Day 9: Visit the Waitomo Caves: Ruakuri Cave and Glowworm Cave - Lake Taupo
Visit the Waitomo Caves It is the next stop on the trip to New Zealand after visiting Hobbiton this morning.
As we commented in the previous post, these two visits can be done perfectly in the same day, but due to the amount of information that there is of both, we have preferred to dedicate an article to each of them and thus be able to give more details and extend a little more with the explanations.
After an hour and a half of travel and 90 kilometers, we arrive at The Long Black Cafe, which will be our gateway to visit Waitomo caves, when it is 1:15 at noon, where we take the opportunity to eat a couple of hamburgers, waters and coffees 38NZD, at 2 in the afternoon, take again our Jucy motorhome and make our way to Ruakuri Caves, the first stop of the tour Waitomo
Remember that if you are interested in making a trip of this type, we recommend you look at the Motorhome Republic page where you can see all the available motorhome options, prices and make the reservation directly.
Waitomo Caves
Known for being the home of glowworms or luminous worms, Waitomo Caves are the ideal place to see these strange insects in New Zealand. They are not the only one in the country, since there are other areas in which they can be seen as the Kawiti Caves, through which we pass when visiting Cabo Reinga, but it is here that most of them are concentrated, in a relatively small space, which also It is the roof of a cave, making the experience of this visit truly unforgettable, by feeling under a starry sky, which are really glowworms.
In our case, before going, we read a lot about the subject and found opinions for all tastes. Travelers who have been excited about this visit and others who have found it short, there are three variants of tours that we will talk about later, and others who prefer to see them for free in one of the locations in New Zealand, such as the Kauro Coast Top 10 Holiday Park, where we stayed after making the route through the places to see in Northland and lived an unforgettable experience.
Despite what we say, visiting Waitomo Caves allows you to see thousands of them on the roof, something that we did not live for a moment in Northland, where we could only see a dozen on a wall.
It is for this reason that Waitomo has become part of the list of essential places to see in New Zealand, since the experience of the 45-minute boat tour was really impressive and unforgettable.
Visit the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand. Image property of the official Waitomo website
What are glowworm or luminous worms?
But before continuing, let's explain a little about the inhabitants of the Waitomo Caves. This is the glowworm or luminous worms, insects that in their larval stage (9 months), emit light to attract prey from which they subsequently feed. In order to catch them they have a kind of threads that hang from damp walls or ceilings, where prey is trapped.
Glowworm or luminous worms
These insects can be found in dark and humid places where they can be installed, being the most common to find them in caves such as Waitomo Caves, limestone caves where you can see numerous wells and underground rivers.
In this area, more than 300 caves of these characteristics have been counted, with Glowworm, Aranui and Ruakuri being the main ones and those that can be visited with different options for tours or excursions.
What does the visit to Waitomo Caves include?
As we mentioned earlier, you can visit the Waitomo Caves through different experiences or tours. We explain a little more of each of them so you can decide which one suits your tastes or times, since depending on the one you choose, you will need more or less hours.
All tours are guided in English and give very broad explanations about the area, the glowworms and the formation of the caves.
- Glowworm Cave
This is the main cave, in which a 45-minute tour is done. The first part of the Waitomo excursion is in a cave of stalactites and stalagmites that gives way to a huge cavern, known as "Cathedral", where you can see the first glowworms.
After this first part, in which you are about 30 minutes, you arrive at an underground river, which is traveled by boat and is where the peak moment of the visit to Waitomo comes: to be under a huge roof, full of glowworms in which You will feel in another world.
Glowworm Cave Image property of the official Waitomo website
Despite being a very short experience, the boat ride takes about 15 minutes, the feeling of silence and being surrounded by luminous worms, we assure you that it is unforgettable.
It is not allowed to take photos or videos during the boat trip.
You can book the entrance to the Glowworm Cave here
- Ruakuri Cave
With an impressive entrance, through a spiral staircase, in which there is a Maori tomb at the end, this 1: 45h tour, runs 1.6 kilometers of galleries of one of the main Waitomo caves.
In it in addition to impressive formations, you can see in one of the areas next to an underground river, the famous glowworms in a much closer way than in the Glowworm Cave, since you approach a wall where you can see them scarcely centimeters.
Access Ruakuri Cave
You can take photos and videos throughout the tour, except when the guide tells you otherwise.
