Tirau

Lake Karapiro Lodge was not easy to find. Nevertheless, it was very much worth finding. Eddie and Ann were delightful, very knowledgeable about the area, and had many stories of their own adventures.  In addition to a stunning view (from the main house), there were fruit trees and flowers everywhere. We stayed in the barn across from the main house-this gave us lots of space but limited wifi. The local i-Site and wool shop were built to look like a dog and sheep.

Based on Eddie and Ann’s suggestion, we walked along the Karapiro Lake and biked across the Apapuni Swing Bridge.  It was very hot and the bike ride was a little more challenging than we expected. The paths were well established, hilly and narrow.

Eddie and Ann also recommended a kayaking tour with Lake District Adventures as a fun way to see glowworms. At dusk, we kayaked upstream and then waited for the sun to set.  Once dark, we floated back in silence. The rocks along the river bank sparkled with glowworms.  The guides gave nicknames to each of glow worm areas like: the skyscraper, the condos and the Milky Way. It was a toss up which was more spectacular views—the glowworms or the night sky because we were surrounded by pinpricks of lights. In hindsite, this was our favorite glowworm tour. 

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The lodge was about an hour away from the famous Waitomo Glowworms Caves. Waitomo is a Maori word made up of “wai” meaning water and “tomo” meaning entrance or hole. The Waitomo limestone caves are big. Some of the walls are 656 feet thick walls and the cathedral (the largest cavern) is 46 meters in height with world-renowned acoustics.  No one wanted to sing so the guide sang happy birthday.  After our group toured in the caves, we boarded boats and traveled downstream to the infamous glowworm grotto. There were many tourists (around 40) but once on the boat it was very serene and peaceful. There are three well-known caves in the area. We also toured the Ruakuri Cave.  This cave was originally used as a burial ground and is protected by an impressive spiral entrance that is reminiscent to the Guggenheim In NYC.  Ruakuri can be broken into “rua” meaning den and “Kauri” meaning dog.  It was rumored that a young Maori was hunting and was attached by dogs just outside the  entrance.  The tour guide of 12 guests was informative and gave an up close look at caves and the glowworms. (No photos of glowworms allowed).

We made a special stop on the way to the caves.  Sunshine had read about a tree church in Ohuapo. We had lost track of days, so when the website said it was only open on Sundays, we were a little disappointed.  As we were heading off to the car, we realized it was Sunday! What an impressive home garden designed by Barry Cox set amoung three acres as a personal place of contemplation.