Waitomo Caves & Rotorua Tour: Explore NZ's Nature and Maori Culture from Auckland
4.6
321 Ratings
Auckland
Embark on a day tour from Auckland to explore the stunning Waitomo Glowworm Caves and Te Puia Geothermal Park in Rotorua. Immerse yourself in Maori culture and experience the best of New Zealand's nature and scenery.
Duration: 13 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Auckland Central - Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city, your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today, but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.
What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Optional extra - One-way option from Auckland to Rotorua
  • Snacks
  • Entry Tickets - Waitomo and Te Puia
  • Small Group & Fully Guided Tour
What's Not Included
  • Lunch - opportunities to purchase along the way.
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenirs (available to purchase)
Additional Information

Embark on a day-tour to explore two of the most visited locations on the North Island - The captivating Waitomo Glowworm Caves and the fascinating Te Puia Geothermal Park alongside a Maori Village in Rotorua. This expedition blends the finest displays of nature with the richness of Maori traditions & picturesque landscapes of New Zealand.

Main Attractions:
• Intriguing Waitomo Glowworm Caves
• Fascinating Te Puia Geothermal Park & Pohutu
• Maori Culture Village and Arts Academy
• Highlights of Rotorua City

While the sites you’re heading to are genuinely magnificent, we at Cheeky Kiwi Travel are of the belief that our intimate groups, engaging guides, the travel and the minor nuances make our trips distinctively standout. Our secret locations, chance to observe wildlife, custom-built vehicles, free beverages and numerous other delightful surprises make sure our trips are a memorable experience.

Every tour we conduct is supervised by our enthusiastic tour guides, famous for making your journey come alive with their narratives and extensive knowledge, and take place in cutting-edge, comfortable minibuses equipped with all necessities ensuring your comfort and safety.

  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
  • A moderate amount of walking is involved.
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately and wear comfortable footwear.
  • Children aged 7 years and below are required to travel in a child safety car seat. If you don’t have a car seat one can be provided (with 24 hours notice).
Location
SkyCity Hotel Auckland
Victoria Street West
Please pick this location if your hotel is not on our list. We do not pick up from your hotel if it is not listed
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(321 Ratings)
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Nfrade
May 26, 2024
Amazing experience! - I’ve booked the tour departing from Auckland, and I gotta say, my partner and I had the best time! Our driver John was the BEST, so funny and made the whole tour super enjoyable. The tours were amazing, the tour guides had so much knowledge, respect for local culture, making it such a memorable experience for us! Can’t recommend it enough!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lutheranladysandiego
May 25, 2024
A Full Day of Adventure in Beautiful New Zealand - Be ready for a long day of traveling. It's necessary if you want to experience the incredible cave and thermal areas. We certainly didn't want to do all of that driving! Both Waitomo and Te Puia were beyond anything we were expecting. Extras included a nearby river and Lake Rotorua. Highly recommend this unique adventure!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle_p
May 23, 2024
Trip with my Nieces - Highly recommend. Everything was smooth and received more knowledge ont he drives than we had the entire time in New Zealand. Great experiences and great transportation and guide.
Review provided by Viator
Inspire12352179245
May 18, 2024
Waitomo and Rotorua tour - The best experiences and amazing places you must see yourself. Thanks for our tour guide spending his time to take us to wonderful places
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Extraordinary706747
May 18, 2024
Packed itinerary for a full day tour - Fantastic day! Even though the day is long, our guide was awesome and had great planned stops along the way for coffee, bathroom breaks and more. Well organized with prompt communication prior to our tour day. Definitely would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Myras919
May 16, 2024
Unique Experience - First time in New Zealand & we wanted to see something unique. We certainly did! The glowworms can only be seen in 3 locations around the world. Our guide (I can not remember his name but he joked that he looked like Danny DeVito!) was absolutely fabulous & very informative of the area. The geothermal springs were incredible. Even got to see one erupt! Again, Mimi (I think that was her name.😬 She joked that she was the guide that talked the most!) was so amazing when talking about her home. I loved her final blessing for our group! Then there was John from Cheeky Kiwi tours! He made us laugh, shared interesting facts about New Zealand & facts of our own countries! He went the extra mile by making a group WhatsApp to share his photo & links from our excursion. Even shared his Spotify playlist! Overall a great guide!! Would highly recommend this trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rosa_s
May 6, 2024
Perfect day trip from Auckland - Our tour guide John was amazing and we had a memorable day trip. He picked me up right on time, provided us with some water & snacks in the car, drove safely and explained all sights and cities as we drove by them. The tour was very clear and he always communicated how long we would drive to the next place and how long we would have there (did not feel rushed at all). We stopped along the way for some pics and on our way back John had researched facts about everyone’s country and we went through them together. The best day trip I’ve ever been on and totally worth the money!
Review provided by Viator
Quest21037438373
May 13, 2024
Mixed Experience Exploring Waitomo Caves and Te Puia Geothermal Area - We recently visited the Waitomo caves and Te Puia geothermal area. Our tour guide, Huzefa, provided a generally positive experience. However, it would have been beneficial if he had given us a specific time to return to the van instead of just suggesting to come back in 15 minutes or so. Despite this, he was knowledgeable and his driving was reliable. And we met two beautiful ostriches on the way. As for the Waitomo caves, our experience was somewhat underwhelming. The boat ride inside the cave lasted barely 20 minutes, and it felt like we were just circling around the same area. We learned that longer cave rides are available in other regions, and we think those might offer a more satisfying experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O6271wdthomasl
May 9, 2024
Excellent but be prepared for a long day with a lot of time on the bus - The caves and Te Puia were excellent and well worth visiting. But we thought was a very long journey (more than 13 hours) and we did not like the location chosen for lunch (basically a food truck with limited options). We also found some aspects of the tour itself a bit unusual
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alejandra_u
May 23, 2024
New experience - I thought that we would see more things. But, it was good enough. It was missing more of Rotorua. However the guide was fun
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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