Waitomo Glowworm Caves Small Group Tour from Auckland

Waitomo Caves Tour, this small group day tour visits the amazing Waitomo Caves with the option to upgrade to the experience of your choice. Be in awe of the cave formations and the thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Caves are a must-see for any traveller. Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.

Highlights:

• Waitomo Glowworm Caves
• Wildlife viewing
• Optional upgrades 

Itinerary:

1.      Auckland - Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city, your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today, but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.

2.      Waikato – Exiting Auckland, we drive south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world. Encounter stunning scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, beautiful mountains and several farm animals along the way. During this journey we pass through Taupiri which has many interesting sites of
cultural significance including local Maori burial grounds & cultural totem poles.

3.      Pirongia - After passing through rich countryside and learning about some local history and the New Zealand Land Wars, we stop in this idyllic little town for a quick coffee break.

4.      Otorohanga - Continuing our adventure, we enter Otorohanga “The Kiwiana capital of New Zealand”. See all things Kiwi as you pass through this unique and charming town.

5.      Waitomo Caves – Arriving at our feature attraction you have several options:

·        Waitomo Glowworm Caves & Glowworm Grotto Boat Ride (included in tour price). Be guided through the ancient and amazing caves seeing many different cave formations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and Lime Columns before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must-see for any traveller.

·        Upgrade to Ruakuri Cave - Recommended (Additional cost, Summer only or private tour in winter - please contact us). If travelling all the way to Waitomo, we
recommend upgrading to Ruakuri Cave. The cave offers a captivating blend of Waitomo's most compelling subterranean experiences. Journey down through the spectacular spiral entrance, and marvel at the softly folding shawl-like limestone formations and crystal tapestries. Hear the distant thunder of the subterranean waterfalls and get up close to the glowworms. Ruakuri Cave is New Zealand's longest guided underground walking tour and an experience that must be seen to be believed. Please note this cave upgrade is instead of Waitomo Glowworm Caves, not in addition to.

·        Upgrade to Black Water Rafting, Black Labyrinth (Additional cost, Summer only or private tour in winter - please contact us). The original Waitomo black water rafting tour that will have you exploring and tubing through the mysterious Ruakuri Cave. Grab a group of mates, some rubber tubes, and let’s take you on an unreal underground adventure that you will never forget. Float down the underground river in rubber tubes while admiring the glowworm displays above, jump into cascading underground waterfalls, reflecting the glowworms above and enjoy a hot shower and complimentary hot soup and bagels after your tour. Please note this cave upgrade is instead of Waitomo Glowworm Caves, not in addition to.

·        Upgrade to Black Water Rafting, The Black Abyss (Additional cost, Summer only or private tour in winter - please contact us). For the ultimate in adventure
caving tours, look no further than the Black Abyss. You will descend into the black, seemingly bottomless depths of Ruakuri Cave, zipline through a gallery of illuminating glowworms and climb underground waterfalls as you test your limits on this truly unforgettable journey. The most comprehensive caving experience including an underground flying fox and waterfall climbs, and abseiling into Ruakuri Cave down a 35-metre tomo (hole). Test yourself on this ultimate caving adventure, then enjoy a hot shower and complimentary hot soup and bagels after your tour. Please note this cave upgrade is instead of Waitomo Glowworm Caves, not in addition to.

6.      Big Bird – On our way out of Waitomo we stop outside Big Bird to see and meet some of our local friendly animals. These guys know our guides well and even though we do not have time to go inside the park, the friendly animals will often come to the fences for a photo or two, thrilling guests.

7.      Auckland – Sadly we must start to head north again but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland with secret stops along the way, or add the Otorohanga Kiwi House to enhance your day.

Inclusions:

• Small Group Tour
• Fully Guided
• Entry Tickets (for chosen option)
• Bottled Water
• Snacks

Optional Extras:

• Ruakuri Cave upgrade
• Black Water Rafting upgrade
• Otorohanga Kiwi House

Please note the tour run time can be up to 13 hours long depending on if/which optional extra is added.

While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, we at Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it’s our small groups, guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles, complementary refreshments and many other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember.