The Hokitika Glowworm Dell
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The Hokitika Glowworm Dell
Time: 2 minutes from the road side
It takses only 2 minutes from the road side to reach the glowworm dell in Hokitika. And the coolest thing is that it is free! there are a few interpretation boards that give you a bit more info in these little glowing critters.
The dell can be found on the outskirts of Hokitika, on the lefthand side of the road as you come into the town from Greymouth.
The path leading to the dell is unlit, but has handrails to guide you. You're best off visiting at dusk, when it's dark enough to see the worms, make sure you bring a torch to help you find your way.
You'll recognize the dell as soon as you reach it, you will see little blobs of light everywhere.
For all you budding photographers out there.....If you want pictures, bring a camera that can handle very low light conditions. Disable the flash! Photos with flash show nothing of the glowworms, and irritate other users of the dell...both human and insect.
Details
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Location |
South Island ▷ West Coast ▷ Hokitika |
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Coordinates |
Caving
Scenic Attractions
Nearby
Reviews
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4.0/5
18Oct18.
Only 8 because of the people who flash torches around even when it is not completely dark and because some people think that a picture of a few pinpricks of light are worth taking, especially when they haven’t turned off their flash!
As for the place itself, it is easy to get up to the dell, actually an adventure in itself when really dark. There are railings to hold onto and follow. Follow the instructions and keep left up and down so hopefully you don’t bump into anyone else.
It takes a while for eyes to acclimatise so be patient. It is worth going to.
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5.0/5
Really great glow worm dell.
Do not miss an opportunity to stop and see it if in the area. Better than most other sites you pay for and its free!
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5.0/5
Very cool!
Like we were star watching ! Make sure you put your lights away about 100m up the path or else you'll disturb the glow worms and other viewers !
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5.0/5
I walked into the dell prepared to be underwhelmed but found a really impressive glowworm display.
Regrettably the experience was spoiled a bit by the big crowd of visitors including those who left their LED headlights on all the time to shine in everyone else's eyes .. and the ones who took the flash photographs. The dell is definitely worth a visit but leave it as late as possible to avoid the crowds. By the way, the photograph that accompanies the Ranker's listing for the glowworm dell shows the stars of the Southern Cross and the two pointers .. which are not actually glow-worms; unless some hyper intelligent worms are going astro-impersonations.
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4.5/5
A path leads to a small dell where, at full darkness, the glowworms twinkle like a million stars.
Could easily have been made to charge people but they have not - thanks.
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5.0/5
It's not just free glow worms, it's A LOT of free glow worms.
This little trip was better than a glow worm cave that I paid for further south. Definitely worth a trip at dark.
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4.0/5
Very short walk to an amazing glowworm activity.
Keep your lights off and be in awe.
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5.0/5
A small dell next to the main road.
Best idea: first visit during the daylight (and think something like, yeah well, not sooo impressive0, then see the sunset at Hokitika Beach and come back, when it is dusk - amazing!!!
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4.0/5
A natural wonder, created by animals in a natural contest.
For the worms it is a strategy for hunting, for humans a marvelous view.
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5.0/5
At night, glowworms appear all over this path - during the day you would never guess that there would be so many.
Saw way more worms that I expected. Overall great/very cool experience!
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4.0/5
Really cool spot and very easy access.
Best once it is completely dark out. Do everyone else a favor and learn your camera functions before you go and avoid using the flash (it ruins your photograph and annoys everyone else).
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4.0/5
18Oct18.
Only 8 because of the people who flash torches around even when it is not completely dark and because some people think that a picture of a few pinpricks of light are worth taking, especially when they haven’t turned off their flash!
As for the place itself, it is easy to get up to the dell, actually an adventure in itself when really dark. There are railings to hold onto and follow. Follow the instructions and keep left up and down so hopefully you don’t bump into anyone else.
It takes a while for eyes to acclimatise so be patient. It is worth going to.
-
5.0/5
Really great glow worm dell.
Do not miss an opportunity to stop and see it if in the area. Better than most other sites you pay for and its free!
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5.0/5
Very cool!
Like we were star watching ! Make sure you put your lights away about 100m up the path or else you'll disturb the glow worms and other viewers !
-
5.0/5
I walked into the dell prepared to be underwhelmed but found a really impressive glowworm display.
Regrettably the experience was spoiled a bit by the big crowd of visitors including those who left their LED headlights on all the time to shine in everyone else's eyes .. and the ones who took the flash photographs. The dell is definitely worth a visit but leave it as late as possible to avoid the crowds. By the way, the photograph that accompanies the Ranker's listing for the glowworm dell shows the stars of the Southern Cross and the two pointers .. which are not actually glow-worms; unless some hyper intelligent worms are going astro-impersonations.
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4.5/5
A path leads to a small dell where, at full darkness, the glowworms twinkle like a million stars.
Could easily have been made to charge people but they have not - thanks.
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5.0/5
It's not just free glow worms, it's A LOT of free glow worms.
This little trip was better than a glow worm cave that I paid for further south. Definitely worth a trip at dark.
-
4.0/5
Very short walk to an amazing glowworm activity.
Keep your lights off and be in awe.
-
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5.0/5
At night, glowworms appear all over this path - during the day you would never guess that there would be so many.
Saw way more worms that I expected. Overall great/very cool experience!
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4.0/5
A natural wonder, created by animals in a natural contest.
For the worms it is a strategy for hunting, for humans a marvelous view.
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5.0/5
A small dell next to the main road.
Best idea: first visit during the daylight (and think something like, yeah well, not sooo impressive0, then see the sunset at Hokitika Beach and come back, when it is dusk - amazing!!!
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4.0/5
Really cool spot and very easy access.
Best once it is completely dark out. Do everyone else a favor and learn your camera functions before you go and avoid using the flash (it ruins your photograph and annoys everyone else).
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3.0/5
Was nice to combine it with a short evening walk but nothing we would drive extra for.
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5.0/5
See glowworms at night in two different places.
One not very touristic, so perfect (in the forest).
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4.0/5
We very much liked the glow worms in a natural environment.
Nice to walk up to the dell and see the lights in the trees - very non-commercial. Magical. Worth the visit.
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4.0/5
Great, easy to find and free!
Next door to Shining Star campsite, bonus as we were staying there!
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4.5/5
This is a cool little spot only a couple of minutes from the parking bay on the main road.
Take a torch to light the way but turn it off as you get closer and let your eyes adjust to the darkness as thousands of little stars light up all around you. Definitely worth a visit once the sun goes down...... and it's free.
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3.0/5
Glowworm Dell next to Hotel.
Small, but gave kids an idea of what glowworms looked like without the hike or drive (since we were staying in campground next door).
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5.0/5
If you were here to see the glowworms you do not need to drive to Waitomo :-)
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4.0/5
beautiful, but there are lots of tourists with flashlights shining over the glowworms....
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4.5/5
Very easy to reach with lots of glowworms in the dell.
Free is a very good price ! As a result, we avoided spending a lot of money to see the same phenomenon in Waitomo ! And, this is wonderful setting close to the beach.
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3.5/5
Short but sweet - just a short walk from our campsite we entered the tree dell.
Switch your torch off to get a lovely magical feeling as you see the small lights of the glowworms.
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4.5/5
Really cool grotto full of glow worms.
Definitely worth a stop if you have not seen them.
