Rotorua: Evening Starlight Gourmet Kayak Tour Glowworms

Kayak Lake Rotoiti at dusk, explore glowworm caves, enjoy a BBQ dinner, and relax in geothermal hot pools. Experience New Zealand’s natural wonders.

Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 41C Otaramarae Road - Embark on an unforgettable evening adventure kayaking on the pristine waters of Lake Rotoiti, nestled amidst the breathtaking landscape of New Zealand. As you set off on your journey, be captivated by the awe-inspiring scenery that surrounds you.
    While paddling gracefully, you’ll be enchanted by the symphony of birdlife that…
What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Dinner
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Transport from Rotorua Central ( Transportation fee cost NZ$45.00 includes pick up and drop off )
Meal Options
  • Gourmet Kiwi BBQ Meal
Additional Information

Begin an enthralling twilight journey kayaking over Lake Rotoiti, a jewel in New Zealand’s crown. Submit to the captivating landscape and beautiful bird calls as you navigate towards the legendary Glowworm cave, a phenomenon of natural light. Enjoy a delightful BBQ feast at the hidden Manupirua Hot Pools, accessible solely through water, and surrender…

Location
41C Otaramarae Road
Otaramarae Road
Please look out for our guide, vehicle, trailer and boats. Please wait and meet your guide at the Waimarino Kayak Tours, down the far end of the carpark.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(16 Ratings)
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Rjk750
Nov 7, 2024
A memory that will last a lifetime… - You won’t regret doing this wonderful evening tour of Lake Rotoiti! Our adventure began with a moderate paddle in the kayaks across the lake to the thermal spas where our amazing guide, Cam, cooked up a delicious dinner including sausage, salmon, salad, and potato wedges that we devoured while sitting lakeside enjoying the birdsong. We then paddled at dusk to a remote cave full of glowworms! Literally took our breath away. The captivating experience was even better because of our wonderful guide, Cam. He provided knowledgeable wildlife education and conversation with a smile, wit and a great sense of humor, which we really enjoyed. Great value!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Retreat4us
Oct 27, 2024
Invigorating kayak, BBQ, thermal pools AND glow worms!!!!!! - Great, relaxed vibe! The kayak skirts and life jackets are perfect for a night paddle on Lake Rotoiti. We arrived at the lakeside thermal pools in roughly 35 mins. And, it did not disappoint! The water only access with private beach was secluded and rustic. The baths were the most invigorating that we’ve experienced! Lots of mineral content and much appreciated after a big hike. After an hour or so, our BBQ dinner was waiting and we enjoyed a lovely lakeside meal with our guide, Cam. We could not believe the night could get any better but it did! Cam guided us across the lake right at sunset into a small and dark cave…we saw the ‘glow worms’ begin to get brighter and brighter. Overall a super fun and educational night with a superb company. Cam is amazing and set the perfect pace for the entire experience. We’ll never forget the views and memories!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Parkies4
Oct 22, 2024
Kayaking with bells and whistles. - A fantastic experience and highly recommended. Blair was a great host and guide. Great food for Blair's own pantry, the hot pools are glorious to relax in whilst Blair is cooking. The glow worm caves are amazing and the starlit sky is inspiring. Enjoyed the Kayaking too! Everything provided, even a warm waterproof top as it got a bit chilly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B7897xwlb
Oct 6, 2024
Little of everything: outdoors, kayaking, gloworms, good dinner, hot tubs - First, we want to thank the company and our guide for even taking us on the tour when nobody else signed up for the same date. Earlier in the day, our rafting trip got canceled by a different company because we were the only ones that had signed up, so we really appreciate that Waimarano still greenlighted it! I am always cold so was worried about being cold particularly at night, but our guide outfitted us with super awesome gear to keep us as waterproof as possible and warm. He picked us up right on time, explained everything to us, showed us the stars, cooked a great dinner, was fun to chat with, and timed everything really well so that we weren't paddling in complete darkness and we felt we were in very capable hands. Super hardworking guy. You get a lot closer to the gloworms on this tour than you do in Waitomo. Had a fun night!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachelpr2714qx
Mar 2, 2024
Milky Way - This experience was incredible. A nicely paced tour with so many highlights! Dara is the man for the job- knowledgeable, humorous, and capable. Would highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan_b
Feb 20, 2024
Amazing Adventure - Jess and David were terrific guides! An amazing adventure we are so glad we took part in. Thank you!!!
Review provided by Viator
Mpb3742
Feb 19, 2024
A magical evenings - A magical trip - better than we had expected. Our guides Jess and David were fabulous, catering for paddlers of all abilities. The views were stunning, the hot pools a real treat, the BBQ dinner was delicious and the glow worms were truly magical. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Petern23
Feb 6, 2024
Just do it…at night! - Was fabulous kayaking! We only had 4 plus the guide so wonderful communication with our young Irish guide. We have kayaked often but never at night. We felt totally safe with each kayak having a rear light. The thermal pools were great with about 8 pools at varying temperatures. The BBQ whilst simple fare was very tasty as was the cold beer and ice cream. The glow cave was a great reason to do the night tour. We had a hire car so just a 30 minute drive from Rotorua. Tandem kayaking is a great test for the marriage LOL! Just do it !!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Storyteller521138
Feb 5, 2024
Best Experience Ever! - This was the greatest experience!!! Tom, our guide was so friendly and informative. The pace of the trip was perfect with a great dinner at the hot pools, intimate time in the caves , and gorgeous moonlit Kayak back. Worth every penny!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Merin_d
Jan 5, 2024
If you’re lucky enough to book this tour, do it! - Wow! We didn’t realize what an incredible experience this would be! Jamie Lee met us at the kayak dock, and got our family of four situated and we were off on the water. It was a lot of paddling in the kayak, but it wasn’t difficult. We headed towards a remote mineral Springs area where we got to enjoy bathing in the mineral pools and jumping off a dock into the lake. (You could also take a slide) We had an amazing dinner that she prepared that was salad, salmon, and sausage. Next we hopped back into our kayaks and started to paddle out in the dark towards the caves. We had taken this trip as a second option because Waitomo glow worm caves was fully booked. Well, good things happen because this was an experience that was not to be believed!!! We kayaked into a cave in the dark and all of a sudden there were glowworms all around us. We were given ample time to enjoy and take it all in. This was an experience and a vision we will never ever ever ever forget and we are so glad that we took this tour! We were also glad that we had brought waterproof floating pouches on strings to wear around our neck to take pics throughout our journey. We also appreciated the fresh bottle of water in a reuseble container and chocolate given to us by the tour guide.
Review provided by Viator
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December 2024
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