Bay of Islands Tours operator is great! - Tour operator Bay of Islands Tours is top notch. Great communication and easy to get there. Right on, everything you want.

Wonderful experience - We loved the tour. It was very interesting to hear their life cycle. You cannot take pictures in the cave. Imagine seeing the Milky Way in dark skies, that is what it looks like. We loved it. Once in a lifetime experience.

A fun, informative and truly memorable tour. - We chose the express tour as our cruise ship was only in port for one day. This gave us time to have a wander around the centre of Paihia before meeting up with Rebecca from Bay of Islands tours. She was a great guide and gave us lots of information in her own cheeky style, which kept us smiling throughout the tour. We loved her glow worm poem and other stories about life in Paihia, past and present. The glow worm caves were absolutely breathtaking and it was so nice to be on a small group tour as this meant we had plenty of time to listen to our cave guide and then stand and stare in awe at the beauty above us, without feeling that we had to move along for the next 20 or so people in our group. Unfortunately, this may well have been the experience of the visitors who came after us as there was a huge line up when we left the caves (probably passengers on our cruise ship's shore excursion). I always try to book directly through local operators as I find the experience is much more personal, the group sizes are usually smaller and you know your money is going directly to the people who are doing the work. Even though we were on the express tour, Rebecca kindly offered to 'kidnap' us and take us to a viewpoint where we could see across the bay and down to our ship in the harbour. There was a New Zealand Christmas tree (Pōhutukawa) nearby so we got to see the beautiful flowers up close and we were fortunate enough to see (and hear) a tūī up in its branches. I would highly recommend Bay of Islands tours. Their communication was excellent from the moment I booked, and the tour was a great way to see some of the local area and, the highlight, some shiny bums (as per Rebecca) in the glow worm caves.

The shuttle with Rebecca... - The shuttle with Rebecca was fun and informative. Nick at the caves was also great with much information. Very attentive about our walking and safety too. Only drawback was the need to shuttle to town area. Thought the the term wharf referred to shop docking spot.

An interesting experience - This was an enjoyable trip in a small, comfortable bus. The driver, Rebecca, was very easy to find, she gave some nice commentary as we drove, and we got to see a little of the countryside along the way. The drive to the caves was about 30 minutes. Once we got to the caves, there were bathrooms available. A guide took us through the caves which took about 35-40 minutes. She gave good explanations about what we were seeing and the glow worms were interesting to see. I have difficulty walking but the path through the caves is all on boards with a non slip mat on top of the boards. We were given lanterns to use as we walked. There are railings throughout the caves except for about 10 feet in one flat spot. There are a few stairs but there are railings. This was a worthwhile trip to do once, especially since the glow worms are apparently only found in this part of the world.

Don’t miss the Glow Worms Cave - Everything about this tour was enjoyable and Rebecca, our tour guide, was the best. She gave us a ton of information about the history of the local area and the 30 minute ride in a very comfortable van was through beautiful green mountains. The glow worms in the cave exceeded my expectations and were truly amazing to see.

It is a small family... - It is a small family owned property about 30 min from Paihai. Nice low key way to see the glowworms.

The van that picked us up... - The van that picked us up was so nice and also roomy. The driver was very informative and knowledgeable about the area. The lady that gave the tour knew so much about the history and made it fun. The caves were amazing and you could get a close up view of the glow worms.

Glow Worm Trip - Great trip. The glow worms are amazing to see. We enjoyed the entire tour as there was beautiful scenery as well.

Glow worms caves - Bay of Islands - Booked the night before as there was a slot available. Got a text message from Chloe at 9.10am cancelling due to not meeting minimum participants. The tour was at 10am. Also tour itself is $50pp. Trip advisor charging $155pp for bus ride there and tour.