February 15th Dunedin - Te Anau

Today we are going to Te Anau, which is located on Lake Te Anau. From there, our tour to Milford Sound will start tomorrow. We will reach the place around noon and go to our booked B&B. Unfortunately, the nice lady at the reception couldn't find our names and searched and searched until she realized that the booking was for March 15th - 17th and not February. I felt hot and cold and dizzy because the B&B was fully booked, just like all the other accommodations here. That's why I was so glad that I could make a reservation for this one. She tried her best, but there was no available room. There were two options, either one of the two hotels she mentioned have a room available that they don't offer online, or we drive another hour to another town for a B&B. We were lucky, the second hotel actually had a room available, not as nice as the B&B room, but okay. Phew....... I was really relieved.

As a reward, we spontaneously booked a tour to the Glowworm Caves. We took a boat across the lake to visit the caves on the opposite shore. To see the glowworms, it had to be dark, which meant that photography during the tour was not allowed.

Glowworms are not related to the fireflies we know. They are the larvae of fungus gnats. Their worm-like larvae produce sticky, hanging threads and use their attractive glow to attract small flying insects. These insects get stuck on the threads, and the larva rolls up and eats them.

The cave we enter was formed and washed out by an underground river. First, we walk along the river in semi-darkness, where we can see eels and fish. Then we get into a boat with our guide and suddenly it's pitch black. We glide deeper into the cave, more and more small glowing dots become visible. Suddenly, it sparkles and twinkles like a starry sky. The boat moves back and forth. I feel like I'm sitting in the Milky Way and can see all the stars of the Milky Way up close. What a spectacle, no one speaks a word. It's truly magical. Unfortunately, the group after us also wants to take a look, and our boat glides back to the dock. What an experience. A beautiful end to this day.