Discover serenity in the most delicate and intimate of the main caves in Waitomo. Begin your tour with a guided walk through an enchanted forest before discovering the most beautiful collection of decorative formations. Cave has a natural cave entrance and is the smallest and most delicate of Waitomo's three main caves. As a dry cave without a running river through it, it houses very little life past its entrance. Walk through the cave with your guide on this 1-hour tour, with an additional 15-minute guided bush walk. Visit soon to see the richly varied cave formations within close-up view and enjoy an experience you will never forget. Choose from one of seven departure times when you book.
Posted By : f0ndes
The Waitomo Glowworm Caves were mesmerizing. Gliding through the darkness with thousands of tiny lights above us felt like something out of a fairytale.
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Posted On : 2024-04-23 01:02:27 
Posted By : claricuchi
very interesting visit. I think I was more surprised by the cave itself than by the fireflies. It is impressive to think about these underground formations. the accumulation of minerals and the time it takes for them to form. Added to that is an incredible light show. Maybe the journey is a little short, I expected a little longer. especially because to visit them from nearby places it is many kilometers round trip anyway. but I recommend it.
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Posted On : 2024-04-14 15:54:14
Posted By : Trail25859447831
Loved the limestone formations, the lighting, the information given by the guide. I also loved the jokes, sense of humor and especially the guide singing the cathedral part.
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Posted On : 2024-01-29 16:10:03
Posted By : AJTLB
The cave is amazing and a must experience for any traveller. We went on the short walk and a 10 minute boat ride which was very calm and sedate. You can walk at your own pace.
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Posted On : 2023-01-12 23:22:58
Posted By : Aislinn B
Wasnt sure about driving from Rotorua to Waitomo for the 1 hr tour to then head to Hobbiton, but I am so glad we did. Brilliant tour guide, who even sung with one of the group in the cathedral cave. Unbelievable glowworms, even seen a few outside the main cave! Way better than Tambourine Mountain in Australia.
Group were amazing and so quiet when we got on the boat.
No photos as not allowed to take them inside the cave.
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Posted On : 2022-06-17 03:41:38
Posted By : Ralph164
I was last here as a kid with my parents.
This visit was absolutely fantastic. Guide Hiria was truly amazing. Showed a genuine interest in every individual person. Made us all feel really welcome. Thorough knowledge and a stunning singing voice in the cathedral cave. What a lovely lady.
Highly recommend taking the time to see all the gloworms on the boat trip.
Excellent.
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Posted On : 2021-03-25 16:34:48
Posted By : Nita M
It seems the other reviews for these caves are all about the glowworm one with the boat ride. Understandable, as you buy the combo ticket for both at the glow worm cave entrance. We did both as a combo and this cave is just as worthwhile as visiting the glow worm one as they are very different.
The Aranui cave is short bush walk from the meeting point and not at all touristy. Our guides, Kim was in training, were entertaining, knowledgeable and proud to be local. As this cave system does not have glowworms you can take as many photos as you like.
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Posted On : 2020-12-09 04:14:13
Posted By : Ste7373
This was a really interesting tour and our guide was very knowledgeable. You see some stunning scenery. The best part is the glow worms at the end of the tour when you sail through the caves on a small boat..... so soothing and peaceful. Well worth a visit.
FYI - We did this tour and Hobbiton on the same day by hiring a car in Auckland. This saved us doing them off our cruise.
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Posted On : 2020-03-30 16:03:41
Posted By : 474lovetoeat474
We did the tour on February 29th. Our group wasn't huge, maybe 20 of us. The cave was interesting and the glowworms fascinating, however the tour itself was disappointing.
Our guide was a Maori gentleman and he was more focused on the need to be quiet rather than guiding. He talked so quietly it was hard to hear a lot of what he said. There was a family in our group with two children (approx 4 and 6 yrs old), and the guide constantly shhh'd them, even though they were very well behaved and not loud at all. If they even whispered to their parents during his talk he would shhh them. We felt so badly for the parents. The shhhing became so distracting we could hardly wait for the end; literally every third of fourth word he said was "shhhh" during his talk, even when no one was making a sound. The guide with the group behind us was not nearly as quiet and we heard more of her talk than our own! And the group ahead of us sang at the one point and it echoed through the entire cave. But he still wanted us to be silent. If any amount of sound disturbs the glowworms that much, then tours probably shouldn't be done at all. Period.
The boat ride was lovely, the glowworms beautiful but he had very sternly warned us that there could be absolutely no sound at all during the ride. We were almost afraid to breathe. When he pulled up to let us out, another man helped us out of the boat and the guide turned the boat around and left. Not one work said to let us know the tour was over. We all sort of looked at each other and said "I guess that's it". Perhaps another guide would have made our experience much better, but as it was I would go elsewhere to see glowworms.
I am really glad that this stop was along the way of our travels. I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
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Posted On : 2020-03-26 12:06:35
Posted By : zjmh
Loved the tour! Thought we would all freak out in the cave but the guide put us at ease. Even our youngest got over her fear! It's really interesting and quite amazing to see the glowing lights from the glowworms.
Loved the green screen pics although some were of places we hadn't been 😆😆
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Posted On : 2020-02-11 15:02:11
