Glow Worms in New Zealand: Stars in the Sky
I wrote this in 2016 or 2017 during the two years I lived in New Zealand. Some details — prices, hours, what’s open — may have changed, but the experience and my love for this place haven’t.
I heard about glow worm caves when I moved to Auckland, and had to pay them a visit. But first, a clarification — New Zealand glow worms are not actually worms at all. The New Zealand glow worm, known as titiwai in te reo Māori — meaning “lights reflected in water” — is the larva of a fungus gnat. The species, Arachnocampa luminosa, is endemic to New Zealand There are related species in Australia but this particular one is found nowhere else. Each larva weaves up to 70 strands of silk that hang from the ceiling, each covered in sticky droplets of glue and up to two feet long, to trap insects attracted to the light. The hungrier the worm, the brighter it glows. It’s a beautiful survival mechanism.
The adult flies live just long enough to reproduce and lay eggs before they die — only the larvae produce the light, and they can live for several months. The whole thing is a bit grotesque when you think about it too hard. Much better to just lean back and stare.
The most popular glow worm experience in New Zealand is Waitomo. An adult ticket is $49 and the tour lasts about an hour — not cheap, but worth it. The cave tour starts with a walk through the formations and how they were made, with a brief stop to see glow worms under a rock overhang. But the highlight is the boat ride at the end. They turn off all the lights, the guide pulls the boat through the water on a rope in complete silence, and you put your head back and stare at the ceiling. Hundreds of larvae live side by side on the cave ceiling and their lights genuinely resemble a star-filled night sky — except denser and more magical than any sky I’ve seen. The ride only lasts about ten minutes but it is mesmerizing.
Waitomo is a guaranteed sighting but if you keep your eyes open you can find glow worms elsewhere. We went tubing in a river in the South Island last Christmas — the water was freezing even in summer but we had wetsuits on — and at one point the guides had us connect up in a row and pulled us through a tunnel where the ceiling was covered in them. It’s even better than Waitomo because you’re in the water and it feels completely personal. We had a quick pit stop inside for hot chocolate and chocolate bars before exiting. Highly recommend that over a formal cave tour if you can find it.
We also stumbled onto glow worms at the Stagecoach Hotel in Otira — after dinner the owners offered a short walk to see them, and fifteen minutes later we were standing in the forest in the dark with our flashlights off, completely delighted. And we saw them on a trail on the Kauri Coast too, on an amazing walk where we also saw kiwis in the wild — more on that in a separate post.
The point is: keep your eyes open. Waitomo is wonderful but the glow worms are out there in the dark all over this country, quietly waiting to be noticed.
