We really enjoyed this adventure. We are pretty active and enjoy trying new things. Our guides (we think their names were scott and amy) We're awesome. I liked how they talked and demonstrated everything slow that any participant at any level would feel confident and comfortable. My mom was very nervous, only because she is afraid of heights. The pace Scott assisted getting her into the harness drop zone was awesome...I noticed in ever minute her fears dissipate. They provide the boots for you to wear which are GREAT for this journey...just remember to wear tall socks. Overall, I highly recommend this tour for the very adventurous and also those timid to try adventures like this. Once your sitting hovering you will realize you feel very safe and secure in the harness attached. You control your speed and it is very slow so you can enjoy the drop in. read more

This is one of the craziest things that we did on our honeymoon! I am terrified of heights so it made sense to sign up for the 4 hour lost world tour where you abseil 328 feet (30 story building) into a cave. Apparently Tom Cruise has done this 5 times! Super nervous when they were hooking us up to the ropes but as soon as we went over the edge...time stopped. It was actually relaxing in way because you have full control of how fast or slow you want to go. Looking down it was hard to compute how high you actually were! The guides were very knowledgeable and gave us some water/chocolate halfway through. We sat down and looked up at the glow worms. They really did look like stars in the night! You are not allowed to bring your camera or phone but the guides take pictures for you. You don't need to worry about the glow worms falling down onto you. They are so small I don't think you would even notice if they did. The scariest part was actually climbing back up out of the cave because you have to use this extremely tall metal ladder. Just pace yourself and you will be fine. This is something that I never though I would do in my life but the guides were really well trained and helped us all the way. Next time I would like to try the black water rafting. read more

Waitomo Adventures - 328 feet (30 story building)...conquering my fear of heights! - Active Life Near Me - Hamilton, WKO

See all

One of the greatest adventures I have ever done in my life! I did the Tumu Tumu Toobing which last almost 4.5 hours and was worth it! I only had to pay $90; half-price as well. Scott was a great tour guide inside the caves, even when my wife lost her boot two times under the water! I highly suggest Waitomo Adventures! Cheers! read more

See all

We picked the Waitomo Adventures after reading the reviews and seeing the user pictures on Tripadvisor. We were not disappointed!! We were originally planning to do the Epic 7 hour tour, but due to not having done any absailing (rapelling) before, we opted to do the Epic 4 hour tour instead. Wasn't sure how challenging the tour would be, but we were able to do it without much off a challenge. (We are both in decent shape) Our tour guide Scott C was awesome. He gave us some good insights into the area as well as the glow worms (Glow maggots, as he calls them). The overall experience was excellent that if we were ever to come back to NZ, we'd do the tour again, for sure! read more

I am glad we read the reviews on Yelp, we definitely found a great company for our adventure! We ended up arriving late, but just in time and they were gracious enough to let us jump on the bus and join the crew! The tour was fantastic, there was a perfect balance of story telling, adventure, and amazement in the tour. We ended up doing the tumo tumo toobing which was just so fun! There was no option to do the 4 hour tour, but I think the tubing trip took us about 4 hours in total and was just perfect. We climbed through the caves, jumped into our tubes and tubed down and climbed all over rocks and through underground rivers, it was just great. The glow worms were amazing and looked like a brilliant night sky :) When we got back, they gave us a deal on our photos which turned out fantastic, I would definitely recommend buying them. Not only did they turn out great, but they definitely captured the concept for our friends and family at home. Such a great experience, couldn't ask for more! read more

My husband and I had a blast! We signed up for the 7 hour The Lost World. It was phenomenal. We would totally love to do this again. It really is a challenge! A rewarding one. The adventure is so surreal, we were walking around in what really feels like a lost world. Our cave guides, Anna and Fish were knowledgeable and all around good fun. They made us feel at ease and kept the group going strong. They were personable guides and had just the right amount of storytelling, culture, history and jokes :) Be sure when you pick your boots to get 2 to 3 sizes smaller. You'll need those boots to stay on! You're also outfitted with a thick wetsuit, which you NEED. Just plan on wearing your swim suit underneath, no need for a cotton t-shirt, you'll be freezing if you do wear one. You'll also need some long socks. Thick ones are good, but we had thinner ones, which I ended up liking better because they didn't get so heavy when our boots filled with water. They also take photos of you throughout the adventure so you don't have to worry about getting awesome pictures. But, when you're down there, you're almost not thinking about photos, you're just enjoying your time. It'll be something you'll always remember, no doubt. It was awesome to take home photos though. I cant thank them enough for doing that! I highly recommend Waitomo Adventures! If you're in the area and plan on do a Glow Worm cave adventure, or any adventure, go with these guys. Its an experience! read more

