Waitomo

In Waitomo we visited a pretty eccentric guy who ran a motel made up of an old ship, a hobbit village and a bomber plane. It was too expensive for us to justify staying the night, but it was really weird having a look around them. Very quirky!

We did quite a bit of walking in Waitomo. First to visit was the Mangapohue Natural Bridge. This arch bridge was once the roof of a cave that has now collapsed to create a gorge, and the arch is all that is left.

We then took our torches and explored the Piri Piri Cave...........no chicken inside though! :-)
This cave has not been commercialised like the others so you are free to explore for yourself. It was pitch black though, and taking photos was pretty much point, take a guess, then set off the flash.

 There were beautiful rock formations on the floor and roof, extended as far as the torch would light.

Marokapa falls has 30m of plunging foamy waters, and is a frequent backdrop to the TV series Hercules. I loved that programme as a kid, prime Sunday TV watching. :-) Stuart couldn't help but strike a Herculean pose with a beautiful rainbow in the background.