What to See Around Waitomo Village

The sights around Waitomo fall neatly by distance from the village. The caves sit within a few minutes of each other, a museum and a short walk fill the gaps, and a string of free stops lies along Te Anga Road to the west. This page walks outward from the village centre. Dollar amounts are New Zealand dollars at 2026 rates and change by season.

In the village

The Waitomo Glowworm Cave, at 39 Waitomo Village Road, is open daily from 9am to 5pm, with tours through the day. A guide leads you through the limestone chambers, and the 45-minute visit finishes with a silent boat ride beneath the glowworms. Tickets are $85 for adults and $39 for children. No photography or filming is allowed, and the cave has no wheelchair access.

The Waitomo Caves Museum and Discovery Centre, at 21 Waitomo Village Road, covers caves, glowworms, fossils, karst country, Māori artefacts and moa bones. Adults pay $10, seniors $7, and children 4 to 14 enter free with a paying adult. Phone 07 878 7640 for opening hours.

The glowworm itself, Arachnocampa luminosa, is the glowing larva of a fungus gnat found only in New Zealand. Sticky silk lines hang down to trap passing insects.

A short drive away: Ruakuri and Aranui

Ruakuri Cave is about a 10-minute drive from the village. A spiral ramp leads in, and the route passes waterfalls, limestone and glowworms. Tickets are $122 adult and $46 child, and the tour takes about 2 hours. It is fully accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs up to 65 cm wide. The name means Den of Dogs, and the natural entrance is a Māori burial site that the tour route avoids. Photography is allowed in selected areas.

Aranui Cave is a dry cave of stalactites and stalagmites, about 1 hour, reached by stairs and not accessible. Photography is allowed, but formations must stay untouched. Check availability when you book. The Twin Cave Combo, which pairs it with the Glowworm Cave, costs $131 for adults.

Plan to arrive at check-in 30 minutes before any cave departure.

West along Te Anga Road

Three free stops follow the road west, and each is easy to reach by car. The road is narrow and winding, and no fuel is sold beyond Waitomo, so fill up at Otorohanga, Piopio or Te Kuiti first.

  1. Mangapohue Natural Bridge, about 25 km west, is a 17 m limestone arch. The Department of Conservation closed the walk in 2022 over erosion risk, so check its page for the current status before you drive out.
  2. Piripiri Cave, 28 to 29 km west, is a 5-minute walk with some steps. Bring a torch. Giant oyster fossils are layered into the rock toward the back.
  3. Marokopa Falls, 30 to 31 km west, drop 35 m beside a short easy track of about 20 to 30 minutes return.

A major flood in October 2025 cut roads between Waitomo and Marokopa, and caves and tours can be cancelled in flooding, so read operator and council notices before you set out.

A little history

Tane Tinorau, a local Māori chief, explored the Glowworm Cave with surveyor Fred Mace in 1887, and it opened to visitors in 1889. Ownership returned to his descendants through the Ruapuha Uekaha Hapū Trust in 1990. Discover Waitomo leases and runs the caves today.

Read more: attraction tours in Waitomo and walking tours . For the area overview, see Waitomo Caves .

Official sources: DOC page for Marokopa Falls and Waitomo Caves Museum . To compare tours, search Viator for Waitomo sightseeing .