You can book the entrance to the Ruakuri Cave here
Ruakuri Cave
- Aranui Cave
This is the least visited cave since in it you cannot see luminous worms, the most famous attraction of Waitomo Caves. Despite this, you can enjoy impressive limestone formations, which complement the previous visits.
This tour lasts about an hour and photographs are allowed.
You can book the entrance to the Aranui Cave here
Keep in mind that the 3 caves are in different locations, so if you are going to visit several of them, you will have to move in your vehicle. Do not worry about parking since there are free areas for cars and motorhomes in all.
In our case we made a combination of the Ruakuri Cave and the Glowworm Cave and we have to say that although the experience was impressive, the one we liked the most and the one we would repeat without hesitation was the Glowworm Cave.
We believe that if you have already seen a cave of these dimensions, the visit to the Ruakuri Cave can be done at heavy times since there are not many glowworms. Despite this, if you have 3: 30-4 hours, the combination of both is an interesting option to fully know the Waitomo Caves.
In case you have little time, without hesitation for a second, the option of the Glowworm Cave is the most appropriate and of which we are sure, you will take an unforgettable memory.
Ruakuri Cave
Tickets for Waitomo Caves
As we mentioned earlier there are many options to visit the Waitomo Caves, many of them from different cities of origin. In addition to the best known, of which we talked about earlier, you have visits that include rafting through the underground rivers. We leave you a summary of the best known and valued:
More tours and excursions to Waitomo Caves here.
More practical information to prepare your trip to New Zealand
- 10 essential tips for traveling to New Zealand
- 10 essential places to see in New Zealand
- The best travel insurance for New Zealand
How to go to Waitomo
We leave you the map of the exact location of the different caves that can be visited in Waitomo.
Tips for visiting Waitomo Caves
- Although any time of the day is good to visit the Waitomo Caves in New Zealand, whenever you can, we recommend you go first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. In this way, you will avoid getting together with many organized groups that usually go during the middle of the day.
- If you can do so, a great option is to visit Hobbiton in the early morning and organize the visit to the Waitomo Caves in the early afternoon. In this way you can even eat quietly between both visits and do them in one day.
- We ate at The Long Black Cafe, a few kilometers from the caves and it is a very advisable option.
- Even if you go with a motorhome, don't worry. Waitomo caves have free parking in which there are designated spaces for motorhomes.
- Do not forget that it is advisable to buy tickets in advance if you want a specific time or have only one day in the area. Especially in the high and medium season, tickets are usually sold out very soon, especially that of the Glowworms Cave.
You can book here the 45-minute Glowworm Cave Tour and Ruakuri Cave 1.25 hours of guided tour, which are the two most demanded options.
Ruakuri Cave
Visit Hobbiton and Waitomo the same day
Another one of the doubts for which you have asked us a lot is about the possibility of visit Hobbiton in New Zealand and Waitomo Caves in one day.
In our case we have done so and we have to say that it is totally feasible as well as recommended if you have a few days and want to know these two places. What you should keep in mind is to schedule the visits in such a way that they do not overlap in addition to leaving enough time to make the journey between both places that will take you about 90 minutes.
Another option is to do a tour or excursion that includes both visits:
Final leg of the Glowworm tour
After finishing the combined visit to the Ruakuri Cave and the Glowworms Cave, which lasts 3 hours, when it is 6 pm we begin the journey to Lake Taupo which is our next stop on the route through the North Island of New Zealand.
The initial idea is to go to a free camping area that is halfway, but as in New Zealand the weather changes without warning, as we get closer it starts to rain and this is where we find a small problem and it is This area is flooded and they do not recommend staying in case of rain. With this in mind, we decided to follow the route when it is already past 8 pm, so all the paid campsites in the area no longer allow us to check in, forcing us to continue to Reids Farm Hipapatua, our Accommodation in Taupo, a huge free campsite, next to Hukka Falls, in which luckily when it is almost 9 pm, we find a gap between the hundreds of caravans that we concentrate there for the night.
New Zealand
And so, after two unforgettable visits, we have dinner and spend the night next to some incredible waterfalls and Lake Taupo, the next stop of this incredible trip to New Zealand.
We leave you the map of the route that we have followed to visit Hobbiton in New Zealand and the Waitomo caves and then continue the journey to the area of Lake Taupo, where we stayed at Reids Farm Hipapatua.
Day 10: Places to see on Lake Taupo: Huka Falls, Craters of the Moon - Tongariro
