Waitomo is a minuscule village that can be reached by driving for a few hours from Auckland in New Zealand. It has a population that barely exceeds three hundred. However, the village is visited by a huge number of tourists from New Zealand, as well as from all over the world.

The reason is the Waitomo Caves, the cave system located in the village that is a popular attraction for tourists. Many people love exploring these caves, and also witnessing the phenomenon named Waitomo Glowworm. In fact close to half million travelers come here in one year.

Why are Waitomo Caves so popular? In typical cave systems, the only light you will observe is the reflected light off the walls, of the flashlights carried by you. Other than this, the caves are pitch dark, and one could even get lost in the darkness.

In the Waitomo Caves however, there are ethereal bits of light shining in the darkness, like tiny glowworms. This is actually the result of a biological anomaly, and travelers come from far and wide to observe this phenomenon.

This phenomenon has been named the Waitomo Glowworm, which is the cause of the anomaly. The Glowworm is the larvae or the eggs of a fungus gnat that is endemic only to New Zealand, and can not be found anywhere.

The Waitomo Caves are filled with the larvae, and these glow in the dark. These are mostly found in the ceilings of the caves and observers are frequently astounded to see tens of thousands of tiny lights in the darkness of the cave. The experience is almost psychedelic. Many people say the experience is akin to sitting under the star lit sky, only the sky is nearer. The rare natural occurrence that it is, the experience is nothing short of extraordinary.

The Glowworm phenomenon in the Waitomo Caves is accessible to all visitors, and it does not require much physical exertion to explore the caves where this happens. Even children and senior citizens can see this.

If you want a taste of adventure though, there is no dearth of opportunities. You can tour much deeper into the cave systems. There are advanced cave tours that lead you deep into the Waitomo Caves, where spaces are tight, and you will have to crawl and save yourself falling into deep under ground pits. The trip is the pinnacle of adventure, and will be an extremely memorable experience.