WAITOMO CAVE

                                       Glow Worms Everywhere

     In New Zealand, Waitomo Cave is more commonly known as the glow worm grotto/cave. Waitomo is derived from two Maori words; wai meaning water and tomo meaning cave. In the area of the cave the Waitomo River vanishes into the hillside.

     A New Zealand Mountie along with a British surveyor discovered the cave in 1887. They rafted down the river but could only go halfway into the cave, Two weeks later they discovered the present entrance, and in 1889 the first public tour of the cave took place.

     A glowworm is different from a firefly. The light from a glowworm is less then that from a firefly, but multiplied by thousands the sight is spectacular!

     I learned the lifespan of the glowworm is only eleven months, and there are four stages. First is the egg which turns to larvae, then to a cocoon and finally to a fly. The glow comes from the larvae suspended from the ceiling. Dangling filaments of sticky beads snares the prey. Chemical oxidation creates the glow.

     After touring the cave we boarded a  boat to float quietly through the grotto where thousands of worm larvae hung suspended from the ceiling. Picture taking of this magnificent rainbow of color was forbidden. While floating everyone was as quiet as a church mouse with heads turned upward to view the fantastic glowing colors.

     There was no smelly engines on the boats as quiet electric engines guided the boats through the grotto. I could have taken that boat ride again and again!

CORNWALL TIN MINE

                                          A Claustrophobic Mine

      Once Cornwall, England was the tin center of Europe when tin mining was the lifeblood of the small communities in the area. The landscape is dotted with stacks of the old mines.

     As claustrophobic as I am, my children can’t believe that I actually went underground to visit the Geevor Tin Mine. In 1911 Geevor opened an old mine; the Victory shaft was sunk in 1919 and extended 1575 feet into the ground. In 1965 three mines combined for a total of two square miles. In 1975-80 a 1:4 gradient shaft was added under the ocean. Only ten percent of the rock mined is turned into tin ore. It takes 24-30 hours to get the rock ready for the smelters. Iron, copper and arsenic are also found in the rock.

     In 1985 the price of tin dropped 60% overnight. The Geevor mine,  containing 160 miles of tunnel, continued to operate five years longer but closed in 1990. At that time it employed 370 men, 130 of whom worked  underground.. All the workers lived within a 7-10 mile radius of the mine, but after the mine’s closing many of the men moved overseas to work in mines elsewhere.

     Mining was men’s work, No women were allowed in the mines. Years ago boys as young as 8-years old were sent into the mines. Many mines were a family enterprise.  Totally dark in the mines, candles provided the only light, Each miner supplied all his own equipment and tools. He was paid for what he produced; there were no hourly wages or any sick time. Miners often stayed in the mine 10-12 hours in cramped positions—from dawn to nightfall. They suffered poor eyesight and had a life-span of only 40 years.  Many died of tuberculosis. Mining was rock, darkness, and water. It was one very hard life!

     In 1991 they started flooding the under-ocean mine. It took 3 ½ years to bring the water to sea level. In 1993 part of the mine opened as a museum.

    This was neither my first nor last mine or cave adventure, but it was perhaps the darkest. For this trek we all put on hard hats and mid-calf length smocks before entering the mine. The narrow pathway necessitated single file with each of us holding onto the waist of the person in front of  us as we wove our way through the tunnel. Bumping heads and elbows happened often!  The guide in front had the only flashlight (torch in England). I did a lot of silent self-talk to remain calm during this experience. I was one happy camper to see daylight!         

OLD ZOOS

     My California travel buddy, who I met in the Swiss Alps, was an LA zoo docent, so we visited many zoos in our travels. In return she accommodated me with my floral clocks and botanical gardens. We each learned a lot from the other.

     The oldest zoo in the world, Tiergarten, was built in 1752 at Schonbrunn Palace in Austria, just outside Vienna. It was designed around the Emperor’s breakfast pavilion, so he could enjoy the animals along with his morning chocolate. On a very hot day, after walking about the zoo, we decided to have lunch in the pavilion, now a small restaurant.

     Many animals were gifts from European nobility and diplomats from all over the world. In 1828 the first giraffe and first elephant born in captivity were born at Tiergarten. How exciting that must have been!  Even on a hot afternoon the lions, leopards, and black panthers were active and passed only a few feet away behind heavy glass.

     The zoo went under government control in 1921, but in 1991 again became a private enterprise. Today the zoo is actively involved in the protection of threatened species.

