I mainly wanted this glowworm tour because they allow pictures to be taken while in the cave. The tour date I was looking at was fully booked but you can email them to be added to the waitlist. I asked to be added to the waitlist for 2 on October 12, and got off the waitlist on November 9, for a tour on December 28 so don't give up hope if it is originally fully booked! I did the spellbound explorer tour which included a walk through a cave as well as a boat ride through a cave for the glowworms. The tour guide was great and allowed pictures during the first back and forth on the boat ride and asked us to put away our phones during the second. This is because the first go-around allows for the eyes to adjust and see the glowworms better so the second go-around the glowworms are much brighter. The cave walk was also a nice add on for 20 NZD but if the tour with the cave walk is not available the regular boat ride is perfect on its own. I loved this tour as our tour guide took pictures for each group that wanted some with glowworms and also provided us with personal pictures of glowworms taken with a nicer camera with a longer shutter speed. read more

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Oceane was an informative and friendly guide. We were able to see so many glow worms! It was like seeing the milky way! Ask her about Mama Mia if you like aquatic wildlife. read more

This was a really incredible experience for the whole family! Our guide even showed us a place where we could feed eels in a stream. We took our nine month old and two year old in carriers. Would highly recommend! The morning is the best time as the glow worms are the brightest! This isn't too far from Hobbiton if you are planning a drive strategically to Auckland. read more

Spellbound - Tours Near Me - Waikato, WKO

First, a word about our guide, Norm. He gave the best tour experience we've experienced at any park in the US, Canada, or New Zealand that we've attended. No matter what your background or interest was, he was able to provide informative commentary to satisfy the technical, the scientific, and casual visitor. He was very engaging, warm, and friendly. Without a doubt, the best tour guide we've had anywhere. As to the caves themselves, they were breathtaking. We hiked a beautiful path down to the caves. Once at the caves, we walked a path where Norm guided us each step of the way. Unlike other experiences, we were able to take photography at appropriate moments. We rode on a raft into the depths of the cave, turned about a few times slowly, then returned back. We enjoyed hot cocoa, coffee, tea, and cookies/biscuits before moving on to the second cave. The second cave had some magnificent formations and "skylights" to the surface above. A number of folks were concerned at the start, however, the entire trip we remained dry and comfortable. The only time we got even remotely wet was when moisture dripped off of the ceiling in one of the caves. Go here with confidence. Tell your family and friends. These folks and their caves are fantastic! read more

I read about the Spellbound tour in the Lonely Planet traveler guide. It sounded smaller and more intimate with better glow worm viewing than some of the larger tour companies. I called a day ahead of time, because I was planning to bring a 3-year-old and a newborn. They assured me that both would be safe and it would not impede the experience of other tour guests. Traveling with aforementioned children, we ended up arriving 15 minutes late for our scheduled tour. I figured we'd missed it and hoped we'd be able to get in on a tour later in the day. However, much to my pleasant surprise, they arranged for a second van at the same time, and my party and another guest went about 30 minutes later as the second group in that time slot. Our guide was Pete and he was exceedingly helpful and knowledgeable about the area, the caves and the worms. I was feeling very awkward about causing any disruption or delay to the group, but Pete was reassuring and the group was very laid back about the whole thing. We went into two caves for viewing. The first was "dry" with walkways through the cave. This cave had less glow worms, due to the climate conditions in the cave, but my 3-year-old loved it because Pete pointed out some old bones of animals that had died in the cave and he was fascinated by the bones. After the first cave, we took a morning tea break in the meadow between the two caves. We had the option of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk and some cookies. After the break, we went into the second cave. Here, we wore hard hats with head lamps. There was a larger creek running into this cave and it was here that we both walked and rode in an inflatable raft. I was nervous about the boat part, but my 3-year-old was quite safe (loved it!) and I was able to get in and out with reasonable ease while wearing the newborn in a baby carrier. The second cave had a long passage with an incredible amount of glow worms. It was unbelievably beautiful and it felt like we were drifting down a river in the Milky Way. The raft moved very, very slowly and as a parent with 2 little ones on board, I felt we were all quite safe. One thing that I was glad about was the ability to take photographs in both caves. I did not have a sophisticated enough camera (or tripod) for snapping shots in the large glow worm passage, but I suspect that if I had wanted to give it a try, Pete would have let me (after we were done with the viewing). I think I did hear him mention that they do photography group tours (but I'm not positive about this). Overall, I was highly impressed by the staff of the company, our tour guide and the amazing experience that we shared with them. They were more than accommodating for our small children needs and I would recommend this group to anyone traveling with smaller children or travelers that want a more intimate glow worm cave experience. It should be noted that this is not an "adventure" glow worm tour (no black water rafting or abseiling) and if that is what you are searching for, it would be best to seek out a different tour operator. read more

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There's a reason that they have such high ratings on tripadvisor - they're great. They have private access to a set of caves in the area that's owned by a local farmer, so there are not hoards of people, and you get a very personal experience. Each group is 12 people and one guide, so you get to ask as many questions as you like. They were very accommodating with us - a small child, and an avid photographer. The tour has a 20 minute drive out to the caves, then a short cave walk with only a few glowworms, then a short break for tea and cookies, then a spectacular cave tour with lots and lots of glowworms. I think was made it really spectacular was the small size of the group and the fact that during the boat ride, it was completely quiet and completely dark - no photos are allowed so there won't be any lit up screens, camera flashes, or shutter sounds. It really is surreal to glide through the water in a dark tunnel, illuminated only by the millions of glowworms. An amazing experience that I would recommend to everyone. read more

Can not recommend this company highly enough, especially our guide, Zane. The glory of the glow worms is not overstated. Absolutely get yourself to Waitomo. Spellbound takes small tours, we were two of seven, two from España, three from Deutschland. Zane is a naturalist, a chemist, a patriot and a storyteller/entertainer. Part van tour, part boat, part walking. If you miss a tour from Zane, you've truly missed out on an unforgettable experience. read more

Breathtaking tour to see glow worm caves with Spellbound! Small group of only ten people when we did the tour and our guide (young lady with short hair) was awesome and very funny!! Most importantly, we saw thousands of glow worms. The experience was spectacular! This is a must if you are on the north island. I highly recommend Spellbound for the great service and the intimate group size. read more

Hands down, EXCELLENT tour! Our guide was fabulous, really helped us EXPERIENCE these caves and the glow worms, not just see them. The excitement and enthusiasm of the staff for this area resonates with the guests and we felt completed welcomed, true Kiwi style! The caves themselves are indeed amazing, but SPELLBOUND exceeded my expectations by a million! Thank you Spellbound!!!!! read more

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The Waitomo caves are well worth the travel down from Auckland - the glowworms make for a spectacular experience you aren't likely to forget any time soon. While there are a number of tour operators in Waitomo offering access to the main tourist caves through to the adventurous "black water rafting", SpellBound's speciality is small groups with exclusive access to their own private caves. This makes for a very personal experience where you can enjoy the sights of the glowworm caves without the big crowd hassles. We were lucky enough to be the only people on our tour, so we had a one on one tour from our guide, Mungu. A local, he has a wealth of knowledge about the local peoples, histories of the caves and the local geography, and has an amazing ability to make the information he shares simple to understand. If you want to enjoy the caves, get off the beaten track and check these guys out. We'll be back again, and when we do, we'll be taking another 'SpellBound' adventure! read more

A fascinating experience- I really liked the small group size and the guide was wonderful.