Queenstown to Glow Worms! February 21, 2026

Getting out of Queenstown was not as easy as we might have anticipated.  There is a great deal of construction, and some roads were closed. The route we had to take took us up those 20% grades hills, and down narrow streets where people were parked on both sides of the street. There were even boats parked on the street. I don't think a lot of people have garages here, or driveways. The drive to Te Anau was beautiful, and we stopped at a few turn outs and town's on our way.

On the road to Te Anau

Anyway, we did make our way out of town, headed for Te Anau, a small town on Lake Te Anau, an area that is home to glow worm caves. Glow-worms are not actually worms, but  larvae of a fungus gnat. They inhabit damp areas like caves, stream banks, and forests, using a blue-green light produced by a chemical reaction in their tail to attract prey into sticky silk threads. So you can see these in the dark-- kind of like fireflies.

We arrived in Te Anau to threatening skies. But rain did hold off. We boarded a boat that took us across Lake Te Anau to the site of the caves. We then walked a path that took us through the rainforest to the caves. Since they don't allow photography in the dark caves,

I only managed a few pictures. In the cave, we followed a path that required up to stoop low (maybe 5 feet high) twice, and that led to a boat landing , and the 13 of us on this tour boarded. It was a VERY small boat. Ray was the last to board, and his knees barely fit to allow him to sit. Once the boat entered the dark cave, sure enough you could see clusters of blue lights on the ceiling, and what looked like veils ( the worm sticky traps) on the ceiling as well. It was interesting, and strange. I would have liked to tour the cave itself with a bit more light, because there was a rushing stream through it and the walls (as much as we could see of them) had fascinating grooves and pockets. 

After the glow worms, we went to dinner in town, walking in the rain that finally arrived. Te Anau has a population of about 2,900 people that grows to over 10,000 in summer (December to March). There are 25 restaurants in town, so there was a lot to choose from, although many require reservations if you want to eat before 8 o'clock. We have found the food in NZ to be very good, with fresh ingredients. But side dishes are mostly French fries. 

Our accommodations are wonderful, we have a full kitchen and living area, and our room looks out on the lake.

Photos here: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/s4ShZQb5VmQFzY6h7