The Waitomo caves
By Yasmeena and Karina
What the Waitomo glow worm cave?
The Waitomo glow worm cave is cave located in Waikato, New Zealand.The Waitomo Cave is one of New Zealand’s biggest attractions.Since there are millions of glow worms living inside the cave, that cave appears to be glowing with green light. The cave was founded in December 1887 by 2 men, Tane Tinorau and Fred Mace, they had built a raft and floated into the cave, when they entered the cave they saw a myriad of lights reflecting off the water. Looking up they saw that the ceiling was lighted of thousands of glowworms. The underground caves are home to the famous Waitomo glowworms, tiny creatures that radiate their luminescent light.
According to openwaikato.co.nz, the temperature in Waikato differs on the season. In the graph below, it shows the ranges of weather for each season. Since New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, it’s summer in December and winter in June. We are in the northern hemisphere, it’s summer in June and winter in December. The people of Waikato noticed these changes and grow and harvest there crops accordingly. Like with any other place in the world, they have to make sure they are ready for winter comes even though it rarely snows. As you can tell by the graph, Waikato’s summers can be very hot. Things like working air conditioning and fans are a necessity. One way people have adapted to the climate in Waikato is by making sure their appliances are working in both the cold weather and hot weather.
The tourism in New Zealand boomed when introducing the Waitomo Glowworm Cave. With all the tourists visiting the caves, the city of Waikato can use the money earned for things that Waikato needs like schools and resources and paying for new roads and repairing buildings. This can help the economy in a great way. New Zealand has also used the Waitomo Caves as a learning opportunity. Students and researchers can study the history of the caves, learn about the glow worms and different geographic perspectives The people of Waikato can also mine for rocks and minerals creating jobs for many people who need employment. This will employ so many people and help the economy. The Waitomo cave has brought a lot of good to Waitomo.
According to Waitomocaves.com, limestone in this area was formed 30 million years ago when Waitomo was under the sea. Shells, fossilized corals, seashells, fish skeletons, and many small marine organisms on the sea beds accumulated on the seafloor. Over time these thick layers of shells were buried and compressed together to create limestone. In time, movements in the earth’s crust lifted the limestone above sea-level. Cracks and weaknesses were created in the limestone, providing tiny channels through which water could begin to flow. The Waitomo caves have a lot of interesting history and took a long time to form, it truly is a beautiful sight.