Day Eleven … Taupo to Waitomo and then back to Auckland

So today we completed our semi-circumnavigation of the north island as we have ended up back in Auckland. However, along the way we obviously had things to do! We headed off from Taupo (pronounced Toe-Paw) after a lovely breakfast at our accomodation (the only one we have on this trip) to Waitomo Caves.

We had decided not to do the regular Glow worm cave, instead opting to explore Ruakiri Caves, which are part of the Waitomo Cave complex. This is a walking tour of about 1.6 km underground where you get to explore the limestone caves and also see the glow worms up close.

The entrance to the cave is via a spectacular man made spiral walkway that descends deep into the earth and then through a tunnel that resembles a scene from James Bond. Once through the tunnel you enter the caves which are filled with stalactites, stalagmites, lacy shawls, coral like formations, fossils and the top of the cave dripping with the calcium laden water. Our guide Sian provided wonderful commentary as we moved through the cave and used her torch to point out different features on the walls and ceiling of the cave.

This cave was also home to glow worms, which are in fact not worms at all but are a type of insect larvae that glow from bioluminescence on their tail which they use to attract food. Small insects that enter the caves through the streams are attracted to their glow and then become tangled in their long thread like webs that hang from the cave near them. They were fascinating to see and Sian took extra care to ensure we all were able to see them up close and to see their webs.

After leaving the caves we drove to Hamilton to explore the Hamilton Gardens. I had found these on Google when we were searching things to do on the trip and thought they were a small, family owned garden that would maybe take us an hour to wander. Well, almost 2 and a half hours later we left having only completed one section of them.

The gardens were created out of a rubbish dump back in the 1960s and are continuing to be developed. We explored the Enclosed Gardens which are small themed gardens closed off from each other. They fall into three themes - Paradise, Productive and Fantasy. There are really no words to describe them … they were exquisite. The Paradise Gardens in particular were the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. Ian and I had a hard time deciding which were our favourites but we have settled on the Chinese Scholars’ garden, the Japanese Garden of Contemplation and the Indian Char Bagh Garden. I have included just a few pictures 😜.

Whilst we were at the gardens we also took the time to complete our Ad Lab for the day which worked in well as we were able to wander the gardens but also look for the answers to our questions as we went and gaining a tick for our completed lab before we left Hamilton.

So after lots of walking, and several hundred photos we headed back towards Auckland where we will stay for the next two nights. Our journey today was over 280 km (just on 3 and a half hrs driving) with varied scenery along the way and two accidents that caused us to be be detoured but the adventure never stopped. We decided after such a big day to have dinner in our room … and it was yum!

 

Wonder what tomorrow will bring … Ian is currently firming up our plans as I write the blog.

PS. My apologies for the random way the photos have gone into the blog. I will be looking for a better blogging format before our next trip as this one that I am using is clunky and cumbersome.

PPS. Today I wore my mumma’s scarf again as I knew we were going to the gardens. Little did I know that I would find one of her favourite plants … a Golden Chain tree. I miss her so much 💔