Hey guys! So over the weekend, my parents and I drove up to Waipu, New Zealand to check out the Waipu Caves and walk the track right next to the caves. We originally didn't know about this until my dad read about it in the newspaper as they did a review on the caves and track.

The walking track that's next to the cave is pretty too. There are heaps of lime stones and in parts of the track, there are huge piles of lime stones that makes it look like a setting from a Disney movie like the Jungle Book where it's like ancient ruins. (You get the idea.) We didn't end up walking the entire route because we were more excited for the cave haha but we saw the main attraction which is the lime stone and overall topography.

The highest point that we got to. It probably doesn't look as high as it really was.

Now for the GLOW WORMS & CAVE!

That's the entrance (the entrance/cave on the right) but it's not that small, the hill is just blocking the majority of the entrance.

I had no idea what to expect because I didn't read anything about it and knew nothing about it. Since I didn't have any expectations, it was a pretty good way to spend the day. But let's be honest, it's pretty average. I mean, everything is beautiful, especially the glow worms shining bright as if they are stars in the sky. I say that it's average because it's a short walk. I expected it to take a bit longer. However, I don't remember how long exactly it took to walk to the end of the cave, it felt really quick. Even though that could also be due to the fact that it was fun so time just flew by.

We went to the deepest part of the cave that didn't require getting down on hands and knees. Since there are glow worms already anyways, we didn't see a point and it seemed too dangerous to even try.

--The cave is pitch black if you don't use a flashlight. And make sure you use a good flashlight! Mum used those lights that you put on your head but it wasn't useful because the light area wasn't big enough. So dad and I just used the flashlight on our phones. I held onto mine for dear life haha. Because there is water almost the entire way, I didn't want to risk dropping it in there.

TIP: Make sure your flashlight can brighten up a wide area.


--There is quite a lot of water in one part of the cave. The water went up to my knees (but I'm short so just expect water to drench your legs.) There's water along the entire cave and the parts that aren't knee high, will definitely get your shoes wet anyways. So overall, just prepare to have wet shoes and legs! The water is so cooling and fresh though. It looks really pretty because of the clear water (in the shallow parts). It's so clear that you can even see the pebble rocks.

TIP: Wear shorts or a spare change of pants so you can avoid having to sit in wet pants on the car ride home.

This is the super shallow parts of the cave (at the beginning)

--On our way back, from the end of the cave, we realized that glow worms were everywhere! We thought that it was only at the very end because we were so focused on walking and making sure every step is safe, we didn't even check. However, the end of the cave is where most of the glow worms are so you should still go to the end regardless.

TIP: Turn your flashlight off occasionally and just look up throughout the entire walk because the glow worms are everywhere!

OOTD: Singlet, denim shorts, jumper and orange sneakers with cross over bag for my phone and camera.

I definitely recommend going here because it's nature, and mother nature is always beautiful. And besides, it's free! You don't need to pay a crazy amount to see glow worms (Although I'm sure those paid attractions have more glow worms) and walking through the caves by yourself is way more fun and makes you feel so adventurous and daring haha!


Love,
Elaine