Milky Way Glowworm Cave Tour

Recommended by 96% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

North Island, New Zealand

High interest

Booked 5+ times today.

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

Why travelers loved this

4.8

· Anonymous ·

Apr 2026

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)

· Ainara_I ·

Feb 2026

Smaller than waitomo. Felt very family friendly and also good guide, very insightful. Would reccomend it

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

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

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)

Reviews

4.8

based on 48 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Great time!

Drucilla_O, Jun 2026

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.

Glowing review!

Jeanne_R, May 2026

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.

Great experience!

Alan_M, May 2026

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.

Waipu Glow Caves

Cindy_R, Apr 2026

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.

Magical

Anonymous, Apr 2026

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.

Friendly and insightful and smaller groups. Highly recommended

Ainara_I, Feb 2026

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.

A real Milky Way of glowworm!

Ecchie_D, Jan 2026

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.....

Ajithkumar_B, Jan 2026

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.

No camera can capture the TRUE experience!

tyron_a, Dec 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.

Check this out while you’re in NZ

Scott_A, Dec 2025

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...

Lorena_M, Jan 2026

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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