Classic Cars and Glowworms

We had a bit more of a laid back morning today as we didn’t have anything booked until later in the day. This gave us a bit of free time in the morning, so we decided to go the Classics Museum.

We left the house just before 11am and headed over to Lake Rotoroa / Hamilton Lake. The lake reminded me a lot of Poole Park back home in England, although there appeared to be a lot more facilities and everything was spotlessly clean and well maintained.

We parked up near the Verandah Cafe, picked up some drinks and snacks, and found a nice table outside overlooking the lake and play area. The kids couldn’t resist having a go on the extensive array of play activities, including lots of water runs, roundabouts, climbing frame and of course swings.

I think the kids would have been happy spending the whole day Lake Rotoroa / Hamilton Lake. We only visited a small part of the park but there is plenty of space for picnics and walks around the lake.

However, it was getting close to lunch time and the weather was a bit warm to be running around outside so we got back in the van to head over to the Classics Museum.

Onsite at the Classics Museum is Jukebox Diner, which is an American-style diner. Before going around the musuem, we all ordered some classic American fayre (burgers, hotdogs, and all-day breakfasts) and washed it down with thick milkshakes topped with cream.

The museum itself was excellent. Lots of classic cars (mostly from New Zealand and USA, but also some classic British and European cars) and memorabilia. What the photos can’t capture is the unmistakeable smell - a mix of motor oil, petrol and car polish I imagine. It sends you back to the bygone days when you might have seen cars like this on the roads.

My personal favourite was the red 1957 Chevy Corvette. As Ems pointed out, it reminded me of the car that S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson drives (although this was the wrong year, and presumably doesn’t have a flight mode).

There is so much to see at the Classics Museum that you could easily spend hours in there, but as we had a booking for later in the day we had to move on. After a brief stop back at our accomodation we were back on the road heading towards Waitomo.

Waitomo is world famous for its caves, and the glowworms that live there. I had been on a visit to a glowworm cave on a previous trip to New Zealand, and it was a highlight of my trip so I was very excited to be sharing this with the others who had not been before.

As we neared Waitomo area we took a different route though. Dad and Jo had prebooked a Glowworm Cave tour as a treat for the group, and had chosen a different tour company than the main one in Waitomo town where I had previously been.

I was a bit hesitant as the route looked a lot less well-traveled. As we pulled up at the cabin to check in for our tour, it was clear that this was on a different scale to what I had experienced before.

However, this turned out to be very much a good thing. Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tour don’t have as much capacity as the more well-known tour operators, but this means that they offer a much more personal (in my opinion) tour. Our guide made the whole group feel welcome and took time to explain about the cave system and the lifecycle of the glowworms. He explained what we were going to do and made sure that we were comfortable and safe.

The caves are naturally very dark, and the main glowworm viewing is from a boat on the water underground, so if you’re afraid of the dark or confined spaces then this tour might not be for you, but you can still experience the glowworms without going on the boat trip. The boat trip itself is repeated. On the first trip cameras aren’t allowed; this allows your eyes to adjust to the darkness and encourages you to take in the full experience. On the second trip the guide stops in a number of places for photo opportunities.

It’s difficult to capture the amazing sight of millions of tiny glowworms surrounding you as you float along an underground river, but it’s something that I would highly recommend experiencing.

I’m really glad that we booked with Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tour. Don’t get me wrong, the other operator is also very good, but I definitely preferred this tour.

After the tour was done, we headed back towards Waitomo town. We chose to take a route via Ruakuri Bushwalk so we could stop at the picnic area for food, but just a heads up that if you go that way most of the road is gravel roads and it’s rather rocky / dusty!

That was such a fun-filled day, but we know we’ve got an early start tomorrow so we head back home for some rest.