Discover Waitomo · Ruakuri Scenic Reserve
Aranui Cave is the smallest and most delicate of Waitomo's three main show caves: a 1-hour guided walk on boardwalks past huge stalactites in pale brown, pink and white. Pick it for the formations and for your camera, because photos are allowed here and the groups stay small.
Aranui is the third of Discover Waitomo's show caves, and the odd one out: it has no glowworms. No river runs through it, so, per Discover Waitomo, little lives past its natural entrance apart from a colony of native cave weta. What it has instead is decoration. Almost every corner of the roof and walls carries fragile formations, and the stalactites shade from pale brown to pink and white. The cave takes its name from Te Ruruku Aranui, who found it in 1910 when his dog fell down a hole while he was out hunting.
You check in at the Waitomo Glowworm Cave visitor centre, 39 Waitomo Village Road, 30 minutes before the tour. Then you drive yourself to the Ruakuri Scenic Reserve on Tumutumu Road, a short drive (about 5 to 10 minutes), and follow the signs at the corner of Ruakuri Road down to the lower car park, where the guide meets the group. A short stroll through the forest brings you to the entrance. The tour lasts about 1 hour, on safe boardwalks with some stairs, through narrow passages into high chambers. Entry, the walk and a local guide are included. Transport between the two sites is not. Start times change by date, so check availability on the booking page to see them.
Photos and video are welcome in Aranui, unlike in the Waitomo Glowworm Cave. Our tip: bring the camera and keep your hands off the rock. Discover Waitomo asks visitors not to touch the formations, which discolor easily, and the more fragile ones can break.
Collect your ticket at the check-in windows at 39 Waitomo Village Road. The visitor centres are cashless.
About 5 to 10 minutes to Tumutumu Road. Follow the signs from the corner of Ruakuri Road to the lower car park.
Your guide leads a short walk through the bush of the reserve to Aranui's natural entrance.
A colony of native cave weta lives by the entrance, the only real life the dry cave holds.
Boardwalks lead through narrow passages into chambers hung with stalactites in pale brown, pink and white.
The walk ends after about an hour. Ruakuri Cave leaves from the same road if you want a second cave.
★★★★★The place was magical. The experience was pleasant, thanks to our tour guide [...] he was very helpful and helped us take some of our family photos. We did not feel rushed and the group of 10 was just great, did not feel cramped inside the cave. Highly recommended.
★★★★★Cori, our tour guide, was incredible. He answered all our boys’ incessant questions and was a great storyteller about the history, geology and unique formations in the cave. I am SO SO happy that we decided to do this tour.
★★★★★Beautiful cave, [...] with stalagmites and stalactites everywhere. Very kind and well-prepared guide.
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No. Aranui has no river running through it, so it holds little life beyond a colony of cave weta by the entrance, per Discover Waitomo. For glowworms, book the Glowworm Cave or Ruakuri Cave.
Yes. Photography and video are permitted in Aranui Cave, per Discover Waitomo. Please do not touch the formations: they discolor and break easily.
You check in at the Waitomo Glowworm Cave, 39 Waitomo Village Road, 30 minutes before. Then you drive yourself to the lower car park of the Ruakuri Reserve on Tumutumu Road, about 5 to 10 minutes away, where the guide meets you.
On waitomo.com an adult ticket is NZ$85, a child NZ$39 and a family pass (2 adults, 2 children) NZ$217, as of November 2026. On this site the tour starts from $47. Children 3 and under go free but must be booked; anyone over 14 pays the adult price.
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Waitomo's quietest cave: pink and white formations, photos allowed, no glowworms.
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