Rotorua
Travel Location: Rotorua,New-Zealand
Having started my journey on the ‘ Magic Bus ‘ I’m now aware of the drawback of using this type of travel. As it takes passengers to tourist spots on route , you’re in for a long wait if you don’t want to participate.
Yesterday we had a stop at the Glowworm Cave that have – surprise , surprise – a colony of resident glowworms .I’m sure it would have been very nice to see , and our dear old Queen had a look in the 50′s but I bet she wasn’t asked to cough up over $30 for the privilege .As I couldn’t afford that much I had to wait 3 hours which made it a long day. I just hope I’m not in for similar days for the rest of the tour. I was sufficiently bored to look round the small , overpriced museum and now know all I ever wanted to about glowworms. So I thought I’d share it with you.
They’re not worms at all , of course , but larvae of the fungus gnat. The glow is to attract flying insects that the larvae trap with sticky threads , then feed on . They eat a lot as they don’t during the rest of their short life cycle ; the adult doesn’t have a mouth , poor thing.
My favorite new fact is that the glow is achieved by them oxidizing their poo. Nice trick if you can do it.
Anyway , I’m now in Rotura.The first thing you notice is the smell.It’s a geothermal area and the air is thick with sulphur , so opening the window in the morning to get fresh air means the faint aroma of rotten eggs.Apparently one gets used to it. A walk around a rainy Kuirau Park was atmospheric. Full of swirling mist like some old film , set in foggy London.
Apparently we’ll see some more spectacular results of this past volcanic activity on the way to the next port of call , Taupo.
