Overview

Hype:

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves attraction is a cave at Waitomo on the North Island of New Zealand. It is known for its population of Arachnocampa luminosa, a glowworm species found exclusively in New Zealand. This cave is part of the waitomo streamway system that includes the Ruakuri Cave, Lucky Strike, and Tumutumu Cave. There are organized tours that include a boat ride under the glowworms.

Cave Type: Horizontal

Time: 45 minutes

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/waitomo-glowworm-caves
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitomo_Glowworm_Caves

Location

Closest City or Region: Waitomo, New Zealand

Coordinates: -38.260701, 175.103606

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November 17, 2022 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Savannah Dye,

Story

After lunch, we went on our glow worm cave tour. It started to rain a little bit, but there was a shelter which was convenient. We really enjoyed the cave tour, but they had so many people going through and the tours were so close together, that we didn't get a very long experience. Looking at the glow worms on the cave ceiling was kind of like a cross between looking up at the night sky on a really clear night and sitting around a campfire watching the embers glow. It was hypnotizing and very tranquil and awesome. The first part of the cave was a normal cave with stalactites and other features, then we hopped on a little boat and they used ropes to tow us through the underground stream under where the biggest collection of glow worms were. We came out the water entrance and then hiked back to the surface. We then got our tickets for the second cave, Ruakuri Cave, and drove down the canyon for that tour.

Pictures