"Glowworm, Glowworm, I'm a Worm I Glow"
Trip Start
May 22, 2005
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104
107
Trip End
Jan 22, 2006
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Coromandel Town,
New Zealand
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
1) On our way out of Rotorua we stopped by the Kiwi Experience to catch a quick glimpse of a kiwi-the flightless bristly brown bird that is the national symbol of New Zealand.
2) Glowworms can only be found in New Zealand and three states in Australia. When we found out about this little factoid we went out of our way to backtrack to make it to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. In the darkened caves we saw the tiny glowworms dangling in their thousands from the ceiling of the caves. Bioluminescence makes the glowworms glow. The entire lifespan of the glowworm is 11 months. For 6 to 7 months they live as glowing larvae on the end of a string. After the larvae stage they become flying insects which fly to the top of the caves in order to sacrifice themselves by getting stuck in the sticky strings of developing larvae to be eaten by their maturing siblings. The long drive was worth it and we left with singing a happy song: "Glowworm, glowworm, I'm a worm I glow." We made up the song. We have no excuse. We could make up an excuse but it wouldn't be very convincing.
3) Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty is kiwi fruit country. 80% of New Zealand's kiwi fruit is grown in this area. We stopped by the showroom of one of the main local producer to sample the golden fruit. When it came time to pay, their credit card machine was broken and, embarrassingly, we didn't have any cash. The friendly clerk smiled at us and gave us the kiwis for free along with a special kiwi eating tool. There is some Kiwi hospitality for you.
4) Before we left the Bay of Plenty we quickly stopped at Papomoa Beach, another beautifully pure New Zealand beach.
5) Coromandel Peninsula was where we spent our last night in New Zealand. The peninsula is a scenic finger of land that juts into the sea between Auckland and the Bay of Plenty. The road out to Coromandel was so twisty that even as the driver Paul felt a little nauseated. Coromandel was another beautiful sleepy town where we spent the night in a simple bed and breakfast. This isolated and stunning part of the North Island is the favourite retreat of burned out Aucklanders.
During our travels we had met many Australians and one Kiwi. Our Kiwi friend was adamant that New Zealand was unique and different from its larger cousin to the west. After spending time in both fascinating countries we agree. New Zealanders have definitely carved out their own unique and vibrant ethos. We will definitely come back to experience what we have been told is the even more spectacular South Island.
As a part of their unique ethos, New Zealanders have their own signature sayings and words. For instance ta is thank you, bach is a vacation house, bickies are cookies, doona is a duvet, rock melon is a cantaloupe, and lemonade is 7-Up.
