Waitomo
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Get in
The Waitomo Caves are between Otorohanga and Te Kuiti. It is 15 minutes drive (18 km) north of Te Kuiti, 1 hour (75 km) south of Hamilton, 2½ hours south of Auckland and 2 hours west of both Rotorua and Taupo.
Travelling south from Otorohanga and Hamilton on State Highway 3, turn right onto State Highway 37 at the Hangatiki roundabout. Waitomo Caves is 7 km up SH 37.
GreatSights operates premium sightseeing tours daily from Auckland and from Rotorua. Grayline Tours does a deluxe version of this tour.
Waitomo offers many different activities for all ages and fitness. There are around 16 different glowworm cave tours you can do from the following caving companies - Kiwi Cave Rafting, The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company, Waitomo Adventures (Waitomo Adventure Center), Spellbound, Cave World and Waitomo Glowworm Caves. The local I-site is a great place to go to get information about the different tours available.
Waitomo is a great place to cycle. This aspect is being developed more to meet the increasing popularity of the activity. There are animal petting farms for the children, an abundance of free bush walks with interesting rock formations and caves to explore as well as gardens. Scenic flights and golf. The museum of caves is a must-see in Waitomo.
There are lots of quirky places around Waitomo to stay with lovely kiwi hosts to top off your Waitomo experience. And Waitomo has many great places to eat ranging from cabinet food to fish n chips or pub food, to fine dining and a buffet restaurant.
The locals are friendly and accommodating so don't be afraid to stop for a yarn.
Overall there's more to Waitomo than just a glowworm cave, so come and explore this great destination for yourself!
Travelling south from Otorohanga and Hamilton on State Highway 3, turn right onto State Highway 37 at the Hangatiki roundabout. Waitomo Caves is 7 km up SH 37.
GreatSights operates premium sightseeing tours daily from Auckland and from Rotorua. Grayline Tours does a deluxe version of this tour.
Waitomo offers many different activities for all ages and fitness. There are around 16 different glowworm cave tours you can do from the following caving companies - Kiwi Cave Rafting, The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company, Waitomo Adventures (Waitomo Adventure Center), Spellbound, Cave World and Waitomo Glowworm Caves. The local I-site is a great place to go to get information about the different tours available.
Waitomo is a great place to cycle. This aspect is being developed more to meet the increasing popularity of the activity. There are animal petting farms for the children, an abundance of free bush walks with interesting rock formations and caves to explore as well as gardens. Scenic flights and golf. The museum of caves is a must-see in Waitomo.
There are lots of quirky places around Waitomo to stay with lovely kiwi hosts to top off your Waitomo experience. And Waitomo has many great places to eat ranging from cabinet food to fish n chips or pub food, to fine dining and a buffet restaurant.
The locals are friendly and accommodating so don't be afraid to stop for a yarn.
Overall there's more to Waitomo than just a glowworm cave, so come and explore this great destination for yourself!
Get around
There is a shuttle service that can transfer you from Otorohanga and from Waitomo Caves Village you can be picked up for cave tours. The Great Sights bus does transfers to Rotorua daily. Tickets can be purchased at the Information Centre (I-site).
There is lots of accommodation within walking distance of the Village too as well as a few bush walks.
Travellers with a car are able to enjoy more activities further afield from the Village.
See
Tickets can be purchased individually, or in packages (Feb 2019):
- Waitomo Glowworm Cave and Ruakuri Cave: adult $94, child $35, family $204
- Waitomo Glowworm Cave and Aranui Cave: adult $79, child $35, family $169
- All three caves: adult $100, child $46, family $221
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phone: +64 7 878 8228address: 39 Waitomo Village Rd, Waitomo CavesThe Waitomo Glowworm Caves are one of New Zealand's top tourist attractions, home to Waitomo glowworms, Arachnocampa luminosa, tiny creatures that radiate their luminescent light. Formed over 30 million years ago, the caves have majestic and ornate cave decorations, a deep limestone shaft known as the Tomo and the equally magnificent Cathedral cavern. The Cathedral is known for its superb acoustics, which are due to the enclosed shape and rough surface. Many famous singers, including New Zealand's own opera diva Kiri Te Kanawa, and choirs have performed here and have been delighted with the purity of the sound. The Tomo is a 16-metre vertical limestone shaft which marks the course of an ancient waterfall which today only flows during heavy rains. The dramatic vertical drop is carefully lighted to show the scalloped walls and the layers of limestone. The Tomo was the last feature of the cave to be formed and links the upper level to the Waitomo River below. A 45-min tour.
