On New Zealand’s North Island, deep beneath rolling green hills, the Waitomo Caves glow with an otherworldly light. Thousands of glowworms (Arachnocampa luminosa), found only in New Zealand, cling to the cave ceilings and spin down delicate silk threads. Each larva emits a blue-green glow that lures insects toward the dangling strands, a deadly light trap in the dark.
When seen together, the glowworms create a vision like no other: a glittering galaxy stretched across stone vaults, mirrored in the still water below. Visitors drifting by boat through the caves describe it as sailing beneath a subterranean night sky.
Cast your vote for next week's newsletter!
From Māori Knowledge to Discovery
The caves were long known to the local Māori, who regarded them with respect and awe. In 1887, Māori chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor Fred Mace explored the caves by raft, carrying candles to guide them. Their accounts soon drew curious travelers, and the glowworm caves quickly became one of New Zealand’s most celebrated natural wonders.
How the Glowworms Shine
The light is pure bioluminescence, created by a chemical reaction involving luciferin, luciferase, ATP, and oxygen. It serves two purposes: to lure prey into the sticky silk snares and to rid the larvae’s bodies of waste products. Glowworms glow brightest when hungry, and in times of scarcity they will even cannibalize one another to survive.
The larval stage can last up to a year, while the adult glowworm lives only a few days, just long enough to reproduce and begin the cycle again.
Beneath the Living Lights
Guided tours today carry visitors silently by boat through the glowworm grotto. The ceiling sparkles with thousands of living lights, reflections shimmering on the underground river. It is an experience both scientific and magical, where biology becomes starlight in the dark.
Until next time,
Emails From Afar Team
Want more Emails From Afar?
Join our premium tier and receive the following:
A weekly bonus email
Receive one extra dispatch per week, just for premium readers.
Automatic entries into our monthly giveaways
Journals, luggage, coffee table books, travel giveaways, and more.
An ad-free read
What is our sister publication, Letters From Afar?
While this newsletter brings you the magic, the strange, and the downright odd by email, Letters From Afar takes it a step further—with real letters sent through the mail.
Our snail mail subscription whisks you away to the world’s most exciting destinations, one handwritten letter at a time.
Written from the perspective of an explorer from the past, each letter invites you to journey to distant lands through the most old-world form of communication: a letter delivered to your door.
