Glowworms.

Needing a break from Auckland, we journeyed south a bit to Waitomo, home to a network of limestone caves, and a ton of glowworms. Normally you can float through the underground river that runs through the cave on an innertube, but it has been raining so much lately that the caves are too flooded for tubing. So, we settled for a walk through. It was really impressive, as you can see from the pictures.

Glowworms are the maggots of some sort of fly. Eggs are laid in clutches of 30-40 on walls and ceilings. Immediately on hatching from the egg, the larvae emit a light to attract prey, build a nest, put down lines and feed. Sticky substances on the lines trap insects and these are drawn up and devoured. The larvae stage is the longest phase in the creature's life and lasts around nine months. It then turns into a pupa in a cocoon and emerges as a two winged flying insect, which looks like a large mosquito. The adult fly lives no longer than a few days as it has no digestive system and so cannot eat. Instead it uses this time to mate and lay eggs. The glowworms found in the Waitomo Glowworm Caves is a species unique to New Zealand. -from the Waitomo website

Apparently, they basically live off of the previous generation. The flies get trapped in the larvae's webs, and get eaten by their children. And, the light is basically their dookie.

I tried to get a good picture of the glowworms, but without my tripod it was almost impossible. So instead I drew a picture. Pictures really can't do them justice anyways. It's amazing, it's like looking up and seeing a galaxy of fluorescent stars...

Let's see you hold a camera perfectly still for 30 seconds...

An artist's rendition of the glowworms of Waitomo.

Glowworms in the light. You can see their webs.

Kevin and the scary guy.

Fossils.

Apparently, the earthquake in the background caused Taylor's hands to shake.

The underground river. A 6 meter sheer drop from where I stand.

As usual - link the the full album.