My visit to the Waitomo caves in the north island of New Zealand was courtesy of some locals who were so excited to hear I had never been spelunking. A late night entry into these caves was responsible for my spending many an hour exploring far below ground surface in New Zealand. It was not only my first experience with stalactites and stalagmites, but with the incredible phenomena of seeing thousands of glowworms in a cave. Found only in New Zealand, their presence in the underground caves is reminiscent of being immersed within a starry sky.