Waitomo with its Glowworm Caves is an attraction on the North Island of New Zealand. It is known for its population of Arachnocampa luminosa, a glowworm species found exclusively in New Zealand. It was one of the highlights for me. I was really looking forward to an enchanting experience in the glowworm caves!
There's several tours to choose from, but since I was interested to take photos during the tour, I chose to go with Spellbound Tours which was slightly more expensive. We went to the Mangawhitikau glowworm caves for the boat ride ans the Cave of the Spirit which is also known as Te Ana o te Atua for a short walking tour. We enjoyed the tour which is a family-run business. The tour was not rushed and the guide even stopped to guide me on how to take photos in the dark caves. (Didn't turn out very well as I was holding Miss Ting with one arm (she refused to let daddy hold her) and balancing the camera on a railing with the another hand!)
We checked out from our motel in the morning and set off for Waitomo. The first task in Waitomo was to collect our tickets. Although i-site is printed on the tickets, don't collect the tickets from the i-site counter! We waited for at least 15 minutes before realising that we were at the wrong place! As you turn out from the i-site exit, turn right and walk till the end of the stretch of buildings to find the Spellbound tour next to the General Store.
We reached at 12plus and the tour starts at 1.30pm, so we had some time for lunch at Huhu Cafe. It's just across the street from Spellbound Tours. The restaurant was quite busy when we reached but we managed to get indoor seats.
Family Amenities: High Chairs, Toilet with Changing Table
Crispy Buttermilk Chicken
The chicken was delicious but we didn't know it's more of a snack than a main. We should have guessed based on the price!
Bacon & Mussel Fritters, Tomato Chilli Jam, Aioli
Again this was more of a snack than a main. It's an interesting combination for fritters though.
The tour group is quite small (which we liked), with introductions from everyone before we started so we know who we were travelling with. If you are travelling with a kid and doesn't have a carseat (We didn't know how to remove the carseat from the rental car. The worst fear is that we can't put it back!), do inform them earlier as it takes some time to fix the carseat.
It was recommended that we are dressed warmly as the caves can get quite cold. Miss Ting was dressed in long sleeves and fleece pants, while we were just wearing jeans and blouse / polo most of the time. It was slightly cold when we were walking in the caves though so a warm jacket would be good.
The van that took us around
Ride to the caves
Entrance to the caves
You can choose to walk down the path to the cave entrance, or follow the guide/driver via van. Miss Ting and I followed the guide!
Limestone stalactites
Glowworms!
Pardon the noisy photos, it was too dark in the caves! Check out the bioluminescent glowworms!
The rope you see in the photo was what the guide used to pull the boat along the glowworm cave. The cave is about 12m long (if I recall correctly), so he pulled us back and forth several times for us to enjoy the surreal moment!
It really looks like stars in the sky and was soooo amazing! I was thankful that Miss Ting remained silent most of the time (busy eating her cookie), though she did quietly sang "twinkle twinkle little stars". All of us could enjoy the quietness of the caves.
After the boat ride we were ushered to another cave for a walking tour. The cave looks green due to the lush greenery at the entrance to the cave.
More glowworms at the top!
The walking tour was quite relaxing. You have to be cautious if you are carrying your kid due to the low stalactites though! The guide pointed out some points of interest such as the discovery of the remains of a lost cattle, glowworm larvae, rock formations, etc. Some of the glowworms were within arm's reach so you definitely can get a good view of them!
After the tours were done, we had a quick tea break (with coffee, tea, hot chocolate and biscuits) at a small hut. Miss Ting was definitely happy with the cookies and hot chocolate!
I'd definitely recommend a trip to Waitomo to see the glowworm caves!
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