These #Waitomo 'glowing' wedding photos are dazzling https://t.co/wZehsR8MhPpic.twitter.com/O4XNrAmF6l
— nzherald (@nzherald) June 13, 2016
For most of us, taking pictures in New Zealand’s otherworldly Waitomo Glowworm Caves is off-limits, but for major Chinese celebrities like engaged couple Nicky Wu and Liu Shishi, the caves are the perfect backdrop for some wedding photos.
The Waitomo caves on New Zealand’s North Island are a series of lovely limestone caves that have become a popular tourist attraction in the area. In addition to the natural geologic wonder of the caverns, one of the caves is especially remarkable for the rare species of glowworm that clings to its ceiling. Normally visitors can take a tour of the cave that concludes with a boat ride through a dark underwater grotto, where the only illumination is the starry configuration of fly-sized glowworms, however photography in the area is restricted due to the delicate ecological balance in the cave. For glowworms, a camera flash could really mess up their day.
But recently the Chinese power couple of Wu and Shishi managed to leverage their celebrity to get access to the cave for their wedding photos, and the results were pretty magical. Wu, who the New Zealand Herald describes as China’s answer to Justin Timberlake, can be seen standing on a boat beneath the light of the worms, while Shishi, a popular actress and ballerina, was shot reaching up to the glowing bugs like they were the night sky.
The shots have been a hit on Chinese social media, but whether you are familiar with celebrities or not, the pics are a lovely look at one of our planet’s more fantastic subterranean wonders.