Lonely Planet Asia August 2017

646464646444 AUGAUGAUGAUGUST 2017UGUSUUSTU 20200171711

MAKE IT HAPPEN

MIKE MACEACHERAN IN THE GLOWWORM CAVES

It was getting dark when photographer Justin Foulkes and I arrived at the

Waitomo Caves, the North Island’s labyrinthine system of caves,

caverns and underground rivers. Not that it mattered. We were

on an after-hours hunt for the luminescent glowworm, or Arach-

nocampa luminosa. Descending into the deepest of chambers

with local speleologist Angus Stubbs (pictured right), we soon

found ourselves recast as Gollums, knee-deep in water, and alone

in an echoey, pitch-black cavern: the perfect horror movie set. In such

darkness, it was an incredibly tricky shot for Justin to get – he needed around

20 minutes for each exposure to capture the startling worms nesting above our

heads. The whole set-up was made even stranger when Angus embarked on an

hour-long dummy’s guide to New Zealand’s history as we waited. We went in

blind and came out open-eyed in more ways than one.

MAP KEY

Auckland

Piha

Rotorua

Taupo

Turangi

Wai-O-Tapu

Waitomo Caves

ESSENTIALS

GETTING THERE

Air New Zealand and Singapore

Airlines fly direct, about 10 hours,

from Singapore (from £548;

airnewzealand.com). From Kuala

Lumpur, only Malaysia Airlines

offers direct flights, however, most

travellers usually take a connecting

flight from an Australian city to

Auckland (from £526;

malaysiaairlines.com).

GETTING AROUND

Auckland-based Classic Campers

rents out retro Volkswagen vans,

as well as people-carriers, 4WD

Transporters and Mazda Bongos.

Rates for a classic VW camper start

at £85 per day for a week’s rental

(classic-campers.com). Modern

models are cheaper, and discounts

are offered for longer hire periods.

Insurance and GPS cost extra.

New Zealand has a broad network

of Department of Conservation

campsites and holiday parks that

are geared up for campervan stays.

For more information on where to

park up for the night and about

recent restrictions on freedom

camping, see camping.org.nz.

The North Island is bigger than

Scotland and Wales combined,

and with plenty of single-track

roads, you should factor in extra

time. This anti-clockwise route

is roughly 550 miles from start

to finish. Plan to spend at least

a week out on the road, but

considering the long flight from

the UK, a fortnight’s trip will be

far more rewarding.

FURTHER INFO

Pick up our New

Zealand guide

(£16.99) and see

newzealand.com

for help on trip

planning.

64 AUGUST 2017