Waitomo glow worm caves

This was a very fun visit and one of our favourite days so far!

We decided to go for the most adventurous package on offer that day which resulted in a 5 hour trip to one of the many underground Waitomo caves. Visiting in the off season was a benefit as we ended up having the guide to ourselves and having more time to explore a little deeper.

Our expedition started with an abseil, and that was the only dry part! For the following hours we waded through the water, glided along in ‘tubes’ and squeezed through potholes (including a totally submerged one). We were rewarded with close up views of glow worm clusters, which look like a starry night sky. We were also treated to a cup of hot squash and a chocolate bar before scaling a rock face to return to the world. Brilliant.

Gazing at a cluster

Glow worm poo up close

Abseiling Olly

Our view up

A race through the rock

Olly admitted defeat here, but Soph made it through!

Tubing in total darkness