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We arrived at waitomo around lunch time and the plan was to stay one night to explore some of the famous waitomo caves and their even more famous glow worms. The area was full of companies which offered various adrenaline fueled trips involving caving, abseiling and rafting though the rivers which run into the caves in small inflatable rubber rings. Being a bit scared of the dark and not great in confined spaces I couldn't think of anything worse than floating through a pitch black cave in freezing waters, scaring myself to death. So that afternoon we opted for one of the walking and boating tours. The tour takes about 40 minutes and they walk you through an area of the cave full of unusual natural formations including stalactites and stalagmites formed over thousands of years. From floor to ceiling there were literally hundreds of rock formations everywhere all beautiful and fascinating to look at. At one point the cave opens up and it is like being inside a cathedral or a large church. The echo of your voice within the massive cavernous space is awesome. The acoustics are so good that they sometimes hold concerts within the cave and you can also get married in there too. After a good look round the cave we are taken to a darker unlit area to get our first look at the glow worms in all their glory. The ceiling of the cave was littered with hundreds of twinkling green lights it was very similar to the appearance on a really clear and starry night sky only with many more stars. They also spin fine strands of silk like mucus threads to catch their prey so when a torch is shone on the worms you see hundreds of mucus type strands dangling from the ceiling, it is quite a grim and eerie sight! With our introduction to the glow worms done we are then taken on a small boat onto the part of the river that runs through the cave. At this point it is completely pitch black apart from thousands of glow worms which literally coat the ceiling of the cave with not a single patch uninhabited. It has to be up there as one of the funkiest things I think I have ever seen, a truly amazing sight and it was all taken in from the comfort of the boat, not an abseil rope or rubber tube in sight! The next day and we intended to make an early start and take the long drive to Mount Maunganui however Michael had been bitten by the adrenaline bug and was keen to have a go at the black water rafting that I mentioned earlier. So we postponed our departure until the afternoon and Mike left me busy on the internet at camp to join a cave world black water rafting trip for absolute nutters! At this point I hand the commentary over for the first time to allow Mike to tell you about his experience! So I arrived at the cave world office to collect my gear and meet my guide. Much to my surprise I was the only caver on the 10am tour but was assured this was a good thing as we would have more time to explore the caves! Once kitted up with a wetsuit, helmet, booties and welly boots it was off in the van to the cave entrance. As we approached the entrance to the caves I was told to select my rubber tube that was to be my lifeline from the cold water. As my guide and I approached the pitch black cave entrance you could hear the rushing water from the underground rapids and at this point I started to wonder if this was such a good idea. To get to the rapids themselves we first had to crawl on our hands and knees through some narrow cave tunnels. Once we popped out of the narrow tunnel it opened out into a larger glow worm lined cavern where the noise from the rapids was thundering in my ears. After some brief history about the caves we gently floated down a calm stretch of the river admiring the hundreds of glow worms before reaching the first of two waterfalls. At this point the guides brief was to relax and float over the edge of the cliff ensuring to hold your breath when instructed. So like the obedient chap I am when he turned out our torches and said hold your breath I prepared for the worst. Much to his amusement you don't hurtel over the waterfall, there is a small lip that stops you right on the edge. You then get out of your tube and jump feet first over the cliff with your tube under your arm. It is at this point for the first time you are fully submerged in the ice cold water and it really takes your breath away. You don't have too long to think about how cold you are as you have to clamber into the tube quickly before hitting the first set of rapids. For a large portion of the experience you ride the rapids bouncing of the walls of the caves and trying to stay inside your tube. The scariest part however was still to come and this was in the form of a very low cave ceiling with little clearance due to the high water levels. There is barely enough room for you to keep your head above the water whilst not hitting your head on the overhanging cave above you. It takes about a minute to get through and you come out straight to the next waterfall, this one much higher than the first. Due to the narrow nature of the walls around this waterfall you cannot jump in so there is a kamikaze style slide built into the rocks to guide you to the bottom. Once again its icy cold water and a quick retrieval of your tube before hitting yet more rapids. Due to the increased volume of water coming over the waterfall these rapids are more violent and great fun to ride. Before you know it your 90 minutes are up and the fun is almost over. You have to do a bit of climbing to get back to the surface and then its back to the base for a hot shower and some much needed hot soup.
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