave, some chambers too small to stand upright in, others with huge cathedral ceilings from which hung dripping stalactites, and at the low water level we moved nice and slow, taking our time and looking around. Very relaxing other than the two small waterfalls we jumped off (although there was the option of climbing down). Once we were deep into the caves, the glowworms appeared, and we turned off our helmet lights and floated underneath the "sky" that really did look like the Milky Way (only slightly greener and not twinkly :-) Pretty incredible. And Laura explained all about the caves, and the glowworm life-cycle, and pointed out cool formations, and took the not-really-good-but-still-nifty pictures I've uploaded. Then we floated slowly through the cave, eventually out through its toothy mouth and into the sunlight, right next to the first bridge on the trail we'd hiked the night before.

After we showered and warmed up, we took a quick stop at The Shearing Shed to watch the angora rabbits being shorn (OMGFURRY) and then drove west from Waitomo to see various waterfalls, natural bridges, caves, and so on, and then angled north on the tiniest, twistiest roads we've ever seen through the karst limestone humps and pastoral hillsides until we eventually got back to the motorway and back to Devonport, where we are doing laundry, catching up with email, and planning our next couple of days before we fly to Wellington on the 6th.

Oh, and an interesting political note: when we arrived at the B&B and Ann heard that we are American (I have become uncomfortably aware of our hard-edged Rs and crisper vowels) she waxed enthusiastic about our election and about how proud and excited we must be, about Obama, and how historic the election was - and then, when we talked about the NZ election, she was equally as enthusiastic about Labour getting booted in favor of the National Party. Small business was really hurting under Labour, she said, and the laws were ridiculously biased against people trying to work and all the money went to lazy welfare queens, etc. Of course the political right in NZ is, I think, somewhat to the left of our mainstream Dem party, but still, it seemed a little weird. Maybe it's just that the pendulum has swung too far left here and people are rebelling. Or maybe it's just that people want "change" whatever that is.

Comments

[zebra363.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you enjoyed the black-water rafting!!

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

It was so totally a highlight of our trip so far.

[hedda62.livejournal.com]

Oh, that looks like such fun! Though having just got back from a hike in just-subfreezing temperatures I can't help imagining the water and air as totally frigid.

Sounds like you're having a great trip.

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Hee, perfect icon!

It was a relatively warm day, although the cave temperature is mostly uniform. The water is not warm but they supply 5mm wetsuits, and I also cleverly wore my wool long johns underneath which I think really helped - I was totally comfortable, temperature-wise.

[saramwrap.livejournal.com]

Happy New Year!

I continue to be immensely jealous!! The rafting sounds very cool - I haven't been whitewater rafting in years, but I remember how much fun it was. I'm not quite the water-lover that you are, I'm certain, but I like some parts of getting wet.

I'm curious about the ostrich egg omelet, as someone made one recently on Top Chef and got booted because it tasted "like glue." I've never had ostrich eggs, and they're ridiculously expensive at local grocers (when you can find them). So... enquiring minds want to know!

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Happy New Year to you (and internic), too!

This wasn't really like whitewater at all - it was basically tubing a slow flatwater stream, except underground with glowy things on the roof :-) The bits of "rapid" were minimal and we mostly just walked over those rather than tubed them.

The omelet was - okay. It was more of a quiche-y thing. I wouldn't say it tasted like glue, but I didn't think it was anything special. On the other hand, it was cool to have eaten ostrich egg!

[the_antichris.livejournal.com]

National as the party of small business. Biggest. Swindle. Ever! 'Change' for its own sake is probably the best explanation: National did a pretty good job of pretending they're not radical rightists these days. /still bitter

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Heh, maybe. My friends here (American expats trying to get permanent residency) say that they know lots of Kiwis who are both pro-Obama and pro-National. Must be the change thing.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Oh, you look like you're having a blast! And I'm glad to see that you're both up and around these days. :)

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Thankee! It is good to be up and around, yes!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

OMG THAT LOOKS SCARY

[helkamaria.livejournal.com]

Thank god I'm not the only one.

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Really not scary at all! I swear! Um, unless you are claustrophobic or hate getting wet or don't like the dark.

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Really not as scary as it sounds! Little old ladies do it!

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

I am officially writhing with envy. Caves, tubing and waterfalls are my favorite things in the world, and I never would have dreamed that there was a place one could indulge in all three at once. Plus glowworms!!! What a cool adventure.

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

You HAVE to come to NZ. Wait until you hear about the DIY hot springs.

[idlerat.livejournal.com]

Whoop whoop whoop! Was thinking of you on Mount Doom last week. So awesome. Happy New Year!

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Happy to you, too! Woooo!