The Small Town of Waitomo
- Christine Le Pham
- Jan 24, 2016
- 2 min read
I don't even know where to start with this little town. Waitomo has a shockingly small population of about 60 permanent residents. However, in the summer it's booming with tourists that come to see the glowworms.
New Zealand may not feel like home to me yet, but Black Water Rafting definitely feels like family. I feel so lucky to work alongside so many amazing people that have been so welcoming and hospitable to me since I've come to Waitomo. The guides make Waitomo what it is for me. We work together, play together, eat together, party together, live together.. and at the end of the day, we are all there for one another. I've never worked in such a tight knit place, and it's such an awesome environment.
The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co.
Cody, Tina, and I decided on taking a trip to see some glowworms! I really had no idea what to expect; I just knew that I'd been wanting to see the glowworm caves since I started planning to come to New Zealand a year ago. The fact that we were doing an adventure tour to see them made it even better. We came out on the Black Abyss with Bas and Ben as our guides, and at that point I think that was the coolest thing I'd ever done in my life. I was so pumped about the trip, and I was determined on getting a job there.
Luckily, I was in the right place, at the right time. That night when I went back to Ohakune with Cody and Tina, I wrote out a cover letter and sent it in with my CV the next day. Next thing I knew, I was driving back up to Waitomo to tag a few trips. Boy, were the days long! I remember finishing a day of 3 trips or so, then just passing out the moment I got home.
For the first few weeks, home was in Mikel's room at Zane's place. Upon coming to Waitomo, I had no idea where I was going to stay; I mean, worst case scenario I would have just slept in the camper van. Fortunately for me, Zane offered me a place to stay until I found a place of my own.
I've since found a room to rent, and settled in. Working in the caves was quite an adjustment for me, because I'd never done anything like it before. I've grown so accustomed to strictly separating work from my social life, and not really having anything to do with work while I wasn't working. It isn't the case here, because if I'm not working, I'm hanging out with coworkers, or hanging out at work. It's an interesting perspective to have such a cool job, that you stick around even on your days off. I feel like Black Water Rafting has opened up many opportunities for me in the outdoor industry, and working here has definitely opened my eyes to a new lifestyle. Working in the outdoors industry is awesome. Everyone is always up to something awesome, and there are always opportunities to go on epic missions.
