Discover Waitomo · Tumutumu Road, Waitomo
A 1.5-hour guided walk through Ruakuri Cave, billed as New Zealand's longest guided underground walking tour, entered down a spiral ramp. Pick it to see glowworms up close on foot, take your own photos in selected areas, and for full wheelchair and pushchair access.
This tour enters Ruakuri Cave, and it starts at the Ruakuri visitor center at 204 Tumutumu Road, not in the village. The listing puts it about a 10-minute drive from the Glowworm Cave visitor center, and you need your own transport. The name comes from Te Ruakuri, "the den of dogs", given when wild dogs were found living in the cave entrance, per Wikipedia. The cave was open to visitors from 1904 to 1988 and reopened in 2005, with a new entrance built away from the original one, which is sacred (tapu) and no longer used for tours.
That new entrance is the first thrill: a spiral ramp winding down a shaft to the bottom of the cave. From there the walk takes about 1.5 hours (Discover Waitomo says allow 2 hours with check-in) on walkways past Holdens Cavern, named for James Holden who first opened the cave, the Drum Passage, the Pretties and the Ghost Passage. You hear underground waterfalls before you see them. The glowworms here are close enough for a selfie, per Discover Waitomo. Many guides are locals whose parents and grandparents also guided in these caves, per the listing, and the cave runs on solar power.
Included: entry, the 90-minute walking tour and a local guide. Not included: transport. Photos and video are allowed in selected areas, but tripods, selfie sticks and backpacks stay outside on regular tours (a separate photography tour exists for tripods). Wheelchairs and pushchairs up to 65 cm wide fit the walkways. A friendly tip: book it after the Glowworm Cave boat tour on the same day. Discover Waitomo sells the pair as its Most Popular Combo, about 2.5 hours in all.
Pick a time slot. Tours run from 10am, last tour 3.30pm, per Discover Waitomo, with extra tours possible in summer.
Drive to the Ruakuri visitor center at 204 Tumutumu Road and check in. Leave backpacks in the car.
Walk down the spiral ramp that winds into the cave, the modern entrance built in 2005.
Walkways lead through Holdens Cavern, the Drum Passage and the Pretties, with waterfalls rumbling below.
The guide shows you glowworms at close range. Photos are fine in the areas the guide points out.
Walk out after about 1.5 hours underground. The Glowworm Cave and Aranui Cave are a short drive away.
★★★★★This tour was everything we hoped for and then some. Our guide really knew his stuff and you could tell he loved every second of it. This tour is definitely worth every penny.
★★★★★The guide was very kind and let us join the tour despite our late arrival due to heavy rain. An extremely interesting tour, not only for the glowworms but also for the spectacular rock formations.
★★★★★Excellent factual tour with detailed information about the caves and their formation. I really enjoyed it.
★★★★★This was a fascinating experience. Really glad we did this.
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Yes. Photography and video are allowed in selected areas of Ruakuri Cave, per Discover Waitomo. Tripods and extension sticks are not allowed on regular tours.
Yes. The walk takes you close to the glowworms, and Discover Waitomo says you can even take a selfie with them.
Yes. Ruakuri Cave is fully wheelchair and pushchair accessible, as long as the chair or stroller is no wider than 65 cm.
From $67 per person on GetYourGuide, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Discover Waitomo lists the adult ticket at NZ$122 and the child ticket at NZ$46.
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A 1.5-hour walk down a spiral ramp to glowworms up close, with photos allowed and wheelchair access.
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