Adventuring in New Zealand is easy to do, after all it is the birth place of many modern day adventures. So it is difficult to narrow down exactly which adventures not to miss once you have landed in hobbit land.
While I wanted some more extreme adventures, I also wanted a few adventure light moments sprinkled in, which is how I landed on an evening kayak tour on a calm lake in the pursuit of glow worms.
Glow worms, or Arachnocampa luminosa, are a species unique to New Zealand that are not really worms, rather a carnivorous larvae of fungus gnats. If you can ignore for a moment the fact that you are paying for a tour of fungus gnats, it really is something to behold. These little bioluminescent creatures glow from the inside, attracting prey, in turn causing a magical twinkle show for us tourists seeking some “adventure light”.
The tour we chose was through Waimarino Kayak Tours, because it promised wine and cheese and kayaks and glow worm caves. They delivered on all fronts. We met at dusk at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park, where, after a little wine and cheese, we climbed into our kayaks and paddled across a calm, glassy lake. The skies grew darker as we paddled, and by the time we reached the caves, it was almost completely dark.
Paddling into a cave at night might feel a tad too adventurous for some, but once we entered the caves, our skilled guides pulled us along so we could gaze up at the sparkling twinkle lights of the glow worms. I’m a sucker for twinkle lights in any form (strung across trees in a backyard, casting light on a restaurant patio, hanging from a window during the holidays), and this was no exception. It was lovely to see nature working in truly mysterious ways, on a rustic island on the other side of the world.
We paddled back quietly across the completely dark lake under a moonless sky, grateful to have found a truly unique adventure offering in New Zealand.
THE DEETS:
On the North Island, close to Tauranga
2.5 Hours from Auckland
Waimarino Kayak Tours
Transportation extra from Tauranga
$155-$165USD per person
3 Hour Tour Length
1.5 Hours of paddling time
Art. Yoga. Adventure. Life on the Road. 