Black Water Rafting Experience Waitomo Caves Tour
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Waitomo, New Zealand
- 3 to 5 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Embark on a thrilling Blackwater Rafting adventure in Ruakuri Cave. Choose between two exhilarating tours: the original Black Labyrinth, where you'll float under glowworms and jump off waterfalls, or the longer Black Abyss, which includes abseiling, ziplining, and cave exploration. Both experiences offer unforgettable encounters with the natural beauty of the cave and take you to places impossible to reach on your own.
- Stay active while on vacation with this exhilarating tour
- Don’t worry about packing kit, everything you need is provided for ease
- Suitable for ages 12+ for the Black Labyrinth, 16+ for the Black Abyss
- Enjoy a hot shower and snacks after your adventure
What's Included
- Abseiling techniques training (Black Abyss only)
- The use of equipment such as tubes, wetsuits, boots, helmets, abseiling devices (if option chosen) and safety equipment
- Complimentary hot shower
- Snacks
- Entry to Waitomo Cave Museum
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Towels and Toiletries for Showers
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co, Waitomo585 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo 3977, New Zealand
Departure Point: The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co, 585 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo 3977 Return point: Returns to original departure point
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co.
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Ruakuri Cave
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
3
The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co, Waitomo
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Your safety is our team's top priority.
- You must check in 30 minutes before the tour departs at 585 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo Caves
- All Participants for the Black Abyss must be at least 16-years-old and weigh at least 45kgs.
- All Participants for the Black Labyrinth must be at least 12-years-old and weigh at least 45kgs.
- Due to high demand and limited capacity if you miss your scheduled tour time your ticket(s) are forfeited and non refundable. New bookings will incur the full tour cost and are subject to availability.
- Water temperature sits at around 10-15 degrees Celsius.
- We require a minimum of two participants for a tour to operate - if you are the only participant confirmed, you may be asked to amend your tour time
- The Black Labyrinth (3-hour tour) does NOT include the abseil and zipline.
- Customers do not need to be able to swim, but these tours are best suited for those who are comfortable with at least standing in fast-moving water.
- Cameras and personal devices are not allowed on these tours
- Bring swimwear & a towel - we'll supply the rest!
- We ask those who have serious medical problems to contact us before booking onto our tours.
- Please understand that your guides have final discretion of whether you will be able to participate on our tours.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 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
Featured review
This was an absolute highlight of my trip to New Zealand. What a beautiful experience! Our guides, Anna and Cole, were so lovely. They made our group feel super safe throughout the cave and shared a lot of fun information about the cave history and the nature of the glow worms. We were given wetsuits and boots, which we definitely needed as the water was quite crisp. Got to enjoy some chocolate fish in the caves and then some tasty, hot soup after our tour and warm showers. Highly recommend this tour if you’re looking for a unique adventure while in New Zealand.
Reviews
4.8
based on 443 reviews
Review summary
Last 12 months
109 reviews
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Travelers consistently praise the knowledgeable and safety-focused tour guides whose clear instructions enhance the engaging caving, tubing, abseiling, and zip lining activities. The natural landscape, especially the caves and glowworms, is frequently highlighted for its breathtaking and immersive qualities, with many describing the glowing worms as magical. Overall, the combination of thrilling activities and stunning natural features creates a memorable experience appreciated by most travelers.
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Once in a lifetime experience floating in inner tubes through caves with glow worms that shine like stars above! Our guides were fabulous, took great care to make sure we were safe and comfortable and kept us all entertained, highly recommend!
Suck a unique and fun experience! Luke and Alanna were amazing guides. They kept it fun and had us laughing while we were navigating through the caves. So glad we did this excursion!
Absolutely amazing…you will get wet. Truly an amazing unique experience would do it again. Staff were amazing.
Honestly, we did bungy jumping, skydiving, and this adventure. Of the three, this might be the most memorable.
Right from the beginning I was extremely impressed. Booking tickets was easy, the warm welcome at reception when we arrived. Then the energetic guides that made the whole trip a real step up. I did this with 3 adult children, and I was finally able to get two really good, updated family pics. Highly recommend this trip to everyone.
Absolutely worth it! It was an amazing experience and would do it again! We had so much fun and it was a thrilling and beautiful experience.
Great fun and good safety focus! The guides were well trained and encouraging everyone, with good tips to stay warm in the dead of winter!
This was awesome! Our guide, Ellen, was knowledgeable and funny. She adapted to the needs of our group quickly and made the experience that much better. We saw Glowworm from right away scattered around and then once we got deeper into the cave we saw them in larger groups. It was magical!
Our black water rafting experience with Waitomo Cave Tours was absolutely unforgettable! The entire five-hour tour was perfectly paced, adventurous, and so well run from start to finish.
Our guides, Mitch and Ollie, were fantastic. They made us feel completely safe and secure throughout every part of the journey, even during the more adventurous sections. Their energy, professionalism, and clear instructions gave us total confidence the whole time.
Along the way, they provided warm drinks and snacks, which was such a thoughtful touch and really helped keep everyone comfortable during the experience. Seeing the glowworms in this way was truly magical and something we would highly recommend to anyone visiting Waitomo Caves.
If you’re considering it — don’t hesitate. This is hands down one of the best ways to experience the glowworms and an absolute highlight of our trip!