     On another European trip we visited the Budapest zoo on a quiet Sunday afternoon. This zoo dates to 1866. Besides the hundreds of mammals, even more birds and reptiles are residents, plus the complex also includes  a large botanical garden, and includes 69 buildings. The elephant house, modeled after a Turkish Mosque was really beautiful.

     Here I saw some new animals which my zoo docent friend was able to explain and identify for me. Of course all the signs and map were in Hungarian.  A couple of  times we were a bit confused as to where we were so we looked for a young male to seek help. Both times we were just around the corner from where we wanted to be. In Europe look for a teenage boy or young man as they almost always speak English—that tid bit never failed us when traveling.

    At the Edinburgh zoo we were having trouble finding the painted hunting dogs. Eventually we spotted a fellow who we thought was a zoo employee. We asked if was familiar with the zoo layout, and then showed him the map and what we were looking for. He stopped what he was doing and trotted all over the zoo until he found the dogs for us. We double stepped to keep up with him and thanked him for his help. Then he told us he was the insurance inspector doing his annual inspection. Just  another example how we found friendly and helpful people everywhere we traveled.   We spent half a day in each of these zoos and I certainly wouldn’t mind visiting them again.

AMERICA'S ONLY PALACE

                                        Iolani Palace

      I normally don’t post U.S. sites or events, but this one I feel is important.  We lived a decade in Hawaii, in fact the children, for all practical purposes, grew up there.  As we were leaving the islands,  restoration of the only palace in the United States was in progress. Hawaii is a very popular vacation destination and when I get to taking to returnees I almost always get a NO from them in answer to my question, “Did you visit Iolani Palace 

     Many know about the lavish abodes of our early wealthy merchants in Newport and other areas. They certainly could be in the palace category; although rich and in a category of their own, they were not royalty.

     Iolani Palace in what is now downtown Honolulu was the official residence of King Kalakaua from 1882 until his death in 1891. Then his sister, Queen Liliuokalani resided there until 1893 when the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown.

     The present palace was started in 1879 and completed in 1882 at a cost of $360.000 and is close to the previous one that termites managed to destroy.

      The Royal family’s living quarters were on the second floor, while the first floor was used for formal functions. The kitchen, storerooms and household  offices were in the basement. The attic provided space for cooling the palace.  In 1883 the coronation of King Kalakaua and his consort Queen Kapiolani was held in the Palace on the King’s 50^th birthday.

      Between 1893-1968 Iolani Palace was used as the capitol for the Republic, the Territory and finally the State of Hawaii.  When the new capitol building was completed in 1969, the palace was vacated and its restoration began.

     On the ground level a beautiful wide staircase leading to the second floor dominates the wide hall that runs the whole length of the  building. Built of Hawaiian woods, the staircase gracefully curves as it approaches the second floor.  The throne room, decorated in crimson and gold was the scene of royal audiences, balls and receptions.

     Across the hall the Blue Room was for informal audiences and small receptions. Large pictures of the Royal family are displayed throughout the Palace.

     The palace is on the city bus route. Parking, if driving, is tight but doable. Individual headphones contain much information and allow one to wander the palace at your own pace, a big improvement to a crowd listening to a history lecture by a docent.

A GHOST STORY

                                       Haunted Hotel

     One day talking to my granddaughter she told me she wasn’t sure how she felt about ghosts, but she  certainly believed in angels. That reminded me of the ghost story at one of the Sydney, Australia hotels where I stayed.

     I found the  story framed on the wall of my room. It explained that the second part of the building had been built of sandstone with Georgian flattened brick arches over the windows. Built the terrace houses were known as Scarlett’s Cottages. Scarlett, a well known lady of the night, lived and died in the area.

     I asked reception for a copy of the story which they happily gave to me and is still in my scrapbook. It stated that Scarlett was Eric’s one true love, but although in a moment of thoughtlessness she declared her love for him, she did not mean it. However, Eric died before learning of Scarlett’s lie.  It is said to this day Eric wanders the halls and rooms of the cottages searching and calling for Scarlett who also had met an untimely and tragic death.  On occasion Eric has appeared in front of surprised hotel staff members questioning them of Scarlett’s whereabouts.

     The 150 year-old hotel was built on the site of Sydney’s first hospital. After the hospital was moved, the terrace cottages were added and the building became a hotel.

     Each evening we would kid around and speculate who might see Eric’s ghost that night. And each morning at breakfast we all told our non-stories and non-sightings, but the gist of it was none of us had any ghost encounters of any kind during our hotel stay.