Starry Night: Who lights up the Waitomo Caves?

New Zealand's Waitomo Caves is a complex of caves that is located on the North Island. In the Maori language, waitomo means "water passing through a hole".

The caves began to form millions of years ago at the bottom of an ancient sea. Corals and shells, skeletons of fish and small marine organisms have created a 200-meter limestone layer for centuries. After the limestones were exposed, the water began to "draw" grottos and passages, corridors and cavities inside them. As a result, a massive complex was formed, which includes about 150 caves and underground grottos.

The most famous caves of Waitomo are Ruakuri, Aranui and Gardners Gat. And the most beautiful is the Cave of Fireflies.

It is in it that the real magic is created, which is created by the mushroom mosquitoes Arachnocampa luminosa. They are endemic to New Zealand, meaning they are not found anywhere else in the world. The larvae of Arachnocampa luminosa for hunting weave long thin threads, dotted with sticky droplets, and attach them to the arches of the cave.

In order for the "dinner" to get caught in the net, the mosquitoes begin to highlight their traps. Thousands and thousands of luminous threads that entangle the vaults of the cave, resemble the starry sky. No wonder that tourists from all over the world are eager to see this spectacle with their own eyes.