Fantastic and unique! Seeing the glowworms should not be missed on any trip to the country. Evie was an excellent guide and told us about the plants on the walk to the cave. Does not require special skills or caving experience.
Good experience if you can tolerate the cold. It helps if the group you go with aren't a bunch of noisy young guys.
Excellent tour . Definitely worth it. Guides extremely knowledgeable and fascinating to understand about the caves and glow worms . The duration was just enough
It wasn't clear to me before this experience that there are several caves in the area. All the tours are not the same and do have equal value. If you want a more intimate, immersive experience then this is a great option. It was better than what I imagined. The glow worms are quite magically and unique but the trek through the cave while seeing the worms takes the experience to another level. Highly recommend. The tour guides were fantastic, they were helpful, funny and knowledgeable. Thank you for the great experience.
The Black Abyss was an awesome adventure with excellent friendly guides, who were knowledgeable, considerate and fun.
Abseiling, zip lining, tubing under amazing glow worms and climbing waterfalls made the tour a bucket list experience.
The whole process was well run and very professional, we felt well cared for and very safe.
Absolutely unforgettable experience! The black abyss tour at Waitomo caves was hands-down one of the most incredible adventures me and my wife has done. From the moment we arrived, our guides Oscar and Stacy were friendly, knowledgeable, and made us feel completely safe and excited for what was ahead.
The cave was such a thrill, and floating through the underground river surrounded by thousands of glowing glowworms felt like something out of another world.
Everything was so well-organized, and the guides really went above and beyond to make the experience fun, memorable, and comfortable for everyone in the group. You can tell they genuinely love what they do.
If you're looking for a unique, adrenaline-filed adventure with stunning natural beauty, this is an absolute must-do. Worth every second - 5 stars all the way!!
Guides were friendly, caring and informative. Expected more glowworms from publicity pics. Overall, great fun with just enough challenge to make it exciting. Being a bit picky - Tomato soup, really? If you build it as a feature maybe something a bit more interesting would suit.
Amazing experience, absolutely loved the three hour Labyrinth tour. Great tour guides, will come back with the children!
Matt and Xavier were excellent guides!
This was such a fun adventure and the glow worms were amazing! We would highly recommend. So fun!
This has been one of my favourite experiences in NZ! Stacey and Jonty were brilliant, super friendly, made everything feel so safe and gave you lots of information about the glow worms. But even BETTER than that was the caves also had tonnes of frogs which made it so much more fun for me (and the guide). Can’t wait to get back later in the year and try out the longer excursion! Thanks again
This was an absolute highlight of my trip to New Zealand. What a beautiful experience! Our guides, Anna and Cole, were so lovely. They made our group feel super safe throughout the cave and shared a lot of fun information about the cave history and the nature of the glow worms. We were given wetsuits and boots, which we definitely needed as the water was quite crisp. Got to enjoy some chocolate fish in the caves and then some tasty, hot soup after our tour and warm showers. Highly recommend this tour if you’re looking for a unique adventure while in New Zealand.
Absolutely amazing! It was like seeing constellations in a cave. The guides were amazing! I have some physical disabilities and they helped me experience things I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to!
Adventuring through the cave and seeing the amazing glow worms! They provide all the gear you need to go down into the cave. It was such a blast tubing through and seeing everything. Jumping off some little waterfalls was a bonus! Sam and Jayden were awesome tour guides!
It was challenging and so much fun in every way! Hugo and Alex were terrific and so knowledgeable. They helped us understand everything and feel comfortable and safe the entire time. Loved every minute!
Awesome experience, brilliant knowledgeable guides and would definitely do it again. Glow worms were great to see
Highly recommend this tour. I was initially scared because I didn’t know what to expect being in a cave. I’m sooooo happy my friends and I decided to do this tour. The glow worms were beautiful, rafting was amazing and water, although cold felt great. 10 out of 10 recommend.
Incredible experience! Caving and floating was fun- and the glow worms were just incredible! Highly recommend! Our guides really made it special with joking around and having fun- and signing traditional songs during the float made it an exceptionally spiritual peaceful experience!
Was absolutely amazing! The tour guides walk you through everything and give encouragement every step!
Definitely was nervous going in but after we just wanted to do it again!
Beautiful tour will definitely be repeating when we come back
We had an amazing experience with Waitomo Black Water Rafting. Our three guides were fantastic—extremely supportive, professional, and always focused on ensuring our safety, especially during the more challenging sections of the course. Their calm and encouraging approach made the adventure both exciting and reassuring, as there were sections that were very slippery, uneven, and hard to climb. Highly recommend!
The water is VERY cold, they give you thick 2 piece 7mm wetsuits and its ok when you are in and out of the water, however when you stay submerged for a while it gets to you. The caves are beautiful and look magical, however cold has gotten to us by the part you mostly in the water and we were waiting for it to be over. I'm thin female so thicker people or males might not feel as cold.
Our tour guides Aria and Callie were absolutely incredible. They were funny, personable, and incredibly knowledgeable about the glow worms and the caves. We didn’t quite know what we were getting into with this tour and it far beyond surpassed expectations. It was adventurous and thrilling, pushing us to explore new areas and challenges as we went. We also got so lucky with our group and had many laughs and memorable moments. I would recommend this to anyone that is up for any kind of adventure.
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