Rest Day and...GLOWWORMS!

If you have been reading carefully (*ahem*Chuck*ahem*), then you will recall that one of my goals was to ensure that this trip was restful and relaxing. To that end, we made sure to leave an unplanned day between the busier ones.  Tuesday was such a day.  We spent much of the day resting and computing. See?

This was actually quite fortuitous, as Kee-Min had contracted a small cold (Mommas Ngiam and Kuzmiak: Stop worrying.  It was a SMALL cold.  We are both FINE.  The only reason he’s sitting in bed, honestly, is because this hotel room was tidy and clean, but VERY small.  The bed pretty much the only available place to hang out.), and so a day of rest was welcome.  We uploaded photos, did a bit of trip planning, updated the blog, etc, etc.

I also learned that you CAN, in fact, hard boil eggs in an electric kettle:

The trick, though, is to make sure you boil the water with the eggs in it.  You may lose a few to crackage, due to exuberant boiling, but if you add them after the water is already hot, they won't cook all the way.  Filed under: "Minimalist Cooking Tips".

Finally, around 3 PM, we ventured outside to go to...THE GLOWWORM CAVES.  Ever since I began researching New Zealand, I had been reading about these caves, and I really wanted to go.  Like, really REALLY wanted to go. They exist in quite a few places around New Zealand, and there is one right across the lake from Te Anau.  Since we had a bit of time in the afternoon, we decided that Tuesday was Glowworm Day.  I was elated.  So, we purchased our tickets and set out.  The boat in the background is actually NOT the one we took to the caves.  Ours was much larger.  But this is me, excited about glowworms:

The glowworms in Te Anau were discovered by a caver in 1953, and he quickly turned the discovery into a commercial enterprise. Basically, we only needed to go a short way into the extensive Te Anau cave system to catch these awesome little guys in action. We walked a short way (in the mostly dark, over wet rock & platforms that would NEVER have been permitted in the US), and started to see them.  I'd show you a picture, but we couldn't take photos.  None of them would have turned out, anyway - but basically, it was pitch black, and there were tiny pinpricks of green glow all over the sides and ceiling.

As we walked further in, they became more dense.  Eventually, we hopped on a small boat, and our guide pulled us deeper into the cave (on a rope system, so we didn't need any light).  Glowworms are sensitive to both light and sound, and it was surreal traveling deeper in the cave, hearing only the rush of the waterfalls and rivers in the cave.  Soon, the little glowing guys were everywhere, and what a site it was!

Nature is amazing.  These glowworms (family Mycetophilidae for my bug lovers) actually aren't worms at all - they are the larveal stage of a fly.  Eggs hatch into larvae.  The insects live in the larval form for ~9 months, during which time their primary job is to EAT.  Basically, they drop strings of web-like material with a paralyzing liquid (the droplets) from the cave around them.  

Photo Credit: Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand

The "glow" comes from a chemical reaction in their intestines - luciferase, for my science geeks:

Photo Credit: Blogger Noble managed to grab an actual photo

The bugs that are attracted to the glow then get caught in the strings dropped by the glowworm (which are impossible to see in the dark).  The glowworm then injects an enzyme into its captured prey that liquefies it for food, much like a spider does.  Eventually, the larvae cocoons and emerges as a fungus fly.  The flies have no digestive system, so are fueled only by the nutrients consumed in the larval stage.  The fly lives only 2-3 days, during which it mates, then dies (or, in the case of females, mates, lays eggs, and dies).  Quite the life, those glowworms have!

Glowworms, thanks for sharing your awesome science with us!!

Afterward, we stopped at the only Food Truck in Te Anau: Mainly Seafood.  It ranks #1 for Places To Eat in Te Anau on Trip Advisor.  We wanted to be properly fueled for our 2-day kayak trip, so we enjoyed some seafood chowder and plenty of fried deliciousness (fish and chips).  AND...they even had vinegar!  Kee-Min said this was for the fish.  I insisted on putting it on my fries.  Thank you, New Jersey Shore, and Mom, for teaching me about this fabulous combination.

Do you see the horrible view we found on the road opposite the food truck?  Come on, NZ, you disappoint at every turn...

And with that, we headed back to the hotel to pack our stuff, and pack up for our 2 day kayak adventure!