Auckland Glowworm Tours

Auckland, New Zealand

Great choice

20+ bookings last month.

1 hour (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

What's Included

Knowledgeable and Experienced Guide

Transport

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Wintergarden Cafe - New Zealand
20 Kiosk Road, Parnell, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Meet at the Wintergarden cafe inside of the Auckland Domain

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour includes 40 steps up (and down), with 5% gradient, undulating terrain/gravel/tree roots,
Approximately 1.3km distance of walking
Not recommended for people with poor balance and fitness
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Kendra_B

It was cool to see the flow worms and to learn abt them as I never had heard of the before. The guide was great. She was informative and was kind .

Reviews

4.5

based on 22 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great Tour and Guide

NANCY_F, Apr 2026

Amazing tour and our guide, Maria was very knowledgeable and passionate about her job! She was also very helpful getting my mother down to places to see the glow worms better!

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks for your lovely review on our Glowworm tour in Auckland. Maria will be pleased to know her efforts in helping your mother had a positive effect

It was cool to see the...

Kendra_B, Mar 2026

It was cool to see the flow worms and to learn abt them as I never had heard of the before. The guide was great. She was informative and was kind .

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Great to hear you discovered something completely new; that’s exactly what makes this experience so special. Glowworms tend to surprise people with how unique they are. We’re glad the guiding stood out too; knowledgeable and genuinely welcoming is what we aim for every time. Appreciate you joining SNM.

Worm Burn

Sharon_F, Feb 2025

Uh, forget about it. This wasn’t a glowworm cave; these were “bush glowworms.” And he had us all turn on our phone flashlights and led us across the street to a fenced-off, closed-off trail, where we squeezed through a hole in the fence and went down the (fortunately not too bad) trail to an area where there was a small waterfall and stream (and a sleeping homeless derelict; yes, they have them here as well).

Response from Host, Mar 2025

Hi Sharon, correct as per the description these are 'bush glowworms' and the only ones in the Auckland CBD. Using peoples phone torches is common practice given everyone has one in their pocket. Sorry but there was no hole in the fence nor did you squeeze through; you simply walked around through a bush track down to the trail.

Don’t Go

lf5152, Feb 2025

This was not what it was represented to be. The agent I booked with in January told me it might have some uneven ground but was very easy. The guide told me that he’d had someone in a wheelchair and on crutches do it. My husband had a heart issue the week before and I had knee surgery in July but it sounded like it would be ok. It was far from it. With more than 25 steps and downhill the first half, the second half was all uphill. It was very strenuous and I was very worried about my husband’s well-being as he had to stop numerous times. Our guide also told us that we were not really seeing glow worms but “larva poop” but if they described it that way, no one would book it. It was all very misleading and I would never recommend it to anyone.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

All our photos are real, not stock imagery. We cannot be responsibly for what your agent told you. We have so far had two people with cerebral palsy, a wheel chair, two crutches, a 5 month old baby and a 75 year old; all happy customers. It is stated on all our booking platforms this this tour is 1.3km long, 5% gradient with more than 25 steps on undulating gravel. It also states not suitable for people with poor balance, poor fitness, heart conditions, back problems, other serious medicals and that travelers should have moderate fitness. Lastly; every cave guide and anyone having done some reading knows glowworms are indeed "larva poop"; the glowing worm is in the larval stage and it is their poop that glows.

Definitely would recommend…just wear the right shoes!

Felicia_J, Feb 2025

The tour was very interesting and Haley was fun and informative. There is a a moderate amount of uneven terrain so wear appropriate footwear for dirt trails. I would definitely recommend. Learned new information so I rate it a plus!

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Thanks for the 'glowing' review :-)

This tour allows you to...

Mark_P, Feb 2025

This tour allows you to experience glow worms right in Auckland. We had a great time doing this after dinner, then got an Uber, and returned to our room in 10 minutes.