Diet Of Worms

As the weather guess (formerly known as a “forecast”) was for overcast and drizzle all day, we decided to have another crack at the Kawiti glow-worm cave just south of Paihia. Duly equipped with sufficient cash to effect entry, we turned up shortly before midday. There was a tour due to leave in ten minutes, so we waited around doing the crossword.

Our guide told us all about the history of the cave, how it had been discovered 360 years ago by the wife of a Maori chief who had run away and lived there. The caves themselves are classic limestone, with stalactites and stalagmites, formed around 20 million years ago.

Stalactite at the cave entrance

Once inside the cave, the guide led us up to where the glow-worms lived on the ceiling of the cave. They are different from European glowworms, being the larval form of the Arachnocampa luminosa fly, found only in New Zealand and Australia. The larval stage lasts for nine months, then they pupate and an adult fly emerges, which lives about 3 days. When the guide turned off his light, the ceiling of the cave lit up in a scene eerily similar to the night sky. The lights attract other insects, which then get stuck in a network of silk threads that the worms dangle to use to trap their prey.

We couldn’t take pictures inside the cave, so here’s one taken by someone else.

Afterwards, as the weather hadn’t brightened up much, we decided to drive up to Kerikeri, where we had some lunch. Unfortunately Kerikeri doesn’t have much to recommend it, so we headed back to Paihia. On the way we stopped off at a winery that we'd spotted before, Cottle Hill. We tasted and bought some of their products, including a white port.

The drizzle never materialised. The sun came out for a while.