New Zealand · GLOWWORM CAVE TOURS

The 15 Best Glowworm Cave Tours in New Zealand

100 tours  ·  from $26

Waitomo does it by boat, Te Anau by walkway and Ruakuri by black-water raft. These 15 compare the caves on price, how much walking is involved and which ones suit small children.

Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland incl lunch - The 6:30 am start from Auckland
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Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland incl lunch

1.Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Day Trip from Auckland incl lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,677 reviews · from $229Our pick

Leave Auckland early for Hobbiton’s movie set, where you’ll tour Hobbit holes, the Mill, and Green Dragon Inn before a Kiwi-style café lunch. Continue to Waitomo for a guided boat ride beneath thousands of glowworms. Guides such as Shelley, Liam, Martin, and Matt add local insight along the long scenic drive.

“Hobbiton was great. Tour met all our expectations. Stephen was a fun host and shared a lot of details about New Zealand culture and life style. I would recommend this tour.”

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Te Anau: Glowworm Caves Guided Tour - Crossing Lake Te Anau to the Murchison Mountains
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Te Anau: Glowworm Caves Guided Tour

2.Glowworm Caves Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,611 reviews · 2h 15m · from $77

Cruise Lake Te Anau for 30 minutes, then follow an English-speaking guide through young limestone caves with waterfalls, whirlpools, and low passages. A small boat carries you into a silent glowworm grotto. Allow 135 minutes, wear sturdy shoes, use insect repellent, and leave your camera behind.

“An Amazing and romantic experience, indescribable ! Definitely a Must-Do in any visit to New Zealand, either on the Northern or Southern island. Don’t be afraid, the track through the cave is perfectly maintained, so anyone can do it ;) Thanks to our lovely guides !”

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From Auckland: Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Day Trip with Lunch - Touring Hobbiton’s ten acres
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From Auckland: Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Day Trip with Lunch

3.Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Day Trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,505 reviews · 11 hours · from $221

Travel south from Auckland in a small group to tour Hobbiton for 2.5 hours, enjoy a Green Dragon drink and Kiwi-style lunch, then take a guided boat ride beneath Waitomo’s glowworms. Guides such as Danny, Shelley, Stephen, Liam, and Nelson are praised for friendly commentary, though the day includes long drives.

“I loved Hobbiton, but I really would have liked more time to use the restrooms and go to the gift shop. 20 minutes to foboth for us females is NOT enough time, especially if you have lines to wait in. Waitomo caves was nice but we didn't see much once in the boat.”

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Waitomo Caves: Labyrinth Black Water Rafting Experience - Checking in outside Waitomo village
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Waitomo Caves: Labyrinth Black Water Rafting Experience

4.Waitomo Caves: Labyrinth Black Water Rafting Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 1,673 reviews · 3 hours · from $115

Explore Ruakuri Cave with trained guides such as Evie, Molly, G, and Stacey, scrambling through limestone passages, jumping small waterfalls, and floating beneath glowworms. The 3-hour tour costs $115, includes wetsuits, boots, helmets, tubing, showers, and snacks, and suits active visitors aged 12 and over who weigh at least 45 kilograms.

“This was an incredible Indiana-Jones style adventure. Deep caverns, rushing water, going off waterfalls, and floating through the dark with an incredible ceiling of glow worms. It was more than we expected. Our guides were fantastic and attentive to everyone's needs/fears. Well done! Highly recommended.”

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Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small-Group Tour W Lunch from Auckland - Hobbiton: more than a film set
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Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small-Group Tour W Lunch from Auckland

5.Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small-Group Tour W Lunch from Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,117 reviews · from $235

Leave Auckland at 6 a.m. for a full-day small-group trip to Hobbiton and Waitomo Glowworm Caves. Ride with a guide such as Timmy, Pearl, Simon, or Grant through Waikato farmland, visit Karapiro, enjoy included lunch in Otorohanga, and see glowworms by boat and on foot. Expect about 12 hours, with several hours of driving.

“The combined experiences were well planned, very interesting and we would booked them again. Highly recommend The guides were all engaging.”

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Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Tour - Cathedral Cave and the first half of the tour
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Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Tour

6.Waitomo Glowworm Caves Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,027 reviews · from $50Best value

Walk through Waitomo’s Cathedral Cave, then take a quiet boat ride beneath thousands of Arachnocampa luminosa glowworms. Guides such as Cohen and Corey explain the cave’s geology, Māori connections, and the insects’ strange light. The 45-minute tour costs $50.27, allows no photography, and requires stairs and a 30-minute check-in.

