Waitomo Glowworm Caves — Attraction in North Island

A litter starry night in a cave deep under ground. We did the Ruakuri Cave that has a spiral ramp that walks you deep underground, and you follow a guide along a path through the caves.

Two notes before I jump into the review: if you wanna bring a baby, your stroller will likely fit, but my friends wished they used their body-carrier instead. if you are scared of heights, be prepared!The path has a number of suspension bridges - My husband was terrified at some points and had a death-grip on the railing when we were over the river in pitch black.

... So I've also got to admit, before visiting the Waitomo Caves my knowledge of glowworms came from Disney movies. I thought they were winged bugs that flew around at night with glowing buts. You think I would have realised given their name: glowWORM! Woops!!! So, yep, glowworms are the larvae of a flying bug that live deep underground, in complete darkness, and they glow to attract other bugs in to eat. Very cool and weird. But also really really pretty! We decended into pitch black, followed the path, and when the guide turned out the path lights, you could see a starry night above you in the caves. And when we reached the underground river there were even more. Our guide knew so much about the caves and the glowworms and he was a pure joy to listen too. And the weird majesty of how water has carved out these giant caves over the centuries is just fantastic. But I won't attempt to explain it because words don't describe it.

The whole experience was so freaking cool and weird and beautiful and magical!!! ... but no one randomly broke into song soooooo was it really that magical??? You need to go see...

I was sceptical about paying $200 for me and my kids to visit. However, our 10.10am guide (didn't get her name) today was really nice and polite and shared a lot of interesting information. We couldn't take pictures in the cave but near the end of the boat ride, we were allowed to take pictures (with no flash).

As we had to keep really quiet during the boat ride (otherwise the glow worms will stop glowing) , it's not recommended for young children or babies who can't stay still or keep quiet.

We were lucky to have a group who kept really quiet. Unfortunately our experience was marred by the non-English group before us who kept making lots of noises when they were boarding the boat. We could also hear them making noises in the cave. Perhaps the management should really look into making sure that the tour guide for these groups remind them in their local language to keep quiet.

For this price, it's a great once-in-a-lifetime experience. My kids enjoyed learning about the glow worms and I bought a book from the gift shop so that we can learn more about it.

The photographer on site took some pictures of us which we viewed after the boat ride. I was pretty disappointed with 2 of the poses that the photographer asked us to do as we didn't look good in the pictures and she seemed to be rushing us as well.

So we chose the best 2 out of 3 poses for the 3 prints album and digital downloads we bought for $40. It definitely could have been better if we have 3 different poses for the 3 different backgrounds.

It's not compulsory to buy the pictures even if you had them taken. So go for it if you think you might want to get some...

To reach Waitomo Glowworm Caves, first head to Ruakuri Visitor Centre. There, you’ll be able to park at a carpark that is sloped, which will somewhat test your driving skills. Thereafter, take a walk through a path that leads you to the Ruakuri Visitor Centre…

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

“The world famous Waitomo Glowworm Caves amaze with thousands of magical glowworms that sparkle above, as you glide underneath by boat. Enjoy the ornate cave decorations and sculptures that have developed over thousands of years. A New Zealand “must see”, these caves have been enjoyed for over 120 years.”

Ruakuri cave

“Spectacular Ruakuri Cave is an intimate and unique cave experience like no other. See glowworms up close and stunning crystal tapestries. Descend through the spiral drum entrance, an engineering materpiece. Tread narrow corridors, stand in vast caverns and hear the distant thunder of subterranean waterfalls.”

Aranui Cave

“Aranui Cave astounds with magnificent white pink and brown limestone formations – stalactites, stalagmites and flowstones. Enjoy walking through the New Zealand native forest. The high chambers and delicate formations make Aranui Cave a real gem.”

As the attraction banner shows, Ruakuri Visitor Centre is the starting point of the 3 major attractions in Waitomo – namely; Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Ruakuri Cave as well as the Aranui Cave. Following the path from the carpark to Ruakuri Visitor Centre, we walked past the most important tourist attraction (for the operators at least) – the souvenir shop!

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