90-Minute Guided Ruakuri Cave Tour Waitomo
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Waitomo, New Zealand
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are among the most visited attractions of New Zealand’s North Island and Ruakuri Cave is the longest of the underground caves. Explore the magnificent cave on this 75-minute guided walking tour and marvel at the unique rock formations, subterranean rivers, and thousands of glittering glowworms.
- All entrance fees included
- Led by a local guide
- Soak up the atmosphere on a walking tour
- Small-group tour
What's Included
- Local guide
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Ruakuri Cave
1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- All you will need are comfortable shoes and a warm jacket.
- You must check in 30 minutes before the tour departs
- Due to high demand and limited capacity if you are late or 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
- Your own transport is required
- Stroller/wheelchair width must not exceed 65cm
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 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
David_J
I don’t know if other tour guides are the same but if you get Anna, our tour guides, she sang two beautiful songs and really enhanced the experience. The tour itself is very informative and encourages asking questions, but the addition of Anna singing made this an unforgettable experience.
Reviews
4.8
based on 186 reviews
Warren_R, May 2026
Was a great experience with easy access and very informative guide. We did the 90 minute tour and it was worth very minute with excellent explanations of the surrounds.
Alexander_T, May 2026
Beautiful caves with impressive formations, lots of glow worms and a knowledgeable and entertaining guide. A nearby public accessible short walk around the gorge (Ruakuri Tunnels Walk) is well worth an extra hours stroll before/after visiting the caves.
David_J, Apr 2026
I don’t know if other tour guides are the same but if you get Anna, our tour guides, she sang two beautiful songs and really enhanced the experience. The tour itself is very informative and encourages asking questions, but the addition of Anna singing made this an unforgettable experience.
Mariah_D, Apr 2026
We enjoyed the 90-minute walking Waitomo Cave Tour. The glow worms were fun to see, and there were a few that we were able to see up-close due to their positioning in the cave which was great. We also enjoyed seeing the natural formations in the cave. Would recommend!
Mary_F, Apr 2026
Interesting tour and knowledgeable guide who looked after the six year old I was visiting with very well! Lovely to see the glow worms
Sheree_C, Apr 2026
This tour was a fabulous experience. Underground, witnessing creation over hundreds of years. Garth the tour guide was amazing and so informative.
I’d recommend this tour to anyone.
Steve_S, Apr 2026
We were able to arrive early but unable to switch our booking time as all earlier tours were fully booked. The enrollment was simple and efficient and the induction was swift and comical. Our guide was Wi (a much longer name than that but he was happy to shorten for us) and he did an exceptional job. His knowledge and delivery (particularly with the youngsters in our group) kept the interest and information flowing.
We chose this particular cave because they have wheelchair access across the whole site. Neither of us use a wheelchair but we find those who offer this facility are more proactive in looking after all their guests. The floor of the walk is in excellent condition and allows those less mobile the ability to visit, without detracting too much from the natural beauty.
The educational aspects of this tour were delivered smartly and vibrantly and with good humour, with many questions being posed and answered.
Our other reason for choosing this cave was the ability to take photographs but make sure your equipment can handle the low light. At one point we came across another group who were completing the blackwater rafting experience and all lights were requested to be extinguished. Luckily we were stood still at the time because the total darkness can disorientate some.
Overall, we loved the experience and found it totally worth the effort, time and money it cost.
Joanna_F, Apr 2026
This was a great tour, our guide Hayley was awesome, very informative and friendly with the kids. Memorable experience
Anjishnu_B, Apr 2026
Great guide. Very cool place. Family friendly. Pram accessible.
Glow worm views - out of the world! Would come again.
Clay_T, Apr 2026
Beautiful caves. Cool glowworms. Guide was very informative and interesting. Not as many glow worms as Waitomo caves, but much better caverns.
Melinda_J, Apr 2026
Beautiful. Guide Rubin was knowledgeable and confident. Good paths but watch first spots of unsure footing and low ceilings.
sheldonj52, Mar 2026
The cave itself, with beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, completely accessible for walking easily or wheelchairs, well lit, and fascinating, is arguably the main attraction as opposed to the glow worms. You'll definitely see glow worms, and the filaments they hang down to catch food (not that there is any, so they basically resort to cannabilism to survive), but they are a minor part of the tour. Regardless, this is a stunning cave and highly recommended. The tour guides are terrific as well. (If you use a wheelchair, you can stay in the car while someone else in your party checks in (there is an accessible restroom in the check-in stattion as well as restrooms around back for everyone else), and then you can drive down to within 50 feet (17 meters) or so of the cave entrance so you avoid the short downhill walk/roll to the cave. Note that the spiral path in the cave you'll see in the pictures is completley accessible but a bit difficult to get back up with push chairs. The guide offered to help but we had an electric chair which I recommend bringing if you have one.)
