We crossed Lake Te Anau in a 45-minute boat journey after which we were met by another crew who escorted us to Cavern House, a cabin where they gave us a background (scientific explanation) on the formation of the glow worm caves. Glow worms are the larvae of small flies called fungus gnats who live on insects which are attracted by their light and then captured on the sticky threads they produce. The glow itself is due to the oxidisation of luciferin, a chemical inside the glow worm, and the hungrier the glow worm, the brighter it allows its light to shine! Of course, glow worms can also turn off the light at will when they are disturbed by sound or light or humidity or temperature. Our brief, therefore, was "no flashlights, no noise, no ..." as we entered the glow worm grotto. The Te Anau caves are relatively young - only about 15,000 years old, and further inside, they are still being "formed" at a rate of about 1 cubic metre every 100 years. As we entered the caves, it suddenly became very dark and we descended deeper inside the ground. We had no idea which way we were going - we just held on to the railing and went wherever it went. The sound of water splashing and gushing around us was overpowering. After walking some distance, we made ourselves comfortable in an aluminium dinghy and our guide silently guided the dinghy down a small lake inside the cavern by pulling himself and the boat along a piece of wire suspended from above. When we reached the other side of the lake and got off the boat, we walked some more cavernous tracks when suddenly the guide switched off his flashlight and total darkness was upon us. And then we looked upwards ... and the most amazing sight was there for us to behold!

I felt I was looking at a starlit sky on a clear summer night. Not a ray of light filtered in - it was pitch dark, and we couldn't even see the person standing next to us. And all of us were gaping with awe-struck wonder at the ceiling of the cave. The closest description we can give is that of brightly lit, twinkling stars in their constellations and other exotic formations against a moonless night sky. Bottomline: A not-to-be-missed experience - take our word for it, and don't tell us later that we didn't tell you about it.

We also met Percy at the caves. All through the tour, hype was built up about this meeting with Percy, and when we finally met him, we didn't know what to say ... because though 300 years old, Percy was all of 1 cm tall and hanging from the ceiling - he is the only stalactite of the Te Anau caves! Of course, Te Anau is not the only place to find glow worm caves. Waitomo, on the North Island, is supposed to be an even better place to see them.

After returning to Te Anau, we had a relaxing dinner, thinking of the almost mystical/ magical experience we had had just a few hours back. It is extremely difficult to fathom the depth of Mother Nature's beauty unless we see some of it for ourselves. We consider ourselves fortunate for having made the trip to the glow worm caves.

The next day, we went to Milford Sound. To read on, click on the link below...