Rotorua: Evening Starlight Gourmet Kayak Tour Glowworms

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Rotorua, New Zealand

4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

A diverse range of wildlife calls the calm blue waters of Lake Rotoiti—near Rotorua—home, including many species of local birds. Listen to the enchanting birdsong as you paddle across the lake on this half-day evening kayak tour. Then, set out towards the nearby glowworm cave to see bioluminescent light speckle the dark cave walls before a BBQ dinner at the Manupirua Hot Pools.

Half-day evening kayak tour across Lake Rotoiti
A chance to see New Zealand’s mythical glowworms light up a nearby cave
Soak in the therapeutic waters of natural geothermal springs
See sights many tourists miss—Manupirua Hot Pools is only accessible by water

Sample Menu

Main

Gourmet Kiwi BBQ Meal

What's Included

Dinner
Snacks
Bottled water

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

41C Otaramarae Road, Okere Falls 3074, New Zealand
We will meet you at the boat ramp Look for a Waimarino Kayak Tours Board and our Kayaks

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Lake Rotoiti Hot Pools

Lake Rotoiti

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 28 travelers

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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

Carol_B

Alex and M were great guides! Very informative. Hot tubs and food were great. Glow worm experience was cool and informative. We would definitely recommend this trip.

Reviews

4.9

based on 38 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Alex and M were great...

Carol_B, Feb 2026

Alex and M were great guides! Very informative. Hot tubs and food were great. Glow worm experience was cool and informative. We would definitely recommend this trip.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you so much for your feedback! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the hot tubs, food, and glowworm experience, and that Alex made the tour informative and fun. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we’d love to welcome you back for another great evening on the lake!

A great afternoon/evening...

Michael_M, Jan 2026

A great afternoon/evening kayaking, enjoying hot pools, eating a nice BBQ lunch on the waterfront picnic-style, and then seeing some glowworms. Royce and Cian were great guides, managing the logistics very well and providing lots of great information on what you're seeing as well as what you're doing (i.e., if you're new to kayaking, they explain it well). If I had another day in Rotorua, I would have done this tour a second time because I enjoyed it so much.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the full experience, from kayaking and glowworms to the hot pools and BBQ by the lake. Royce and Cian will be absolutely stoked to hear your kind words; they take great pride in making the experience both informative and enjoyable, especially for those new to kayaking. We’re so glad the tour left such a strong impression, and it means a lot to hear you’d come back and do it all over again. We’d love to welcome you back anytime you’re in Rotorua!

Was cool to see.

Karen_G, Jan 2025

What a great experience. 10k kayaking trip. We kayaked to the hot pools where you can relax in different degrees of warm water and also enjoyed going down a water slide into the lake. The tour guides cooked a great meal. The glow worms were really cool to see. Ended late. I was definitely ready to be done at the end but happy I went.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Sounds like you had an adventure! We're glad you enjoyed the hot pools, water slide, and glow worms. It’s definitely a full experience, and we appreciate you joining us!

Glow worms galore

Carter_S, Jan 2025

Amazing guides and a beautiful experience. There were way more glow worms than expected and the food was delicious. Warning the hot springs have a strong sulfur smell

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Thank you for your kind words! We're glad you enjoyed the guides, glow worms, and food. The sulfur smell at the hot springs is natural, but we are sure it didn't take away from the experience!

Don’t

Karen_K, Jan 2025

The kayaking experience is fun! But the glowworm is soooooo underwhelming. They squished all the kayaks in this tiny cave and told us to have a look at the glowworms. The whole glowworm experience was not how it was advertised. I’ve heard of a lot of other tours that actually take you into the cave one by one instead of squishing everyone in like sardines. Go to another kayak tour is my advice!!!!

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the kayaking portion of the tour, but we’re sorry to learn that the glowworm experience didn’t meet your expectations. We always strive to balance providing an intimate glowworm viewing with accommodating all our guests safely and efficiently. Your feedback is invaluable, and we’ll take it into account as we explore ways to enhance the overall experience for everyone. We encourage you to contact us directly so we can gain a better understanding of the tour that you were on, the guide leading your tour and your overall experience.

Great evening!!

Nicole_M, Jan 2025

Our family thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Guides Cam, Georgia & Sean took great care of us. The initial paddle is pretty - but the best is yet to come. The hot pools were relaxing and a tranquil, rustic spot to warm up. Dinner was lovely and the glow worm cave experience was Amazing!! Followed by a night paddle back with the beautiful stars shining brightly. Would highly recommend!!

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad to hear that your family had such an enjoyable evening with Cam, Georgia, and Sean. It’s fantastic that you appreciated the initial paddle, the relaxing hot pools, and the magical glow worm cave experience. The night paddle under the stars sounds like the perfect ending to a memorable adventure! We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back soon for more unforgettable moments.

Amazing Adventure

Susan_B, Feb 2024

Jess and David were terrific guides! An amazing adventure we are so glad we took part in. Thank you!!!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you Susan for this lovely 5-star review! We are beyond thrilled to hear you had an awesome adventure with our guides Jess and David! Thank you for choosing Waimarino for your adventure and we hope to have you back on one of our Tours in the future :)

If you’re lucky enough to book this tour, do it!

Merin_D, Jan 2024

Wow! We didn’t realize what an incredible experience this would be! Jamie Lee met us at the kayak dock, and got our family of four situated and we were off on the water. It was a lot of paddling in the kayak, but it wasn’t difficult. We headed towards a remote mineral Springs area where we got to enjoy bathing in the mineral pools and jumping off a dock into the lake. (You could also take a slide) We had an amazing dinner that she prepared that was salad, salmon, and sausage. Next we hopped back into our kayaks and started to paddle out in the dark towards the caves. We had taken this trip as a second option because Waitomo glow worm caves was fully booked. Well, good things happen because this was an experience that was not to be believed!!! We kayaked into a cave in the dark and all of a sudden there were glowworms all around us. We were given ample time to enjoy and take it all in. This was an experience and a vision we will never ever ever ever forget and we are so glad that we took this tour! We were also glad that we had brought waterproof floating pouches on strings to wear around our neck to take pics throughout our journey. We also appreciated the fresh bottle of water in a reuseble container and chocolate given to us by the tour guide.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you so much for this awesome review! We are more than pleased that you enjoyed your Tour with Jamie-Lee and loved the Glowworms as much as we do! Thank you again! :)

Likely to Sell Out