The Ruakuri, Aranui and world famous Glowworm caves are the centre piece of Waitomo and provide a unique experience for all visitors. Renowned for its amazing underground adventures, Waitomo offers a range of activities to suit all ages.
The Glowworm caves, home to the ‘Cathedral’ – world renowned for its acoustics, has hosted acclaimed Diva, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa who was amazed with the purity of the sound created within these unique limestone walls and thousands of tiny glowworms create a galaxy of lights as you cruise through the serene caves.
The Aranui Cave is the most delicate of the three main caves and showcases a spectacular collection of stalagmites and stalactites as well as being home to a colony of rare New Zealand cave wetas.
Boasting New Zealand’s longest underground guided walking tour, the Ruakuri Cave, or ‘den of dogs’ as it translates, is accessed via a unique spiral descent from where the 1.6km tour commences. With underground rivers, elaborate formations, sacred Maori sites and the beauty of the glowworms, the Ruakuri Cave is an experience not to be missed.
If adventure is what you are looking for, how about abseiling down 35 metres underground and winding your way through the depths of the Ruakuri Cave. Black water rafting is the ultimate adrenalin rush with a combination of climbing, cave tubing down the river and tight rock squeezes, ideal for those after a real adventure.
For something a little less adventurous, an easy 10 minute stroll through the gorge will bring you to the Mangapohue natural bridge, two natural arches created by the Mangapohue Stream cutting through limestone. Along the same road you can visit the Marokopa Falls, formed by the Marokopa River cascading 30 metres to the pool below.
More than 30 million years in the making, the stunning Waitomo region is now one of the most tranquil parts of New Zealand and sees thousands of visitors each year making the journey to explore the natural beauty and marvel at the spectacular subterranean formations.
