New Zealand's unique 'glowworms'

Located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, the Waitomo Glowworm Caves are one of New Zealand's most famous natural wonders. The cave was formed about 15,000 years ago and is a very rare active limestone cave. Originally, there was a small lake on top of the cave that was frozen over. Later, due to climate change, the ice and snow gradually receded, flowing into the cracks of the limestone layer below, slowly eroding into a cave. Since it is still relatively young in geological terms, with water flowing inside and the cave still expanding, it is referred to as an active rock cave. Legend has it that in 1887, a local Maori chief named Tane Tinorau and an English surveyor named Fred Mace were the first to enter the Glowworm Cave. They made a raft out of flax stalks and used candles for lighting, heading towards the bottom of the cave along a small stream. Once their eyes adjusted to the dark environment, they were amazed to find countless shining points reflected on the water's surface. Upon closer inspection, they realized that the cave walls were covered with thousands of glowworms, and those strange points of light were emitted by them. The glowworms exude beads of sticky mucus, one after another, and emit a blue luminescence from their tails, scattered across the upper reaches of the deep cave, resembling a mesmerizing scene of a star-filled sky. ……… Now, in order to better protect the growth environment, photography is not allowed inside the entire cave🙅