The Waitomo Caves Day Tour is a truly unique experience into the stunning glow worm caves of New Zealand. Some of the highlights of the Waitomo Caves tour with Custom Day Tour guides include:
- Boating through the Glowworms Cave
- Wandering through New Zealand bush and forest to reach the Aranui Cave
- Visiting the Kiwi House
Enjoy a magical day trip to the Waitomo Caves with Custom Day Tours NZ in the Bay of Plenty
We will collect you from your cruise ship in the Port of Tauranga in one of our luxury vehicles. The Waitomo Caves are located around two hours from the Port of Tauranga, across the Kaimai Ranges.
The Kaimai Ranges offer panoramic views across the Provence of Waikato; this is one of our favorite routes as we pass through breath-taking farm land that typifies New Zealand rural life. You will get a real taste for the Bay of Plenty during this drive and we are happy to answer any of your questions on the way.
As we move towards the Waitomo Caves we will offer you full commentary on the brief history of New Zealand, as well as a few interesting facts about our agriculture, horticulture and forestry industries. We always build up a really friendly report as we travel through the Bay of Plenty together.
The Waitomo Day Tour Trip / Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Itinerary
There are three different caves at the Waitomo Caves location, you can choose which cave, or which combination of caves, you want to visit depending on your preference and the duration of your shore excursion in Tauranga.
Glowworms Cave
The first cave at Waitomo is the Glowworm Cave. Here you will be amazed by the many thousands of magical glowworms lining the walls of the cave. This cave is visited only by boat and you will be guided through by one of the Waitomo tour guides, many of whom are ancestors of the Maori chief who originally explored the cave and can share with you more about the history of the area.
Before your boat ride you will also have the chance of walking through the Cathedral Cave, famous for its fantastic acoustics. These caves have been guided since the 1880s and are one of New Zealand’s first tourist attractions. You are sure to love this cruise shore tour activity from the Port of Tauranga.
You can expect the Glowworms Cave experience to take around forty-five minutes.
Ruakuri Cave
The Ruakuri Cave at Waitomo is full of legends and tales – it takes two hours to explore this cave in depth, all the while you will be guided through in small groups to really enjoy this educational and interesting experience.
The entrance into the Raukuri Cave is a spectacular spiral design, leading into the limestone caves. The solftly-folding shawl-like limestome formations and crystal tapestries have been developed over millions of years. Once you are deeper into the cave you will see the ancient glowworms up-close and learn about their fascinating life. While you are down in the cave you will here the distant rumble of the underground waterfalls in the near distance. This is really a fantastic site to enjoy while you are docked in the Port of Tauranga.
Aranui Cave
The Aranui Cave at Waitomo is set in New Zealand forest, giving you the chance to wander off the beaten track through some true New Zealand bush. Once you reach the Aranui Cave you will be amazed by the beautiful white, pink and brown stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstones.
Many people choose to combine this experience with the Glowworms Cave. Both take around forty-five minutes to complete and can make a perfect activity for your shore excursion from the Port of Tauranga.
The Kiwi House
Back on our tour schedule, after enjoying the Waitomo Caves, time permitting we often stop by the Kiwi House where you are guaranteed to see a Kiwi – our Kiwi Bird.
Back To Tauranga
After meeting the local Kiwi we head back to the Port of Tauranga to ensure that you are returned in plenty of time to your cruise ship. If we have time we like to stop at Mount Maunganui main beach for a photo opportunity at this beautiful spot.