“Beautiful place, awesome experience for kids. Feel like we were in the Jurassic movie where dinosaurs lives there. Awesome 💓”

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Waitomo Caves: Ruakuri Cave 1.5 Hour Guided Tour - Starting with the spiral entrance
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Waitomo Caves: Ruakuri Cave 1.5 Hour Guided Tour

7.Waitomo Caves: Ruakuri Cave 1.5 Hour Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 985 reviews · from $66

Walk through Ruakuri Cave with an English-speaking local guide for 90 minutes. Expect a spiral entrance, stalactites, glowworms, subterranean water, and stories tied to the Holden family and local cave traditions. Photography is allowed, groups are kept small, and the cave has wheelchair and pushchair access.

“Great experience! The cave is absolutely impressive to seem. Was positively surprised by how much we got to see. The tour management was excellent, small group size and absolutely not overrun. Our guides did a great job and gave plenty of information to enjoy the cave even more.”

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Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Tour - Walking Beside the Underground River
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Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Tour

8.Te Anau Glow Worm Caves Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 960 reviews · from $80

Cruise Lake Te Anau to Cavern House, walk beside an underground river, then drift by punt beneath thousands of glow worms. A guide explains the cave and glow worms, with tea and coffee included. Expect low sections, dripping water, and about 2 hours 15 minutes from Te Anau.

“Great afternoon trip to see some amazing caves! The glow worms as seen from the boat trip, were also pretty amazing”

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Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Tour from Auckland with Lunch - Waitomo begins below the farmland
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Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Tour from Auckland with Lunch

9.Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Guided Tour from Auckland with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 796 reviews · from $271

Leave Auckland at 7:45 am for Waitomo’s limestone caves and a quiet boat ride beneath thousands of glowworms, then tour Hobbiton near Matamata. GreatSights provides coach transport, a morning snack, lunch, Wi-Fi when working, and a drink at the Green Dragon Inn. Guides such as David, Rachel, and Nicky add local stories along the way.

“It was absolutely wonderful having this experience. Big shoutout to Nicky, our tour guide who have us great insights and jokes on the way to the locations, which in itself was wonderful as well. Would recommend to take this tour.”

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Waitomo Caves & Rotorua - Te Puia Small-Group Tour from Auckland - Waitomo Glowworm Caves: a quiet underground show
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Waitomo Caves & Rotorua – Te Puia Small-Group Tour from Auckland

10.Waitomo Caves & Rotorua – Te Puia Small-Group Tour from Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 681 reviews · from $253

Leave Auckland at 6:00 am for Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Te Puia in Rotorua. Expect a small group of up to 15, guided cave and geothermal visits, Māori culture, countryside stops, snacks, water, and hotel pickup from listed locations. Guides such as Ben, Matt, Simon, and Jeoff are praised for their stories and care.

“Good equipment and knowledgeable guides. Tour ran on time until Jeoff decided to deviate from the schedule to see swinging bridge over Waitomo River.”

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Nocturnal adventure Glow-worm tour - The first walk through the native bush
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Nocturnal adventure Glow-worm tour

11.Nocturnal adventure Glow-worm tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 675 reviews · from $77

Join Stephen from Real Rotorua for a 2.5 to 3-hour evening walk through native bush near Rotorua. A small group of up to eight follows torchlight to waterfalls, wildlife and thousands of glowworms. Torches, possible gumboots, photos, hotel transfers, hot chocolate and cookies are included.

“Was a nice experience and Stephen really knew a lot about glow worms, but also about volcanoes and all animals in the woods. Wasn’t borrowed 1 second”

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Auckland: Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small-Group Tour & Lunch - The early ride through Waikato
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Auckland: Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small-Group Tour & Lunch

12.Hobbiton & Waitomo Caves Small-Group Tour & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 607 reviews · 13 hours · from $226

Spend 13 hours exploring Hobbiton’s 12-acre movie set and Waitomo’s glowworm-lit caves with a guide such as Grant, Aled, Timmy, or Sam. Travel in a 16-seat minibus, enjoy a Green Dragon Inn drink, included snacks and water, and see Waikato scenery, Lake Karapiro, and Otorohanga along the way.

