Our accommodation was well hidden from the street and we spent some time trundling around in the dark looking for our huts. When the first van got stuck in some mud we all helped pushing it out. It was funny when one of students got splashed all over with mud (sorry that we all had a laugh at your expense!) Five minutes later the second van got stuck and it was even funnier when one of the staff slipped in a ditch and tore their trousers.
The staff were woken up early Saturday morning by excited students eager to start the day. We arrived at the glow worm cave at 9.20am and the guide took us underground to start our tour. She explained how the cavern was formed and then took us on to the pier for the boat ride showing us the glow worms. We were all in awe seeing such a beautiful sight.
Out on the other side of the cave is a museum with displays showing the history of the glow worm caves. Our favourite part was a tunnel we could wriggle through like cave explorers in the past.
We went back to the huts to have lunch and then went on to the highlight of our trip, Ruakuri Cave.
The tour normally lasts 1 ½ hours, but the students asked so many questions we took nearly 2 ½ hours to go through. The guide answered every single question we could throw at him and obviously had a rich knowledge and passion for the work he does.
After dinner, we went back to Ruakuri Reserve for a short night walk. From the bridge there is an amazing view of glow worms outside.
On Sunday we travelled back to KDEC via the Otorohanga Kiwi House. We saw two lovely kiwi in action, one Spotted Kiwi one Brown Kiwi. We also did their Kiwiana quiz which involved a race around the main street of Otorohanga to find the answers.
It’s easy to take for granted what a diverse and beautiful country we live in. We all need to take time, every now and then, to see some of the wonders in our own backyards.