Many visitors will come to Waitomo to see the amazing glow worms caves, but perhaps not participate in a full-on adventure. We signed up for the Lost World 4 hour and loved every minute. An extremely professional outfit, you can book easily at the office in the village itself and there are plenty of people on hand to help choose the right excursion for you. The Lost World trip involved a 20 minute drive to the cave base hut. We donned some funky blue boilersuits and white wellies and harnessed up, ready for our 100m abseil into the cave. After a safety briefing and check, we made our way to the abseil platform. It was well set-up and in a way which mean't the whole group (between 2-8 people) were able to abseil all together with the guide - so no hanging around waiting for people. The abseil was amazing, through a small shaft in the cave roof and then down to the floor below. We then walked further into the cave over boulders and rocks with some breathing time to look at the glow worms on the ceiling. Making our way back out of the cave was an adventure, up a very narrow, tight ladder and then across a ledge and up more ladders. Back outside we popped out next to some surprised looking sheep. And headed back to base to check out our photos. Unfortunately you're not allowed to take cameras, but your guide will take a photo and you can then purchase it at the end along with some other stock pics - it was pretty good value for money. read more

Absolutely AMAZING. Hands-down highlight of an incredible trip. My boyfriend and I did the 7-hour Lost World tour and lucked out, as it was just us and our two wonderful guides, Luke and Joel. We were so impressed -- the abseil down into the cave was so much fun and the cave itself is stunning, full of fun underground adventures, giant fossilized oyster beds, beautiful glowworms. The extra touches such as having them take great photos for us, enjoying tea and chocolate by a waterfall with all our lights turned off, and the fantastic steak dinner cooked up afterwards, really round out the full day of adventure. The whole thing felt like it was easily worth twice what we paid, it's a steal. Also, everyone we encountered from start to finish were very personable, and in particular it was a real pleasure to spend the day with Luke and Joel! As if we needed any more reason to be impressed, we got breakfast at the cafe before the tour started and the food there was also delicious, what a delightful surprise. I really can't recommend this place enough. Once they reopen, please go support them!!! When we make it back to NZ, we will definitely be stopping by again! read more

I have used The Black Water Rafting company and Waitomo Adventures. WA absolutely deserves the 5 star rating. You won't regret choosing this company. My boyfriend and I did the ToObing tour (4 hours). It was fun and educational. It didn't feel like you were being quickly pushed through the cave (like other companies). We had such an awesome time and will be recommending WA to friends in the future! read more

Don't do anything until you do the Abseil! We took the 4 hour Abseil and it is truly the most unreal experience of your life! I am uncomfortable with heights and got a little worried before we began our descent but once you step off the ledge it's quite amazing and looking back I'm so glad I did it. Our guides Iain and Kenny were amazing. I'm pretty heavy and was worried about the ropes the whole time but really it's very safe and you're tethered to a guide. Save the toobing and the walks for later. You cannot miss this experience you will be talking about this to your grandchildren one day! read more

hey guys i'm from new zealand and where the waitomo caves is, i am from a place jus ten minutes from there called te kuiti.. i can tell you this and that it is, the caves is a good value 4 money and u will have an awesome time.. i have friends who work there and some are family and they will take great care of you and also make sure that you enjoy your stay or visit which ever maybe.. if you wish to see more of new zealand you can pass through waitomo caves on your travels and the road will take you to some great coastal areas such as, MAROKOPA FALLS where you see the falls and its full of trout an salmon and also great for hiking.. MAROKOPA BEACH, KERETEHERE BEACH, KINOHAKU HARBOUR, and a lovely little township called KAWHIA HARBOUR.. its a hell of a drive and will take a few hours but its worth every moment you take which are great for fishing, gathering shellfish, whitebait and much more like site seeing, hiking tracks and also camping.. for fisherman you will have 1 of the best times as there are loads of sea salmon that come in twice a day to feed and if you are not sure just keep an eye open for the local fisherman.. the best thing about it is..... u don't need a licence to surfcast off the beach.. but don't forget, make sure you have lots and lots of INSECT REPELLENT, and SANDSHOES.. they are a must!!! read more