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    Waitomo Glowworm Caves

    4.0 (83 reviews)

    Waitomo Glowworm Caves Photos

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    Andy F.

    The Waitomo Glowworm Caves was the first activity on our New Zealand trip, and it was quite the unique experience! This place is about a 3 hour drive from Auckland. We joined a tour to avoid the drive, and overall better deal! You can also come on your own. There's free parking across the visitor centre, which is where you can purchase your tickets and visit the gift shop. Photo op time right before you head down to the caves which you can purchase afterwards! Going into the caves is separated into groups to avoid overcrowding, and you'll ride a small boat later on. The first portion of the tour was walking into the cave, which was equally, if not, more interesting than the glowworms. Seeing the unique rock formations, the water calcification, stalactites and stalagmites, and etc was cool! There's even an area where they call the Cathedral that's the highest point, and they sometimes have special events where performers play or sing in that area for the amazing sound that resonates. The caves portion has many stairs and narrow area, and as you keeping going deeper and deeper, it gets dark. The area where you board the boat is very dark. This is because the glowworms will become disoriented or even die from any bright lights, so no photo taking! The boat ride was guided with a hanging rope, maneuvered by our guide. This was an interesting experience seeing nothing but the light from the glowworms. You might feel "caved in" in some areas, but this portion of the tour was relatively short, and you'll come out of the cave where you can take photos! Overall, this was quite a unique experience, and a must visit while in New Zealand. Our tour guide was awesome. He was very knowledgeable, engaging, funny, clear, and friendly. Everything was clean, organized, and a very well-run tour. I wouldn't mind coming again!

    Exiting the Glowworm Cave!!
    Hannah S.

    The Glowworm Caves were definitely one of the highlights of our NZ trip! It's like floating through the universe once you get on the boat and glide along the deep emerald waters into the pitch black cave. The guide has everyone go quiet so as not to disturb the worms and then suddenly the cave ceiling lights up with thousands of twinkling blue dots! It's so breathtaking it's almost spiritual - you can't help but be in awe of nature. Even the walk down to the caves is magical - descending down through the NZ forests with ferns towering over you and exploring the caverns on the way down. There are several cave "rooms" on the tour such as The Cathedral where they give you a chance to sing with perfect acoustics haha! And the guides do a great job of telling the historical stories of the caves and all about the worms. Most of the guides are direct descendants of the Māori chief that originally explored the caves - they still take great pride in protecting the caves and educating everyone about them. Guided tours are the only way to visit the caves and they do a lot of monitoring and data collecting to ensure the caves/worms stay healthy. There's a little cafe at the entrance with snacks and drinks. The cave tour was part of a day trip we took from Auckland with Auckland Scenic Tours. It was a great way to get to the caves since we didn't want to rent a car and drive it ourselves bc they drive on the left and I was too stressed about it lol! But if you do brave the driving, there are other caves and some really awesome hiking trails in the same area that would be worth exploring.

    Doug C.

    Way back in 2015 got to make a bucket list trip to NZ. Glowworm Caves is stop one needs to make to appreciate NZ. No photos inside cave to spoil your visit. Get in boat travel back in caves and look. Visiting glowworms has been going on for quite some time.

    The exit
    Angela B.

    Was excited to see this and have the experience. Started off great with the tour guide giving insight to the history and guiding us inside the cave. We heard Happy Birthday from another group and thought that was sweet. Only to sing it ourselves to test out the acoustic's. The guide said a few famous singers came there as there is no echo in the main chamber. Once in the boat for the cave ride we got started and all of a sudden heard a loud bang and then a splash. Ummmm....WTH?! More splashing as what sounded like the guide getting back into the boat. Now this all happened in the pitch dark so we couldn't see anything. Not only that, the guide gave zero reassurance everything was ok. Only when another guide on the return path crossed did he say he fell in and gave her something. I was so glad to see the light at the end of this ride and get off the boat. I'm not sure what happened but the lack of communication made the experience more scary than serene.

    Sara G.

    I am riveted by this spot. Seeing the Glowworm Caves was so amazing. Beneath the rolling hills of New Zealand, these caves house tiny glowworms that transform the cave into a galaxy of lights like stars in the sky. The caves were first explored in 1887 by Maori Chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor Fred Mace, using just a raft and a candle. If you're in New Zealand, this is an unmissable stop.

    Exit to the Waitomo caves
    Raymond G.

    Truly a one-of-kind experience that I would recommend to everyone. The best way to describe this experience is like you're floating in a sea of stars. You can only experience the glowworms in New Zealand or Australia so do it if you're visiting either countries. You are not allowed to take photos in the caves because it is sacred to the Māori people, please be respectful. The interior of the cave is made of beautiful limestone and well maintained. Witnessing the beauty of the cave and glowworms was surreal and I would strongly suggest that you witness this for yourself!

