Milky Way Glowworm Cave Tour
Recommended by 95% of travelers
North Island, New Zealand
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Head to the Milky Way Glowworm Cave to learn facts about the luminous worms’ lifecycle that most guidebooks miss on this guided tour. Descend into the dark depths of the cave with your handheld flashlight and see the cave’s craggy ceiling lit up as bright as the sky at night. A longer premium tour option offers more time and information for photography enthusiasts.
- A great chance to snap photos of this unique natural phenomenon
- Spot details you’d otherwise miss with a guided walking tour
- Learn about the movies and TV shows that have been filmed in the caves
- Your guide will happily offer local recommendations for after the tour
What's Included
- Hand held flashlight
Meeting and Pickup
Departure Point
- Milky Way Glowworm Cave - Waipu, 567 Waipu Caves Road, Waipu 0582 New Zealand
What To Expect
1
Milky Way Glowworm Cave - Waipu
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Close car parking available for those with walking difficulty.
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 65 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Excellent little adventure into the caves. Very educational and beautiful. I'd come back for the longer tour next time.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thanks Keir, We are pleased you enjoyed the Milky Way Tour. The longer tour is called Starburst Cathedral when you come back next time.
Despite a google and Viator search for waitomo glow work caves, this tour option is NOT located anywhere near waitomo, it’s 4 hrs drive away north of Auckland. No response from the tour company or viator in trying to cancel it. I had to re book a waitomo caves toor as well. Not impressed and can see why others had the same issue in reviews. Tourists are not going to know that the name of the caves is no where near Waitomo. Very very poor communication and very poor marketing by viator that must represented the tour
Response from Host, Aug 2026
I remember dealing with you on the phone Weldon.
You booked your tour at 9.53pm the night before the tour which was at 9.45am.
YOU didn't contact us until after the tour was over, in fact i recall it was 2 days after the tour that you contacted us to say you weren't coming but wanted a refund.
Let's look at your multiple mistakes.
FIRST MISTAKE: YOU did not read the address for the tour in the 3 locations it show is trip advisor/viator booking page.
SECOND MISTAKE: YOU assumed that if you search in Google or Viator that the first result or that every result is going to be 100% what you want. Google or Viator search engines will give similar search results. The internet and search engines have been around for like 30 year and YOU show know results are not 100% accurate.
THIRD MISTAKE: YOU did not read the booking confirmation and check the location, in which case YOU could have requested a cancellation or refund at that time.
FOURTH MISTAKE: YOU didn't make an effort to let us know you weren't coming until well after the tour.
The tickets were sold to you, which means we cannot sell them to somebody else. We expected you to arrive and the tour went without you.
Some people make the same of the mistakes you did and they contact us through the Viator message app.
All the people who show up, almost all people, must have either know where about us and our location or they made the effort to read it is the information.
YOU make all these mistakes but blame us and expect us to take the loss and refund tickets we cannot resell.
This was NOT our mistake, or Viator, or Google. It was entirely YOURS.
I suggest YOU have a self reflect and acknowledge YOUR mistakes.
And in future make the effort to read the information before booking.
We selected the add-on to go into the deeper cave, and this was a great choice, the normal cave was good and to be honest we would have been happy with this, but after seeing the deeper cave it was an added experience that was awesome.
Wonderful tour guide Oshay. Was very careful and made sure that every step of the way that all were being careful and looked after. We took our 10 month baby with us and it was fantastic :)
Well looked after and then had some lovely recommendations for stops on our way back to Auckland.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thanks for your review. we appreciate it. O'Shea is pleased you enjoyed your tour.
Very informative and lots of glow worms in the cave! Best glow worm experience that we have had in New Zealand!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thanks very much for your review. We are glad you enjoyed the tour and had the best glowworm experience.
My guide was so pleasant and knowledgeable. I was able to use night mode on my phone and get some interesting photos.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thanks Alan, Pleased you enjoyed the tour.
Dont book with them. Worst experience ever, dont waste your time and money. Unhelpful and rude staff
Response from Host, May 2026
You didn't come here. You're unethical rating something you have not been to. You booked our tour, but didn't show up. You are a 'No-Show'. When online searching and booking, a day before the tour, you didn't read our location/address. That is 'Speed-Booking' (not reading information and just making guesses and assumptions). After booking, you didn't read your booking confirmation email, another mistake. At that point you could have fixed it. Next day, you then drove to a location 5 hours away from us for the tour. That is your own fault. Once you realise the mistake you called my staff and got bitchy at them because of your mistake.
A day later you then message us and I refuse your refund because we cannot resell those tickets in the past. You need to self reflect on your multiple mistakes and blame yourself.
All the people who read the information when booking, show up for the tour. A very small number of people make the same mistake as you and an even smaller number blame us and get unpleasant with our staff, like you did.
Our policy is to refuse all refunds over the phone, as some people start by blaming us for their mistakes. We are OK about rescheduling over the phone. But, if people want refunds we will only consider them when a message is in writing through Viator App. We normally offer polite people who make the same mistake a reschedule, some time in the next 2 months.
Perfect, took the longer tour to both caves Brooke was a great guide. The caves were beautiful, paths and handrails well maintained. Lights were in good working order. But the caves were serene, magnificent, spiritual. I think the concerts would be surreal. I wish I lived here. I would come back regularly. Also loved the grounds, the bouldering and goats. Best thing I've seen in New Zealand (so far)
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Awesome. Thanks very much for your review. the tour you did was the Starburst Cathedral which is our longer tour in the Milky Way Glowworm Cave. I hope you have more good adventures in NZ.
Smaller than waitomo. Felt very family friendly and also good guide, very insightful. Would reccomend it
Response from Host, Feb 2026
thanks, actually the cave is larger, and the business is small, however we are 320 acre conservation and recreation park so maybe bigger, anyway size doesn't matter, and yes it is a family business.
Pros:
A real Milky Way of glowworm!
Experienced guide with deep knowledge about the nature of glowworm
Jungle walk was fun
Cons:
Can’t think of anything
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks for your review. We really appreciate it.
Great ecperience..
Nature at its best..
Would love to spend more time in the caves if given a chance..
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks for your review. Please come again and join the longer Starburst Cathedral, no young children, longer in the cave, deeper into the largest space in the cave. This section was just opened December 2025.
Absolutely stunning, no camera can capture the true experience. You have to see it for yourself. I highly recommend!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
agreed, it needs to be seen with your own eyes. you can take photos but the glowworm photos are not as good as your own eyes.
Interesting tour of the cave- first with light (on the way in), and then the lights go out and you get to enjoy the glow worms on the way out. It’s accompanied by running water, so it’s almost a surreal, meditative experience.
I got lucky with the timing of my tour- I was the only one who booked that time, so I got a private tour! Note that this is not typical- the tours before and after me were full of people.
This is one of many glow worms caves in New Zealand, so I can’t compare it to the others since I just did this one. However, this is an enjoyable tour and isn’t too long not short. The guide was fun and knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
thanks, we have 2 tour options now (opened 26th December). a longer option goes further into the cave.
We were delighted by the staff welcome and visit.
The small step and cave pleased the whole family small and large.
The moment in the cave was a sublime and pleasant moment for everyone.
The discovery of glowworms was a magical moment.
A visit to make.
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Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thanks, your words are awesome. Should have been 5 stars. Glad you had a great time.
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per personWas $26.32(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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