Fireflies and Blue Springs

11/24/2016 

The alarm clock rang very early today because at 7:30 am our Wild Water Rafting Tour through the Waitomo Caves began. We received brief instructions and then squeezed into our wetsuits. After a short ride, we were given our inner tubes with which we made a backward jump into the 13°C cold water. Once everyone in our group of 9 had landed in the water, we continued towards the cave. There, we squeezed through narrow tunnels, jumped backward from small waterfalls, and simply let ourselves float in our inner tubes. In a large cave, we saw thousands of blue glowing glowworms that twinkled like a starry sky on the cave ceiling. Contrary to the name, these are not fireflies but larvae that attract insects with their bioluminescence. After the tour, we had a warm shower and a hot tomato soup with bagels for strength.

Well fed, our journey continued east to Rotorua. After about half of the way, we stopped at a parking lot to walk to the Blue Springs. The path led along a river in sunny weather, surrounded by cow pastures and small forests. The water was breathtakingly clear and had a blue-green shimmering color. On the way, we stopped to attempt to pet cows. This was more or less successful. After an hour, we reached the spring and enjoyed the magnificent view of the water.

Back at the car, we continued to Rotorua. The city announced itself several kilometers in advance with its strong smell of sulfur. Once there, we found a quiet side street near a public toilet to have a place to sleep for the night. We had dinner and drove to the city in Dibi's van as the two girls wanted to go to the cinema to watch 'Fantastic Beasts'.