Te Ana-au Glow Worm Caves

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Cueva descubierta en 1947 por Lawson Burrows. Gorgblau2003 - 16/07/2025

The name "Waitomo" comes from the Māori words wai, water and tomo, hole or shaft. In 1884, a local Māori, Tane Tinorau, showed surveyors Laurence Cussen and Fred Mace the entrance where the Waitomo Stream enters the cave. Māori had known about the cave for about a century, but there is no evidence that they had ventured inside it. In December 1887, Tinorau and Mace built a raft and entered the cave where the Waitomo Stream goes underground (now the cave's tourist exit), exploring by candlelight. As they began their journey, they came across the Glowworm Grotto and were amazed by the twinkling glow coming from the ceiling. As they travelled further into the cave by poling themselves towards an embankment, they were also astounded by the limestone formations. These formations surrounded them in all shapes and sizes. Tinorau and Mace, accompanied by others, explored further in February 1888. Tinorau independently discovered the upper level entrance to the cave, which is now the visitor entrance. Visitor access improved when the railway was extended to Ōtorohanga in 1887, and a road from the station at Hangatiki was built early in 1890. By 1889, Tinorau and his wife Huti had opened the cave to visitors and were leading groups for a fee. Visitors were taken inside the cave by canoe and landed on the shore inside, then accessed areas of the cave via ladders 25 ft long. After touring the cave the visitors were led out at the top opening, "50 ft above the water". Thomas Humphries (Commissioner of Crown Lands and Chief Surveyor of Auckland 1889 – 1891) did a full study in 1889, noting that graffiti had already been inscribed on the "most delicate portions" of the cave. He noted that "the natives are now taking great care of the caves", but recommended that government take over the cave to provide more visitor facilities. In 1891, the government-appointed caretaker stated that more than 500 tourists had visited the cave during the first 18 months. There was an escalation in vandalism in the following years, so after years of attempts to buy the cave, the government used the Scenery Preservation Act 1903 and the Public Works Act 1905 to take it over for £625 in 1905. Electric lighting was installed in the cave in 1926. Prior to this, visitors had used candles, hurricane lamps, acetylene torches or magnesium flares to light their way.[18] In 1909 the government built the Waitomo Caves Hotel to house increasing numbers of visitors. Tourist Hotel Corporation, a state-owned business, took over in 1957. The hotel was sold to Southern Pacific Hotels Corporation in 1990 and, in 1994, they agreed a licence for the cave with DOC and the Māori owners, selling it to Tourism Holdings Limited in 1996. In 1989, the land and cave were returned to the original owners of the land, including descendants of Tane Tinorau and Huti who comprise many of the employees of the caves today. The descendants receive a percentage of the cave's revenue and are involved in its management and development under the 1990 Waitomo Deed of Settlement. Source : * Article "Waitomo Glowworm Cave" in the Free Encyclopedia Wikipedia, in English : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitomo_Glowworm_Cave BTH - 29/06/2026