Waihi and Glowworm Kayak Tour (New Zealand Part 17)

In the morning, we made a final stop on our way south at the Coromandel Peninsula in Waihi, a town that had grown due to gold discoveries and a large mine.

The open pit of the mine can still be seen, although not too long ago a landslide brought a lot of debris into the interior.

As a result, a section of the 4 km Rim Walk that surrounds the pit became inaccessible. So when we took this "Rim Walk," we had to partially use the road.

Along the way, we passed not only the pit but also through forests and meadows, where we also saw some small Kauri trees.

On a meadow, we also encountered a small hedgehog, which is not very popular in New Zealand because it is not native here (although we do not understand how someone can have something against hedgehogs...).

We spent the afternoon at our campsite, which was located right by Lake McLaren and had a beautiful view.

There was also a duck with an injured leg in the parking lot. In case anyone has ever wondered if ducks can hop on one leg: Yes, they can, and not even slowly...

In the evening, we went to the meeting point by the lake for our kayak tour. Before sunset, we had wine and cheese, and then it was time to start.

We paddled across the lake and then into a canyon where we saw many glowworms shining in the dark. (Again, these were not real glowworms, but larvae in Waitomo that wanted to attract prey with their light).