Overview

Hype:

Ruakuri Cave is one of the longer caves in the Waitomo area of New Zealand. The name Te Ruakuri, or "The Den of Dogs" was given to the surrounding area when wild dogs were discovered living in the entrance of the cave. One of the cave entrances was used by M?ori as a burial site. As a sacred area, it is no longer used for tourism, however the cave is now accessed by a spiral drum entrance built some distance away from the sacred site where tours now run. Major features of the Ruakuri Cave include Holdens Cavern (named after James Holden who first opened the cave to the public), The Drum Passage, The Pretties and The Ghost Passage. The cave was open to the public from 1904 until 1988, when it was closed due to a legal and financial dispute. It was reopened in 2005. Inside there is a dynamic natural environment, with glowworms, limestone formations, underground rivers, and hidden waterfalls.

Cave Type: Horizontal

Time: 1.5 hours

Length: Unknown

Depth: Unknown

Gear: None

Fees: Admission

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Permits: Gated

Links: https://www.waitomo.com/glowworms-and-caves/ruakuri-cave
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruakuri_Cave

Getting There

Navigate to -38.268239, 175.079628.

Location

Closest City or Region: Waitomo, New Zealand

Coordinates: -38.268099, 175.078477

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November 17, 2022 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye,

Story

After visiting Waitomo Glowworm Caves, we got our tickets for the second cave, Ruakuri Cave, and drove down the canyon for that tour. The natural entrance was a burial site, so they core drilled a giant spiral ramp down into the cave. The cave was also leased, so all of the walkways were suspended by cables instead of being placed on the ground. That way if they ever have to give up their lease, they can leave everything pristine except for some bolt holes. 

We enjoyed this cave tour more than the other one because it was a smaller group and we got to go slower and we had a fun guide. The cave was incredibly white and clean and it's the same cave where they do the blackwater rafting trips, but we weren't able to do the blackwater rafting because Savannah wasn't tall enough. However we did get to go in the water section and see a bunch of glow worms and they actually let us take pictures of everything, which was much appreciated.

Pictures