Denise_v, Mar 2026
We are very glad we chose this tour. Our guide was so informative about the caves origins and the glow worms. We got to see them quite close up. The cave itself was interesting and an easy walk. The 90 mins went so quick. We have previously taken the glow worms boat trip but definitely prefer the cave tour.
Kim_K, Mar 2026
Educational, beautiful and mystical all at the same time. We came to see the glow worms and did that, but they probably were secondary to the beauty and education we received.
Mary_M, Feb 2026
I feel that we really got to experience the caves during this 90 minute walk with our tour guide. I would highly recommend this experience.
Jim_C, Feb 2026
It was a great experience and our tour guide was such a nice guy and knew his stuff. Well worth the visit.
Karl_K, Feb 2026
Wonderful experience and the tour guide was outstanding! Definitely recommend this tour to anyone. Enjoy
Penny_D, Feb 2026
A fabulous, informative guided walk through magical Ruakuri Cave. RICO was our guide and was so calm he really helped me feel at ease despite not liking being underground. The geology of the cave is stunning, well lit in most parts, and seeing glow worms an added bonus. So glad I
did this.
Ron_R, Feb 2026
Haven't been to Waitomo for about 40 years, the whole experience was fantastic. Our guide was really great and gave us so much insight into how this wonderful place came to be, and how it still functions.
It is of course a must for any traveller. It was so good to see it again.
Kayla_M, Feb 2026
Our guide was very entertaining— he provided ample education and information surrounding the cave and gloworms, while keeping things light and funny with his fun jokes throughout. We went on an earlier tour (8:30) do was only 4 pairs of ppl which was nice since it was a small group. Had tons of fun exploring the cave, and of course getting to experience the dark and quiet serene sections of gloworms! Well worth it
Stephanie_V, Jan 2026
It was epic! We somehow managed to book the 9 am tour (thinking it was the 12) and they easily rebooked us for the later tour. Once there, we decided to upgrade to the combo and do the Glowworm cave before Ruakuri. Both were beautiful and interesting! The guides were lovely, friendly, funny, and knowledgeable!
Mignon_B, Jan 2026
Great cave and glow worm tour. Very good guide. Glow worms are not worms. Fun and educational. Recommend.
Canace_B, Jan 2026
Quite enjoyable and interesting. Our guide was great. Temperature mild and not too wet. Walking mostly flat except for the spiral entrance.
Suzie_S, Jan 2026
We were going to go to Waitomo caves, but unfortunately it was booked up. We decided to try Ruakuri instead. We were not disappointed! Amazing caving experience, there are Glow worms but not as many as Waitomo caves. However the depth and the incredible caves made for an unbelievable experience. The guide Garth was excellent, he was very informative, and a real nice guy. We had a great time! The caves are absolutely amazing!
Ulrike_M, Jan 2026
The tour is better than the Waitomo Cave Tour because:
1. The cave is larger with more formations
2. As many glow worms
3. You can take photos, not allowed in the Waitomo cave
4. Fully wheelchair accessible and they provide a wheelchair
Vivek_S, Jan 2026
An unforgettable 90 minutes exploring Ruakuri Cave. The guided tour was well paced and incredibly informative, with fascinating stories about the cave’s geology, history, and glowworms woven throughout. The walkways and lighting made it easy to enjoy the dramatic limestone formations and sparkling glowworm displays up close, creating a calm, almost otherworldly atmosphere. Highly recommended if you want a more immersive and less crowded glowworm experience in Waitomo.
Julia_T, Jan 2026
Informative and magical sights. Guide friendly, welcoming and knowledgeable. Gloworms were beautiful and the caves were stunning.
Paul_B, Dec 2025
Excellent experience great tour well worth the trip can highly recommend it 😀 got a great insight into the history and saw plenty of gloworms
Colin_W, Dec 2025
Excellent tour, the boat tour was booked up so we booked this one and I am really glad I did, 90 minutes of amazing sights and glow worms, the guide was excellent and informative, really fascinating interesting tour with many wow moments, I would highly recommend it
ZIMING_P, Dec 2025
We would like to give a huge thank you to our tour guide, Hazel.
We joined the tour on 14 December at 11:30 am, travelling with our parents, my husband and myself, and our five-year-old son.
From the very beginning, Hazel clearly and thoroughly explained all the safety rules, which made us feel reassured.
Our son was quite hesitant and scared at first, but Hazel was incredibly patient and encouraging, even inviting him to walk with her and help lead the group.
The entire group was kind, patient, and very respectful towards our child, which created a wonderful atmosphere.
Throughout the tour, Hazel shared detailed and interesting information about how the cave was formed.
She was extremely friendly, attentive, and took many photos for us.
She constantly checked that everyone was comfortable, moving well, and staying safe.
Her patience with our child truly stood out and made the experience special for our whole family.
We sincerely thank Hazel for her professionalism, care, and for ensuring everyone completed the tour safely and happily.
From $69.28
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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