“Fabulous trip from the moment we were picked up to the moment we we dropped back!! Glow worm caves were truly beautiful and Hobbiton was magical. A tad expensive but well worth the cost as I don’t think you’ll get an experience like this again!! Great guide from Cheekikiwi travel and plenty of break times in the journey to grab food and drinks.”

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Hobbiton Movie set & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour From Auckland - What Hobbiton is like for non-fans
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Hobbiton Movie set & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour From Auckland

13.Hobbiton Movie set & Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour From Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 556 reviews · from $279

Leave Auckland at 6:00 am for Hobbiton’s detailed movie set, a guided visit, and a drink at the Green Dragon Inn. Continue to Waitomo for a guided cave tour and underground boat ride beneath the glowworms. Auckland and Beyond Tours uses small groups of up to 19, with hotel pickup, snacks, bottled water, and guides such as Adil, Andy, John, Dave, and Raymond.

“Everything was such an amazing experience!! And everyone was so knowledgeable. Small group which was nice too. Hobbiton was everything we wanted and more, and the caves were really good. Andy knows so much about New Zealand, especially Auckland and the sites we saw today and we were very appreciative of his pulling over for an ice cream break and the suspension bridge!”

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Twilight Glowworm Kayak Tour – Lake Karapiro - Getting fitted for the water
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Twilight Glowworm Kayak Tour – Lake Karapiro

14.Twilight Glowworm Kayak Tour – Lake Karapiro

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 493 reviews · from $92

Paddle from Lake Karapiro into the Pokaiwhenua Stream as daylight fades. Riverside Adventures Waikato supplies kayaks, wet gear, shoes, and safety equipment. Guides such as Daniel, Amy, Jess, and David share local nature and star knowledge before leading you back through glowworm-lit rock walls.

“Lofty is a great kayak teacher if you don't have a lot of skill but best of all you get to see tons of glow worms and in a nice night you get to see all the stars.”

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Black Water Rafting Experience Waitomo Caves Tour - Black Labyrinth or Black Abyss?
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Black Water Rafting Experience Waitomo Caves Tour

15.Black Water Rafting Experience Waitomo Caves Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 362 reviews · from $119

At Ruakuri Cave, choose the 3-hour Black Labyrinth or 5-hour Black Abyss. Guides such as Lachie, Ricco, Sammy, Leo, and Liv lead you through cold water, tight passages, glowworm-lit chambers, and, on the longer tour, abseiling and ziplining. Wetsuits, boots, helmets, snacks, and hot showers are provided.

“If you have the phobias listed on the discription, do not attend! Other than that it was amazing! Had a nice and adventurous crew and our guides were more than fun!”

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New in Glowworm Cave Tours

★ 5.0Cave Stream Caving Adventure with Optional Castle Hill TourFrom $1857 reviews
★ 5.0Twin Caves Discovery – Private Day Tour from AucklandFrom $4823 reviews
★ 4.5Waitomo Caves & Hobbiton Small Group Tour inc Lunch from AucklandFrom $23527 reviews
★ 5.0Waitomo Glowworm & Ruakuri Twin Cave Small Group Tour Ex-AucklandFrom $21325 reviews
★ 4.5Waitomo Glow Worm CavesFrom $17345 reviews
★ 5.0Waitomo Glow Worm Caves & Te Puia – Rotorua’s Geothermal ValleyFrom $2849 reviews
★ 5.0Waitomo Glowworm Caves In a Private Small Group Tour-Auckland.From $52018 reviews
★ 3.5Waitomo Caves Private Tour from AucklandFrom $2163 reviews
★ 5.0See Auckland’s Secret Glow WormsFrom $7716 reviews
★ 4.5Rotorua and Waitomo Caves Day Trip from Auckland -Smaller GroupsFrom $31679 reviews
★ 5.0Hobbiton and Waitomo Caves Arrive in Comfort and StyleFrom $24718 reviews
★ 5.0Private Luxury Tour to Hobbiton Movie Set & Waitimo Glowworm Cave11 reviews
★ 5.0Private tour from Auckland – Waitomo Glowworm Caves, Zealong Tea & Kiwi BirdFrom $61920 reviews
★ 5.0Private Tour – Coromandel Beach, Caves & ForestFrom $58913 reviews
★ 5.0Waitomo Caves Private Driver for Tour17 reviews

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