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Waitomo Caves Tour: Glowworms and Ruakuri Adventure
5.0
25 Ratings
Auckland
Experience the magic of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and the stunning Ruakuri Cave on this small group tour from Auckland. Discover the unique Arachnocampa Luminosa glowworm species and explore the beauty of these underground wonders.
Experience the magic of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and the stunning Ruakuri Cave on this small group tour from Auckland. Discover the unique Arachnocampa Luminosa glowworm species and explore the beauty of these underground wonders.
Duration:
11 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Auckland Central - We pickup travellers from most locations in the Auckland CBD location. If your pickup location is not available on the list, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our very best to accommodate your request.
- Auckland Central - We pickup travellers from most locations in the Auckland CBD location. If your pickup location is not available on the list, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our very best to accommodate your request.
What's Included
- Experience the majesty of nature in the Waitomo Glow Worm and Ruakuri Caves
- Gaze at thousands of glow-worms lighting up the caves
- Complimentary refreshments, water, and High-Speed Internet on board
- Luxurious, temperature controlled transportation with pickup and drop-off from Auckland CBD
- Fully guided tours of Waitomo Glow Worm Cave (45…
- Experience the majesty of nature in the Waitomo Glow Worm and Ruakuri Caves
- Gaze at thousands of glow-worms lighting up the caves
- Complimentary refreshments, water, and High-Speed Internet on board
- Luxurious, temperature controlled transportation with pickup and drop-off from Auckland CBD
- Fully guided tours of Waitomo Glow Worm Cave (45 minutes) and Ruakuri Cave (90 minutes)
- Marvel at stalactites, stalagmites, and rock formations during your cave explorations
- Enjoy the acoustics in the Cathedral Cave and a boat ride on an underground stream
- Learn about geology and history with a local English-speaking tour escort
- See more glow-worms than imagined during one of North Island’s best day tours
What's Not Included
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
Additional Information
Maximize your excursion by opting for a package that allows you to explore more than just a single remarkable cave at Waitomo on this intimate group day trip from Auckland. A visit to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves is an essential experience, where you’ll encounter the Arachnocampa Luminosa, a species of glowworm unique to New Zealand. This highly favored…
Maximize your excursion by opting for a package that allows you to explore more than just a single remarkable cave at Waitomo on this intimate group day trip from Auckland. A visit to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves is an essential experience, where you’ll encounter the Arachnocampa Luminosa, a species of glowworm unique to New Zealand. This highly favored combo intertwines a tour of the renowned Waitomo glowworm cave with a walking exploration of the breathtaking Ruakuri Cave for the supreme Waitomo caving adventure.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
- Please wear comfortable clothing suitable for the conditions, Sun protection, jacket/warm layer, & any essential personal items.
- Easy and good fitness level required.
- This is a guided walking tour and sensible walking footwear is recommended.
- No photography is permitted inside the Waitomo caves, and cameras and Go Pros cannot be taken on the tour.
- Photography is permitted in Ruakuri Cave so bring your camera to click the best shots.
- No backpacks or large bags allowed in cave due to delicate formations.
- Please do not touch the formation in the cave as it discoloured easily, please help us protect our cave.
- You must be able to climb and descend stairs and walk on unpaved or uneven terrain.
Location
Mövenpick Hotel Auckland
Customs Street East
Our central meeting point in Auckland City is in front of Movenpick Hotel (8 Customs Street East, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010). This meeting point is well connected with Auckland's public transport network. Kindly advise us if you will be meeting us at this location.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(25 Ratings)
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Terril_o
Jan 5, 2025
Cool Caverns - What a fun time! While it was a long drive sering the Waitomo AND the Ruakuri caverns was amazing. Our BMW minibus whisked us away with a quick coffee stop halfway. The glow worms cave was everything it promised. The Ruakuri caverns was unexpectedly fabulous. The spectacular spiral entry and seeing the black water rafters was especially great. Photographs are also allowed in this cave. Our driver was outstanding: on time, caring, and knowledgeable about where we were and where we were going. I definitely recommend this excursion.
