Waitomo Caves
By Bachchat staff
Waitomo Caves. Photo: 91RS
Just an hour’s drive south from Hamilton, the many cave guides and operators deliver informative commentary and keep you safe. You’ll be provided with helmets and wetsuits when required, and you simply need to bring yourself, your towel, your walking shoes and your sense of adventure!
Be spellbound by millions of glowworms that transform cave ceilings into a mesmerizing, star-filled, underground night-sky, discover new limestone formations and spiritual journeys whilst creeping through dry cave systems, wander over suspended walkways and echoing hidden waterfalls’ these all make for a mysterious trip through the middle of the Earth, 30 million years in the making.
Adventure and adrenalin are boundless in Waitomo. Raft down a cave stream narrowly escaping stalactites; on an inner tube! There’s no excuse for anyone to miss out on the Kiwi sport of black water wafting; invented here in Waitomo.
Attracting hundreds of thousands of international visitors, it’s a must for even the tamest of holidaymakers. Experience the true meaning of the word adventure as you journey into the unknown on a genuine caving expedition. You need to be up for the challenge as you abseil massive tomos and scale cliff faces up to 100m tall, rock-climb, crawl and squeeze your way through this hidden world kilometres beneath the surface.
Where to stay
What to do
- Do the Ruakuri Bushwalk at night to see glow worms
- Go black water rafting
- Marvel at the Mangapohue Natural Bridge, a 17-metre high limestone arch over the Mangapohue Stream
- Study the life cycle of the glow worm at the Waitomo Museum of Caves
- Count the waterfalls at the Marakopa Falls
More info
Getting there
- From Rotorua by road: 166km
- From New Plymouth by road: 173km
- From Hamilton by road: 74km
- From Auckland by road: 200km
