February 18 - Glow Worms and Te Waimate

Last night we cruised north from Auckland to the Bay of Islands.  Early in the morning, as the boat set anchor in the bay, the vibration was incredible. It shook the bed violently for about a minute.  I though that maybe there had been an earthquake, which is not uncommon in New Zealand.  Then I remembered that we were in deep water and that would be a highly unlikely cause.

The Bay of Islands is a lovely inlet off the Pacific Ocean that consists of 144 small volcanic islands. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in New Zealand, and has been renowned internationally for its big-game fishing ever since American author Zane Grey wrote about it in the 1930s.

The Māori settled this area in the 14^th century. In 1840 the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed here by the local Māori tribes. The treaty was a result of the British wanting to establish a colony on New Zealand and some Māori leaders wanting British protection against the French. It recognised Māori ownership of their lands, forests and other possessions, and gave Māori the rights of British subject.  Unfortunately, there have been many land disputes, and these have been tied up in New Zealand courts for many years.

The first stop on our excursion for the day was to the Waiomio Glow Worm Caves.  When you enter these caves, you are entering a magnificent chamber filled with enormous stalagmites and stalactites.  Our Māori guide told us that the giant columns only grow a centimetre a year, so it is estimated that these columns are over 10,000 years old. 

The owners, the Kawiti family, are direct descendants of the female tribal leader Hineamaru of the Ngati Hine Tribe, who discovered these caves 300 years ago.  The tribal history says that Hineamaru was upset because someone was raiding her garden for food. Exploring the valley, she discovered trodden Tawa berries which made her curious, since no member of her tribe had ever come this way before. Later she smelt smoke which seemed to come from a nearby hill. She went there and found that the smoke was coming from a cave. Twenty metres in from the entrance she came upon a woman sitting by a fire. Hineamaru learned that she was Roku, a runaway wife from another tribe.  Roku was returned to her tribe in order to avoid a war between the two tribes.  Since that time the Kawiti family have owned these caves and they hold them in high regard for the ancestral heritage.

As we got deeper into the cave, we turned off all the lights and were greeted by an awesome display of tiny specs of light on the ceiling and along the walls.  These were the glow worms, which live in these caves.  Glow worms are not actually worms but the larvae of gnats. Glow worms are bioluminescent. They produce and emit light naturally from an organ near their tails that is similar to a human kidney. The bioluminescence is created through a reaction a variety of internal chemicals that cause this natural, blue-green glow.  Beyond being pretty to look at, the bioluminescent glow is also used to attract prey. Smaller insects and flies are drawn to the light and fly towards it. The brighter the glow, the hungrier the glow worm is.

The descent back to tour bus took us down a very steep trail with some beautiful scenery. 

Unfortunately you can't take pictures inside the cave because of the harm it causes to the glow worms and also the tribal believe that the camera takes possession of their ancestral spirits.

This was a fascinating science lesson.

Next, we went to the town of Kawakawa, which is known for the Hundertwasser toilets. These public toiilets were designed especially for the town by  Austrian resident, Friedensreich Hundertwasser.  Our guide tried compare the design to buildings of Antoni Gaudí, the famous Spanish architect.  There is no comparison.  It was just an interesting side attraction.

Our last stop was the Te Waimate mission house.  This was a restored old house, with furniture dating back to the early 1800’s.  We were able to have an English afternoon tea with freshly baked scones.  This was a nice way to finish off the tour.

Tonight, the performer in the theatre on the boat was Nick Page.  He has sung in West London theatre, including the lead role in Les Miserables.  He has a strong voice and is also a very talented drummer.

For dinner I had sea food risotto and Marg had lamb. The food was good, which of course we expect from Celebrity.  Unfortunately, we had to wait 40 minutes for wine steward.  The was unbelievable and might rank up there with the worst service ever.  I talked to the head steward as did our group coordinator Coleen and we have been promised much better service tomorrow,  The wine selection is also not up to usual standards.  Mouton Cadet considered premium wine on this cruise.  Of course, this is one the cheapest Bordeaux wines you can buy in the LCBO and it is really just an ordinary table wine.

After dinner thee was a quiet disco night.  This is where everyone wears headphones tuned to different music and dances to their own beat.  It makes for an enjoyable night.