Waitomo Caves

Travel tips you can trust

Why the
Waitomo Caves
are special

You can take a memorable boat ride that quietly glides down a subterranean river. Illuminescent glowworms attached to the ceiling create a starry-night scene.

Waitomo Caves
tips and insights

Tours

Standard

This 45-minute tour begins with a guided stroll along a cave walkway. After you visit the stalactite- and stalagmite-rich Catherdral Room, you enjoy the above-mentioned boat ride.

Adventure tours

he several-hour-long black water rafting tour substitutes individual rubber tubes for the boat. You silently drift down the dark, meandering waterway. An even more adrenaline-rush tour takes twice as long and involves climbing and rappelling in addition to cave tubing.

Caves

Hundreds are known. The main three for visitors are:

Waitomo

The standard tour operates here.

Ruakuri

It, too, has glowworms. Ruakuri is the leading venue for adventure tours.

Aranui

No river, so no glowworms, boats, nor rubber tubes. But Aranui has impressive cave formations.

Getting there

It's a 2.5-hour drive from Auckland. Don't forget to bring good-grip shoes and a jacket.

Location in New Zealand