Waterfalls, birds under the rainbow and wild glowworm caves.

On our way up to the Far north of New Zealand during our September trip my partner and I made quite a few stops in the Waipu area. Waipu is a small town known for its Scottish heritage, at least according to the various advertisements by the roadside. In the 1850s, a group of Scottish settlers from Nova Scotia, Canada, decided to up and move to New Zealand and they still hold Highland games to this day. Since we did not stop in the town I cannot tell you how authentically Scottish all of that is, but I can tell you that the nature sights in the area were gorgeous, not very crowded and the perfect calm setting to get over jet-lag.

With gorgeous as the perfect segue for a bad pun, our first stop after several miles of gravel road was the Waipu gorge with Piroa falls. The waterfalls are accessible via a very short, literally 5 minute walk down from the road and are a popular swimming spot during the summer. We were there after heavy rainfall, so the water was a bit less picturesque than usual and the little bridge crossing was almost submerged, which is also why we could only observe the falls from the side. However, it was still a very nice spot worth stopping at and we might have stayed for a picnic if we hadn’t been interrupting a pair of local teenagers during heavy makeout session.

Waipu river gorge

Next up was the Waipu river mouth, a wildlife refuge where the river flows into the sea in Bream bay. It is a popular birdwatching spot and a vital conservation area for breeding shorebirds, rich with all sorts of molluscs and coastal plant life. There is a carpark right next to the beach access with detailed instructions on how not to disturb nesting birds during the season, but you can also find a full list of likely birds to see here. While we were there, we saw at least 5 different species, some of which were very loud and territorial over their chosen patch of sand. The seaside views were obviously beautiful in the late afternoon light and we even got lucky with a rainbow arch guiding us down the beach.

Waipu river mouth

The last stop on our list for the day were the Waipu caves, which are home to one of the largest colonies of glowworms, a type of gnat larvae that glow in the dark to attract their insect prey that are quite common in wet caves across New Zealand. The Waipu caves are one of several sites where you can see glowworms for free in the wild without taking an expensive guided tour on private land – although we did that as well and it is worth it, as I will show you in a future post. However, there is something magical and undeniably romantic about going into the caves on your own and watching the glowworms slowly appear on the ceiling like an underground constellation, as the evening outside grows darker and your eyes begin to adjust… Particularly if you are there out of season and have the caves entirely to yourself. 🙂

The Waipu caves are a public site maintained by the Department of Conservation, so there is a small carpark with a toilet a few metres from the entrance where you are allowed to spend the night in a contained campervan. They are karst-type limestone caves with lots of stalactites and stalagmites, but their main draw are the glowworms in 3 easily accessible chambers, connected by a small stream. Depending on the season and the rainfall, the stream will either be ankle-deep or knee-deep and you will need to cross it to get further into the caves, so be prepared to get wet and bring waterproof boots with good grip. A flashlight is also mandatory, because the caves are dark, muddy and slippery right from the entrance, however the track itself is not difficult.

Waipu caves with glowworms

As I mentioned we were there after a rainfall, so the stream was quite deep and we did not want to get our hiking shoes fully wet, so we did not cross further into the caves. I was strongly considering just embracing the mud and going barefoot to explore the caves, but my partner was already a bit tired and grumpy and I had read online about New Zealand’s large longfin eels that often live in cave streams – albeit harmless, I would have screamed for sure if one had slithered over my bare feet in the water. Having seen them at the other cave during the guided glowworm tour, I think I made the correct choice not to go barefoot, because they are black, large and icky. Lucky for us, there is a strong glowworm colony in the Waipu caves already in the first entrance chamber if you wait for it to get dark enough outside. Once the light from the entrance is no longer as agressively bright, the glowworms start to wink on if you look up at the ceiling and believe me, they are easy to recognise once you’ve seen them. The glowworms are quite impressive to see live, although taking a photo with a mobile phone is difficult without bringing a tripod. However, if you are in the Waipu caves during the day, you will have to go further into the caves to see anything and you can find a full cave walkthrough here.