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phone: +64 7 878 6219address: 205 Ruakuri Rd, Waitomo 3985Ruakuri, or 'den of dogs' as it literally translates into the English language, was first discovered by local Maori between 400 and 500 years ago. It takes its name from the wild dogs that made their home in the cave entrance. The cave entrance was used by Maori as a burial ground (wahi tapu) and it is this sacred area that has now been protected with the construction of the spiral entrance a safe distance away. A two-hour tour.
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phone: +64 7 878 8228address: 39 Waitomo Village Rd, Waitomo CavesNamed after Ruruku Aranui, the local Maori man who first discovered this hidden gem back in 1910, Aranui has a natural cave entrance and is the smallest and most delicate of Waitomo's three main caves. As a dry cave without a river running through it, it houses very little life past its entrance. However, just inside the entrance is a colony of native New Zealand cave wetas and further into the cave is the most beautiful collection of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and decorative formations. It is one of the most richly decorated caves in Waitomo. There is very little of the ceiling in this cave that has not been decorated by the dripping water. A 45-min tour.
Waitomo Caves Discovery CentreVisit to find out about all the cave tour options.
Do
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Legendary Black Water Rafting Co Black Labyrinth
phone: +64 7 878 6219address: 585 Waitomo Caves Rd, Waitomo CavesFloat down an underground river and jump off subterranean waterfalls as you admire the glowworm-studded cave interior of Ruakuri Cave, assisted by experienced and trained guides. Complimentary hot shower, hot soup and bagels follow.
Black Water RaftingCave tubing or black water rafting offers an adventurous journey that falls outside the comfort zone to thrill. It involves the use of an inflated rubber inner tube as a flotation device to take you down river. There are two black water rafting tours available: Black Labyrinth & Black Abyss. Black Labyrinth is a 3 hour cave tubing excursion through Ruakuri Caves glow worm lit underworld universe. Black Abyss, on the other hand, takes a slightly more vigorous version to the same caves by mixing abseiling, climbing and cave tubing.
- The Lost World. Abseil 100 metres through the collapsed roof of a cave t o the floor below then walk through the caves, seeing glow-worms on the way. Either climb out if you are on the 4-hour trip or continue on through the stream and further caverns on the 7½-hour trip.
Eat
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phone: +64 7-878 6674address: 10 Waitomo Caves Rd
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Roselands Restaurant Waitomo Caves
phone: +64 7 878-7611address: 579 Fullerton RoadA large facility with a barbecue and buffet restaurant, gift shop, gardens, function venue, and campervan parking on 20 acres of rural property with native woodlands. Meat portions cooked on the barbecue how you like it with a buffet of fresh home-made salads, sauces, bread and rice. A dessert buffet of traditional New Zealand cookies and carrot cake are available afterwards with tea and coffee. Small groups and large parties welcome. Get back to nature and enjoy exploring the bush paths and award-winning gardens. Plenty of bird-watching opportunities or get up-close and pet the friendly farm animals. Free Wi-Fi.
Sleep
Waitomo
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phone: +64 7 878 3395address: Hotel Access RoadQualmark rated 5-star quality accommodation in the heart of Waitomo Caves.
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Roselands Restaurant Waitomo Caves
phone: +6478787611address: 579 Fullerton RdSuitable to sleep one couple and two singles. This tidy little unit is fully self-contained with a toilet, shower, and kitchenette. The unit is on an elevated site between the restaurant and homestead. It is safe and secure with ample parking for large campers, suitable for extended family holidays. Only one chalet available, so book well in advance. -
phone: +64 7-878 8204address: School Access RdSchool Road, Waitomo Caves Village. Imposing turn-of-the-century grandeur.
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phone: +64 508 498 666address: 12 Waitomo Village Rd
Otorohanga
Otorohanga is approximately 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Waitomo, thirty minutes by car.-
phone: +64 7 873-0849address: 229 Barber Rd, OtorohangaSelf-contained cottage accommodates up to four, kitchenette, full breakfast. Bed & breakfast on a farm with panoramic views. SMS: +64 21 055-1818.
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phone: +64 7 878-6666address: 1177 Waitomo Valley Rd, OtorohangaNovelty architecture Hobbit motel in hillside, novelty hotel rooms in a decommissioned train, aeroplane and World War II patrol boat.