Waitomo cave tour Review - See glow worms!

From the mountains and glaciers of the south island to the rolling hills and valleys of the North.

So many highlights of our trip already but we were keen to add another with a place we'd heard so much, the Waitomo Caves.

Hidden beneath the rolling green hills of Waitomo lies a underground wonderland quite unlike any I've ever seen before. Rather than visiting just one set of caves there are many options here and not just walking tours either.

We were so excited to be invited a long to check out one cave system that was perfect for even our toddler to enjoy.!Waitomo cave tour review

We headed out from our Top 10 Holiday park in Waitomo, for just a short drive to the "Legendary Black Water Rafting Company". An easy place to find thanks to its big signs and busy car park. Many of the tours start from here with minivans picking up groups and whisking them off to one of the cave system. Their name probably tells you all you need to know, they were the first company to offer water rafting opportunities underground in New Zealand!

Their friendly staff soon had us checked in and there's a small cafe there to grab a last minute snack before heading to the caves. We opted to follow the mini-van as we had our Maui Motorhome with us. We stopped at a couple of points along the way to pick up more tourists and within 15 minutes or so we were at a secluded and quiet spot where we parked up and continued on foot.

Today we were visiting the Ruakuri Cave system which, according to Maori legends was discovered over 400 years ago by hunters who were attacked by wild dogs that appeared from the cave entrance. "Rua" translates to Den while "Kuri" is Dog. The cave system has been open to the public since 2005 so is relatively new for a dry cave walk.

Glow Worms

One of the highlights of any cave system in the region is without doubt the glow worms, a name that makes them sound so cute and friendly. In reality glow worms are really the maggot stage of the Arachnocampa. In the dark of course all you see is their beautiful glow, a ceiling of light blue stars above you and often all around you too.

We had a number of opportunities to enjoy the sight of these tiny creatures who seek out the cool wet and dark surroundings of cave systems  to call home. Our guide turned all the lights off and requested we keep our phones and cameras off for a moment to enjoy them in total darkness.

Its only then you realise just how many there are all around you. Definitely not very easy to take a photo of in such low light but I gave it a go anyway!!Glow worms tour NZ

These little creatures have more in common with spiders than flies as they cast out lines to catch passing prey. Its for this reason they live in caves where there's very little wind to tangle their nets. One glow worm can cast up to 70 "snares" that dangle down from the cave ceilings and walls.

To see hundreds of thousands of snares like this was an incredible sight, something I've never seen before in my life. Its amazing to think that these ancient cave systems are home to life, in fact huge communities of creatures.

Book your Waitomo cave tour here

Definitely something that has to be seen to be believed and Waitomo caves sure make it easy.!Glow worm Waitomo caves review

Thank you

A huge thank you to The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co. for their wonderful hospitality and excellent guided group tour of the Ruakuri cave system.

I highly recommend a visit to any caves in the Waitomo region but especially the Ruakuri which is excellent for small children and wheelchair users too.

I really didn't think cave systems could be made quite so accessible! Also many thanks to Maui Motorhomes for their continued support on this epic road trip project. Check out the links below for everything else we've done on our road trip so far.

Book your Waitomo Cave Tour here.