    Jasmine A.

    The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a natural attraction, known for for a species of glowworm (Arachnocampa luminosa) that only live in New Zealand. The 45 minute tour through the caves is $75NZ and consists of two parts, a guided walking tour and a boat tour. During the walking tour you see amazing cave formations such as stalactites and stalagmites, and walk through the cathedral, the tallest chamber in the cave. On the boat tour you can see thousands of glowing lights (the glowworms) on the cave ceiling. You are not allowed to take photos of the glowworms as it will disturb them and your photo will turn out like crap anyway due to the lack of light, but it was nice to just relax and take in the beauty of the glowworms illuminating the caves. Definitely a unique experience! [Yelp collections: NZ/Fiji 2023; New Zealand 2023]

    Exit of the cave
    Jason K.

    My wife and I were on vacation to Auckland, New Zealand and I took a day tour to Hobbiton and it also included these really cool caves that have glowworms lining the ceiling. You aren't allowed to take pictures inside of the cave, but it is totally worth going to. You start off by taking stairs into the cave and they show you how they catch their food with this creepy string that you see when you turn on the lights in a small section. You then get into a boat and float in silence and star in amazement at the specks of light on the ceiling, it is really cool. I would totally recommend this trip!

    Chicken tenders
    Richard W.

    This review is mostly for the restaurant although if you want something more than a dumbed down version of pirates of the carribean, go further down the road to Ruakiri Caves - it's much more informative, has cooler looking stalactites and is almost twice as long. The adjoining restaurant is operationally inept. We stood in line for a good 15 minutes before they told us the kitchen is closed because it was 4:00. I looked at my watch and it read 4:00. We pleaded with the kitchen to take our orders, which they did but grudgingly. Not sure what happened with the patrons standing behind us. We ordered mince and chicken and mince pies. Good to hold you over until a real meal, but obviously sodium filled and recently frozen. The roasted veggie salad thing has potatoes, sweet potatoes and other items but mostly flavorless. Chicken tenders also nothing remarkable. It comes with a salad and fries and the crazy thing is they give you a choice of only one "sauce" which includes ketchup for the fries! So apparently unless you want to pay more, you'll have to do without salad dressing or without ketchup for the fries. Well that was pretty much the main reason I am compelled to let people know to steer clear of eating here if possible. Bring snacks or drive into Waitomo for better eating options. That's all

    Marlon T.

    If only you could take a picture of the wonder inside this cave to share. Alas, you're not allowed to, flash would ruin the experience for everyone, it's too dark inside (and you're on a moving boat), and you're just going to be to amazed. Honestly, I think this is the best experience is all of New Zealand north island. In other words, if you were to do 1 thing in the country, this is it, not Hobbiton, even though that place is super duper awesome also. Obviously do both if you can--many tours offer both experiences on the same day. Their little cafe is pretty good, but just expect the prices to be a little high since it's located in a somewhat secluded place. The Otorohanga Kiwi House is a 15-minute drive away, so consider also seeing some kiwi birds while you're in the area!

    Helen H.

    We were on a bus tour that took us to Hobbiton, and the caves were the second stop. Pictures are not allowed inside the cave, but they take one of you beforehand with a green screen. You can purchase it afterwards if you would like. The tour guide led us down to the cool (temperature) cave. He explained the history and features of the cave. He also sang a Māori song, to showcase the acoustics of the cave. At the end of the cave, we crouched down and saw silk threads the glow worms use to capture prey. He gave us information about the glow worms before we headed to the main attraction, which was the boat ride through the glowworm grotto. We sat silently looking up at the glow worms above us. It was nice, even though the ride was short. The only thing I would suggest is spacing out each tour group a bit more. I heard the guide before us sing and the guide after us sing.

    Melissa G.

    First things first: The caves are amazing and the gloworms are phenomenal and unique My review is for the cave tour with boat ride exclusively. And I am sad to report the tour was not great. It was a family friendly tour and it was just repetitive and slow. The portion of the tour when you go on the boat and see the worms is tiny compared to the long cave walk where they show you shapes and shadows typical to any cave. kind of boring and felt like a time filler. I wish you could just see the glow worms on the 10 minute boat ride and save he pain of the introductory talk and bad jokes. If this is the only way you can see the glow worms, do it, but if there are better options and tours, definitely go with those instead.

    Exit
    J B.

    Truly amazing place. Short walk through the caverns, but pleasant. Shorter boat ride. Would have like to stay a few minutes more.

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    Waitomo Glowworm Caves Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Waitomo Glowworm Caves

    It is the illumination of the glow worms that guide your eyes as if you are staring up into the night sky.

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    Rotorua Rafting

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