Review provided by Viator
Yvan_s
Jan 2, 2025
A great day with Lulu! - Our tour guide/driver was Lulu. She is energetic and her comments were very interesting. She is of Maori origin and decided to learn the language as an adult. Of course she had a lot to say about her culture, her country and, of course, what we were visiting.
My favorite part was the Ruakuri Cave; the lighting of the concretions, the safe walking paths and the knowledgeable comments of the guide.
Review provided by Viator
Vita_t
Dec 14, 2024
Best time at NZ - Trip was great. Driver was very good. We were very happy with the trip. Everything was excellent . Really enjoyed the trip
Review provided by Viator
Keith_b
Dec 12, 2024
Great experience - Our guides were excellent. Marty was our driver and was a wealth of information. We made an extra stop or two to learn more about the small towns on the way.
Additionally, our cave guides were incredibly knowledgeable with great personalities. Lockey in particular was super.
We enjoyed the Ruakuri caves more than we expected and they ended up being our favorite!
Review provided by Viator
Eliane_p
Oct 23, 2024
Perfect title the "Twin Caves" - Ama our tour guide and driver gave an excellent history of the Maori people. She made sure that everyone in our small group (6) were happy, comfortable in the mini-bus, had plenty of breaks to buy food, go to to the toilets, stretch our legs. She was very well organized, efficient, and a fun person to have during the full day tour.
Review provided by Viator
Wentzus
Oct 21, 2024
Highly recommend ! - The driver Ama is knowledgeable and helpful, she makes 5 hours drive (round trip) in bus very vibrant and lots of fun and laughter. The tour inside of cave is an unforgettable experience, must try once in a life time!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeff
Oct 21, 2024
Great day all round - Our tour guide, Ama, was engaging and had a focus on the customer. She gave us a great all round experience and added some great Māori history and stories which helped whittle away the long drive to Wiatomo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kellywl686un
Sep 29, 2024
Amazing Day Trip - My boyfriend and I took this day trip with Experience Kart to the Waitomo Glowworm and Ruakuri Twin Cave. We have been driving all around the North Island and wanted to give my boyfriend a break from driving. The pickup and drop off from our hotel in central Auckland was smooth and the drive to the cave was relaxing in the van. Our driver and tour guide, Karthik, gave a great tour with fun little tidbits of New Zealand.
The glowworm cave itself was amazing, but the addition of the Ruakuri Cave made the drive worth it. I would recommend this tour company to anybody who wants to see the cool sights of New Zealand, but is weary about driving all the time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susanmosaics
Sep 23, 2024
Double cave tours - Our tour operator Karthik was wonderful start to finish. Very informative with lots of details about the history of the area and interesting landmark details. We started the trip with our hotel pick up and were each given a “snack care package” (water bottle, drink, snacks etc) before getting started. The stops we made were well timed. The caves were both fabulous and well worth the long journey. My daughter and I were both very happy with the trip experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
10teresaj
Jun 21, 2024
Every detail fantastic! Great day experience! - This was a great experience! Our guide, Ama was so wonderful! She arrived promptly and was warm and welcoming. She shared lots of interesting information about the Māori culture and area as we travelled to the caves. We were given a lovely goodie bag when we settled in the car that contained a bottle of water (and there was more available onboard), cookies, tissues, snacks and a local favorite - L & P. The car was very comfortable and had onboard WiFi. Regarding the cave adventure, the Ruakuri was very informative and interesting. We learned alot and the guide was informative and helpful answering many, many questions. He also allowed ample time for pictures. The Waitomo Glowworm tour was much more touristy. The experience in the cave was very brief. The experience on the boat staring up at all the glowworms was amazing.
After the caves, we stopped at The Thirsty Weta Bar in Otorohanga and it was delicious!
Overall, it was a great day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
