Things to do in Waitomo

There are many different activities that you can do when you are at Waitomo Caves.

Activities that are free include

Ruakuri Bush Walk
A 40 minute circuit

Stunning scenery

One of the 10 best short walks in New Zealand, according to Lonely Planet

A must-do when you visit Waitomo.
Night Time Bush Walk

Visit the Ruakuri Walk when it is dark and after just 6 minutes walk see the glowworms close up.
Waitomo Way

Take your time and enjoy the limestone scenery walking along this walkway and including the Ruakuri Bush Walk. Allow 2-3 hours for the round trip or ask Richard or Lynette to drive you to Ruakuri Bush Reserve and then walk back in your own time (just over an hour).
Scenic Lookout

Walk across the road from the guest lodge and cross the domain to a walk to the lookout. Takes about 20 minutes for lovely views across the village and surrounding countryside. Beautiful limestone outcrops on the way.
Opapaka Pa Track
10 minutes walk up the road from our place brings you to the start of the Opapaka Pa Track, which is an hour round trip up a hill to see the old pa site.

Lovely bush scenery enroute

Labelled information plaques on plants and items of interest

Go to the pa track at night and 5 minutes up the path is a display of glowworms on the gorge wall.
Mangapohue Natural Bridge
Drive half hour for a scenic 25-minute walk

Go there at night for a stunning glowworm display
Marokopa Falls

Just 5km further for a beautiful 30-minute bush walk to the falls.
Marokopa Beach

20 minutes or so and you reach the river leading down to Marokopa Beach. A black sand beach with interesting rock formations and rock pools at low tide.
Kiritihere Beach

Drive further south from Marakopa and you reach another beach, which at low tide reveals rocks full of fossilised shells.

There are many other activities

that we can give advice about and book for you

Tourism Holdings Ltd offer a variety of cave experiences

Waitomo Glowworm Cave

a 45-minute guided tour through a beautiful cave including a boat ride to see the glow-worms

Aranui Cave

Beautiful formations in a lovely bush setting

Ruakuri Cave

2-hour guided walk through glowworm cave. Wheelchair and pushchair friendly

The Legendary Blackwater Rafting Company

a 3-hour cave tubing and a 5-hour abseiling/caving/tubing experience

Cave World Ltd

a 2.5 hour float-through cave tubing experience and Footwhistle, an hour dry caving experience

Spellbound Ltd

a 3.25 hour caving experience in 2 caves: the first includes a half hour ride on a raft to see the glowworms up close; the second a dry cave with stalactites and bones

Rap, Rock & Raft, now called Kiwi Caving

a 5-hour abseil/tubing/rock climb caving experience

Waitomo Adventures

wet and dry caving experiences with or without abseiling

Phone

Freephone: 0800 465 762

Phone: +64 7 878 7641

Address

7 Waitomo Village Road
Waitomo Caves
New Zealand 3977

Email

bookings@waitomocavesguestlodge.co.nz

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Waitomo Caves Guest Lodge

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