Waitomo is consistently rated in New Zealand’s top 10 must see places. Derived from the Maori words ‘wai’, meaning water, and ‘tomo’, meaning hole, the Waikato town of Waitomo is a popular tourist destination due to its magical glow worm caves.
30 million years in the making, the caves have attracted visitors for over 100 years, and many famous singers and choirs, including New Zealand’s own Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, have been drawn to the incredible acoustics of the aptly named ‘Cathedral’ cave.
Join our comfortable, colourful scenic shuttle as we guide you to this fascinating world. Waitomo Wanderer offers a regular return service so you can stay overnight to take in the full experience. Daily departures with pick ups from your central city accommodation in Rotorua and connections from Taupo.
Once in Waitomo you’ll have the option of experiencing the Waitomo Caves with a gentle guided boat trip through a glowworm grotto , legendary black water rafting, caving and abseiling / rappelling the Lost World or many other ways to take in the unique awe-inspiring caves.
Above-ground activities, including horse riding, jet boating, a wildlife park and a Kiwi culture show are also hugely popular, and the extensive bush around the area offers buch walks, the natural Limestone Bridge and the Marokopa Falls.
The Aranui Cave features a host of limestone formations, spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone and coral formations. The walk-through guided tours of the Glowworm and Aranui caves are designed to display the exceptional beauty of these caves.
Over thousands of years, natural cave decorations of terraces, stalactites, stalagmites and sculptures have been formed, creating an ethereal environment and habitat for thousands of tiny glowworms a species unique to New Zealand, radiate light through the ornate and majestic caves.
The Glowworm Cave was first explored in 1887 by a local Maori chief, Tane Tinorau, and an Englishman, Fred Mace.
Local Maori people knew of its existence, but chose not to disclose the fact. When information came to light, Fred and Tane explored the cave together by raft and foot, entering the cave where the stream goes underground. They were amazed by the limestone formations and the myriad lights of the glowworms and returned many times for further exploration.
After a period of government management the land and the cave were returned in 1989 to the descendants of the original owners. Many staff employed at the caves are direct descendants of Tane Tinorau and his wife Huiti.
