Spelunking. No, this is not an action in a slapstick comedy. In fact, spelunking is an actual sport—better known as caving, or exploring caves. A recent trip to the north island of New Zealand tipped me off on this interesting, exhilarating sport.

In particular experience, I was accompanied by a cave tour guide who knew the tunnels and crevices of the cave like the back of his hand. However, even with an experienced guide the adrenaline rush of dip diving and climbing the dark, unknown territory is bound to leave you breathless.

The sport of spelunking involves some equipment: ropes (much like the pulley system found by abseiling) are utilized to negotiate steep dip in the cave, a helmet accompanied with a light is essential of the extreme darkness that are particular to caves, and a wet suit is a must—as often times there are unknown pools of water and waterfalls that found in the depths of the cave.

Aside from the physical exertion and the excitement of going forward without known exactly what was ahead, the coolest part of the experience was the discovery of glow worms. These worms are tiny insects that resemble worms and live in caves and literally glow through bioluminescence. Upon reaching a certain elevation level deep into the heart of the cave, we came across these tiny insects that provided us with enough light to enjoy a sip of water and a candy bar.

Spelunking is definitely something I recommend giving a try! I mean what other sport to you come across tiny, glowing creatures while accomplishing a killer workout!

-Lana Donahue