Location and Formation

Location

The beautiful Waitomo Glowworm caves are relatively located on the North Island of New Zealand, in the region referred to as northern King Country. Their actual coordinates are 38°15.58′S latitude and 175°06.84′E longitude. 

Source: Google Maps
This map shows the area of Waitomo where the caves are located. The area is outlined and tinted in red.

The Waitomo area is small, in relation to the rest of the island, but the area is a popular ground for tourists and adventure-seekers.

Source: CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=603482
This photo shows the overhead entrance into the caves surrounded by beautiful plants.

Above you see the entrance to the cave which is a significant obstacle to tourism because its location hinders accessibility. The entrance is located on top of a series of hills. This means, to enter the cave, tour groups descend either by rope or by ladder into the narrow cavity, which may not appeal to those with physical disabilities or claustrophobia. The caves are also too narrow to fit a large boat for tours so the tour agencies make do with the use of either personal rafts or small boats that can only accommodate a handful of people. As a result, the tours fill up quickly. Additionally, there is no possibility of night tours because of safety precautions, so all the groups must pass through the cave in the day time only.

Formation

The caves were formed on an earthquake fault. A fault, according to the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program's Earthquake Glossary, is "a fracture along which the blocks of crust on either side have moved relative to one another parallel to the fracture". This makes it possible for the rain that is responsible for creating the limestone crystals to enter the cave from above. 

Source: Western States Seismic Policy Council
This graphic shows an earthquake fault to explain the formation of the caves. An earthquake occurs along a fault in the Earth. The place where this quake occurs is called the focus. The relative location to the focus on the Earth's surface is its epicenter. This earthquake causes the weak fault to rupture further, creating a cavity.  

Limestone crystals are part of the Earth's process of decreasing carbon dioxide to regulate its average temperature. In this process, some of the carbon dioxide on Earth solidifies, in the form of limestone and dolomite, and stays there until the Earth needs to use it again.

Extra Cool Video

This video on YouTube by National Geographic lets you take a 360 degree look at the inside of the Waitomo Caves. Enjoy! 

Source: YouTube

 References Visual Media

B. (2016, October 18). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjqGlLVIAtg

Handbook [Photograph found in Earthquake Size and Severity, Western States Seismic Policy Council]. (2008, February 24). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from http://www.wsspc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Handbook_FINAL_New.pdf

Map of Waitomo Area [Map]. (n.d.). In Google Maps. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://www.google.com/maps/place/Waitomo, New Zealand/@-38.2393291,174.927485,11z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x6d6cb7b215429a03:0x500ef6143a316b0!8m2!3d-38.2615305!4d175.1145451!5m1!1e4

Shook, J. (2014, December 30). Waitomo Cave Entrance. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=603482 (Originally photographed 2005, October 19)

References Articles

Earthquake Glossary - fault. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?term=fault

Waitomo Caves. (2017, February 17). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitomo_Caves

Waitomo Caves, Waikato. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz56788/Waitomo-Caves/

Waitomo Glowworm Caves. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from http://www.waitomo.com/Waitomo-Glowworm-Caves/Pages/default.aspx