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Kawiti Glowworm Caves: Māori Guided Tour
3.9
14 Ratings
Waiomio
Discover the magic of Kawiti Glowworm Caves with expert Māori guides. Experience nature’s wonder in an intimate, culturally rich setting.
Discover the magic of Kawiti Glowworm Caves with expert Māori guides. Experience nature’s wonder in an intimate, culturally rich setting.
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Kawiti Glowworm Caves - Experience the wonder of the Kawiti Glowworm Caves with a guided tour. Be amazed by the thousands of glowworms illuminating the limestone caves and explore the rich history and legends of the region.
- Kawiti Glowworm Caves - Experience the wonder of the Kawiti Glowworm Caves with a guided tour. Be amazed by the thousands of glowworms illuminating the limestone caves and explore the rich history and legends of the region.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Admission fees
- Bottled water
- Admission fees
What's Not Included
- On-board restrooms
- On-board restrooms
Additional Information
Discover the captivating Kawiti Family Glowworm Caves on a guided tour with expert Māori guides. Witness the awe-inspiring glow of thousands of glowworms lighting up the ancient limestone caves, creating an atmosphere as magical as a starry night. Located in the beautiful native forest of Waiomio, this tour provides exclusive access to a site managed by…
Discover the captivating Kawiti Family Glowworm Caves on a guided tour with expert Māori guides. Witness the awe-inspiring glow of thousands of glowworms lighting up the ancient limestone caves, creating an atmosphere as magical as a starry night. Located in the beautiful native forest of Waiomio, this tour provides exclusive access to a site managed by the descendants of the renowned Māori chief Kawiti. With a vehicle accommodating only 11 guests, enjoy a personal and immersive experience enriched with fascinating stories, legends, and the cultural heritage of the region.
- Guided exploration of the stunning Kawiti Glowworm Caves
- Small group size of 11 for a personalized experience
- Gain insights into history and legends from expert Māori guides
- Perfect for both nature enthusiasts and culture aficionados
Location
Kawiti Glowworm Caves
Waiomio Road
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.9
(14 Ratings)
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Ilene_g
Mar 6, 2026
This tour was excellent. ... - This tour was excellent. Fortunately, this was a smaller tour, which made it more intimate and informative. I don't think it would have been as good if we were on one of the large tour buses. Our guide was excellent! The worm show was fascinating. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Jessica_a
Dec 27, 2025
Absolutely fantastic - What a cool experience!! To do it in a smaller setting with the kawiti family members? Incredible. Couldn’t recommend this excursion more. What a treat!!
Review provided by Viator
Ben_m
Dec 27, 2025
This is a great tour. ... - This is a great tour. Wayne did a good job, the company gives good instructions. Our group was all early and we were one of the first to enter the caves and got to spend a bit extra time. Best caves with the glow worms!
Review provided by Viator
Stephen_h
Dec 8, 2025
It was a... - It was a better-than-expected time for us. Definitely a worth while, unique experience. Even the hike from the end of the caves back to the beginning was beautiful.
Review provided by Viator
Linda_n
Jan 21, 2026
Glow Worm Tour on a Rainy Day - This was a fun little 2.5 hour mid-day excursion when our ship came into Bay of Islands. The driver picked us up at the port and shared stories of her family who settled in the area. The drive was about 40 minutes into the hills to get to the family ranch with the glowworm cave. It was a very rainy day but when we got to the cave, it is dry inside. Anyone going in the rain like we did, should bring an umbrella because there is a time to wait for the tour to begin.
Seeing the glowworms was very cool and there are multiple cave areas that have different formations of glowworms that almost look like they are forming a Milky Way or an usual grid. We spent quite a bit of time in each section of the cave, sometimes with no sound at all, and it might be nice to hear more legendary stories during that still time. Overall, it was a fun little tour.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_s
Dec 25, 2025
NO PHOTOS but still pretty cool - I just don’t want anyone else to be disappointed finding out after you’ve booked the trip and sat in a van for 30 minutes that you can’t take photos or videos at this Kawiti cave regardless of tour.
The experience itself was very cool.
It was a shame our tour guide didn’t seem interested in being there and was injured so stopped the tour a little short, but that’s probably more of a fluke than the norm.
Review provided by Viator
Debra_r
Dec 28, 2025
GlowWorm Cave was OK - The Glowworm cave excursion was OK. While the glowworms were beautiful and interesting, photos weren‘t allowed.
Review provided by Viator
Alexandra_s
Dec 26, 2025
The caves were great. The... - The caves were great. The ride was meh. Our driver was cool but the van was not comfortable. Needs new shocks as ride was VERY bumpy and our passengers (all tall) were uncomfortable because their legs didn’t touch the floor. Additionally the windows had vinyl decal with some sort of polka dot print so you couldn’t look out really, which was unfortunate because that was much of the ride. The ad said water included but we weren’t offered any. The ad said 9 max in our group but there were 10 in the van and then a whole lot more in our group at the caves.
The caves portion was only 30 min. Cool but short short short. Ride was 20 min each way.
Review provided by Viator
Wanderer233114
Dec 24, 2025
Amazing caves, but disappointing tour experience - The Kawiti Family Glowworm Caves themselves are absolutely beautiful and deserve high praise. The family who runs the caves was wonderful, welcoming, and knowledgeable, and the glowworms were truly magical. I would highly recommend visiting the caves.
Unfortunately, the tour itself did not meet expectations, which is why we are giving this experience 2 stars. The tour was not as advertised. There were 11 people in the vehicle and more than 20 people on the cave tour, which was very different from the small-group experience promised.
During the drive, there was very little commentary or historical information provided—it felt more like a basic transportation service than a guided tour. Additionally, the ride was quite bumpy and uncomfortable, and it felt as though the vehicle may not have had proper shocks.
In summary: the caves are stunning and well worth seeing, but we recommend booking them through a different tour company to get the experience that is advertised.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Helen_a
Jan 3, 2026
Don’t get ripped off buy your tickets for $50 at the site and the groups are very large up to 40 - This was a complete rip off. There is no tour- just a lift to site where we waited 1 hour in the rain for guide. The small group consisted of 32 other people. Guide didn’t have mic so heard nothing. If you pay at the site it is $50 adults and $30 kids. We had to drive to a wharf. Wait an hour for our “tour guide” who drove us directly to the caves - no tour. Then we had to wait in the rain for another hour to walk through the cave. The glow worms are pretty but looking at them was maybe 10 minutes tops and then it’s over and they drive you back. I was so disappointed I requested a refund which was rejected. We paid $310 for this waste of time. Not recommended
Review provided by Viator
