May 16, 2013
One excursion I really wanted to do before we left was to go see the glowworms at McLaren Falls Park, a 420-acre lake land park a few miles outside of Tauranga. Fall is the perfect time to look for glowworms because it gets dark so much earlier.
As we drove through the park I was amazed at how beautiful it was (although I shouldn’t have been surprised–the most minor sights here are generally in remarkably beautiful settings). I made a mental note to come back here during the day, but for now the sun was setting and we were here to look for glowworms. We located the recommended trail and were relieved to see a map. The trail does a loop to the waterfall and back, and it would not be a long walk.
We set out on the trail in dusky bluish light, and it was amazingly beautiful, with that foresty, ferny, mossy beauty that New Zealand does best. We made it to the waterfall which was small but very picturesque. It was still twilight but getting darker, and the glowworms were rumored to be on the upcoming part of the trail. We didn’t really know where to look and just planned to keep a sharp eye out. They look like fireflies but are affixed to surfaces and not moving.
Rich was the one who spotted them first, in a huge hollowed-out tree above our path. We looked in and saw what looked like a starry night sky inside the tree. As it got darker they glowed brighter. We continued on the trail and started to see more and more, coming across impressive batches of glowworms in dark areas but also seeing them increasingly amid the foliage, especially along the river bank. As we moved, the vegetation gave the appearance that the lights were blinking. It was magical, like being amid fairy lights in this beautiful forest.
When we neared the end of the path, the glowworms petered out, and we used Rich’s (now working) phone as a flashlight. We got in the car and now had to find our way out of the park. We drove along the lake and there was still enough light to see and enjoy that. There was a moment of worry when we arrived at the main gate and saw it was closed, but thankfully it opens automatically for cars coming out of the park. I loved McLaren Falls Park but did not feel like spending the night there in our car.
Below are pictures from our hike on the trail in McLaren Falls Park. It was getting dark and since I didn’t have a tripod, one of the pictures is a little fuzzy but it still gives a feeling for the place. It was too dark to get a good picture of the glowworms, but we got one picture of a few that shows their bluish light. –Cyndi
