Creation of the caves began thirty million years ago when the Waitomo region was below sea level.  As limestone was lifted out of the sea by geologic activity, rainwater began to flow down the cracks and joints.  The acidic water that was created helped to dissolve the limestone and form shafts.

Three caves are open to the public and a wide variety of guide services can accommodate all age groups and abilities. My friend and I joined the 5-hour Black Abyss trip with The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co. along with six other travelers. Our two guides helped us to choose wetsuits, helmets and headlamps. Temperatures in the caves average 16 degrees Celsius and the gear would help us to stay comfortable underground.  Though everyone looked a bit silly, we were properly suited to begin cave exploration.

From a platform that hovered above the entrance each person descended into Ruakuri cave. Our harnesses were connected to a cable that dropped into a vertical tunnel of fluorescent ferns and grasses. Squeezing my body through the narrow hole, I found myself descending another 100 feet into a wondrous cathedral of stone. I reached the bottom of the abseil with no problem, unhooked my harness and followed the group through a limestone subway.

Standing below the starry expanse, we used our headlamps to further explore the details of the cave.

Our guides presented inflatable tubes and instructed us to make the ten-foot jump into the river.  Floating in my tube adjusting to the coolness, I stared dreamily at walls bejeweled by thousands of glowworms. The New Zealand glowworm is a two-winged insect at the ‘larva’ stage of its life cycle that emits light to attract food. There were so many of the tiny glowing lights that the walls appeared as neon billboards.

Drifting down the subterranean waterway our group marveled as the walls changed shape around us. The darkness of the cave enveloped us while the glowworms continued to glimmer on the walls.  We hooked together by placing our legs under each other's arms and lay back in our tubes to gaze at the ceiling. We watched as countless glowworms appeared and suddenly the group was surrounded by a galaxy of living lights.

With the tubes put away, the guides led through a limestone passageway, climbing over rocks and wading through the river.  At one point we even overcame a waterfall by coasting headfirst down a water slide placed in the cave.Throughout the subterranean wonderland, we observed more glowworms while our guides pointed out interesting stalactite formations which hung down from the roof like icicles. 

Exiting the main chamber was accomplished by following a stream which flowed from ground level.