I slept for ten hours last night, and it was glorious. It's only 9pm in Auckland, which is 7pm in Sydney, but I feel like I could go to bed right now - however, I probably won't for a bit, since Nalini suggested that we get in her hot tub first. Life is hard.
Today was great, though. I got tons of sleep, then got up in time to shower and have some tea before hitting the road. Nalini drove me and her sister to Waitoma, which is about three hours away - there are some massive limestone caves there, which are full of glowworms, so we explored that. When we got to Waitoma we had lunch first - NZ is full of gluten free options, so I had some v. delightful gluten free chicken tenders that may have been worth the flight here. Then we did a 45min cave tour. This included a float on a rowboat through the darkness, which was the best way to see the glowworms - they've lit up the cave and their light reflects on the water below. I learned a lot about them, including the likelihood that the larvae (the glowing stage) eat their ancestors. Fun.
So, the trip through the earth was lovely, and it was super nice of Nalini to make the trek. Then we drove back to Auckland and picked up some takeout so that we could have a relaxing night by the fire here. I had a tiny bit of day job stuff that I absolutely had to do, so I did that while Nalini did some writing work. And now it's time for either hot tub or bed - we're going to do a bit of shopping and walking tomorrow, and then I fly back to the states tomorrow night. Goodnight!
Today was great, though. I got tons of sleep, then got up in time to shower and have some tea before hitting the road. Nalini drove me and her sister to Waitoma, which is about three hours away - there are some massive limestone caves there, which are full of glowworms, so we explored that. When we got to Waitoma we had lunch first - NZ is full of gluten free options, so I had some v. delightful gluten free chicken tenders that may have been worth the flight here. Then we did a 45min cave tour. This included a float on a rowboat through the darkness, which was the best way to see the glowworms - they've lit up the cave and their light reflects on the water below. I learned a lot about them, including the likelihood that the larvae (the glowing stage) eat their ancestors. Fun.
So, the trip through the earth was lovely, and it was super nice of Nalini to make the trek. Then we drove back to Auckland and picked up some takeout so that we could have a relaxing night by the fire here. I had a tiny bit of day job stuff that I absolutely had to do, so I did that while Nalini did some writing work. And now it's time for either hot tub or bed - we're going to do a bit of shopping and walking tomorrow, and then I fly back to the states tomorrow night. Goodnight!
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