Kawiti Glow Worm Cave Tour & Opua Forest Walk
Description
This tour is for Cruise Ship customers and all members of the public staying in the Bay of Islands. We visit the Kawiti Glow Worm Caves, the Hundertwasser Toilets and take a leisurely 30-minute walk through the Opua Forest. All tours are approximately 4 hours long and leave from the Waitangi wharf at 9.30 am on Cruise Ship days. On other days the tour leaves from the Paihia I-site at 9.30am. The price includes Cave entry, and the Maori guides are members of the family who have owned the attraction for over 400 years.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our destination is the Kawiti Glowworm Caves where a local Maori guide will lead you through underground caverns to see the glow worms and tell you how the caves came to be found. Your 30 minute guided tour will follow a wooden boardwalk (with handrails) through a 200 metre limestone cave system. Once inside, you will see thousands of glow worms spread across the ceiling surrounded by breath taking stalactites and stalagmites.
Then, a short drive to Kawakawa, location of the world famous "Hundertwasser Toilets" one of the few public toilets seen as an international work of art, designed by the expatriate Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, features the use of recycled materials from the local community.
The lookout at the Golf Club offer spectacular photo opportunities looking out over Waitangi Bay.
Here you will see Kauri trees that are over one thousand years old.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(141)
Glow worm caves very interesting with stalagmites and stalactites, our guide was enthusiastic and passionate about the cave. Very interesting about glow worms life cycle. Enjoyed the forest walk. It was amazing to see such very old trees. 500 years plus.
Hi, Many thanks for your review. I will pass on your feedback to the guide involved.
Caves and driver brilliant, however rest poor not worth the money
Many thanks for your review. Your feedback has been duly noted.
Excellent guide and driver. Glow worm caves were amazing along with the rain forest. Tour was supposed to be 4 hours but lasted over 5.
Many thanks for your review. We really appreciate your feedback.
Tour was amazing. We were picked up promptly and returned in plenty of time to catch the last shuttle back to the cruise ship. There were eight of us and there was plenty of room in the van. We had a much more intimate experience in the caves than the tour bus from the ship that came after us with probably 65 people all crowded in on one tour. The caves were fantastic. I’ve been to many natural caverns but this is the closest we’ve been to the actual formations. The glow worms were fascinating and the cave was beautiful. This hands down beats the other tour we took from Auckland to see them at a different cave. The forest walk was so peaceful and we were able to get there on the winding roads when the bigger tour buses couldn’t. Thank you so much Malarkey Tours!
Many thanks for your comprehensive review. Your feedback is much appreciated. I thoroughly enjoyed showing your self and the other seven clients a snapshot of this beautiful country.
Our van driver was full of information and stories about the local area. It was nice to be in a small group and the trip was a good value. We especially enjoyed the forest walk and the beautiful drive up to the hike entrance. The glow worm cave was a very unique experience.
Many thanks for your review and the feedback contained therein. I will let the team know how much you enjoyed the tour.
Had a great tour guide. Talked about the culture and life in New Zealand. We went to the glow worm caves. The native people guided that portion and educated us about the worms and their life cycle. Disappointed we could not take no flash photos but it was a cultural issue with the native people We then went to the artistic bathrooms and ate some food at a great local bakery there. Then our tour guide took us thru the rain forest and learned about the trees and fauna. They were the only company licensed to tour the rain forest park Over highly recommend this tour and this company
Hi Steven, Many thanks for your review and recomendation. I will pass on your feedback to the guide involved.
Excellent tour. Continued to gain an appreciation for New Zealands natural wonders. Grow Worm Caves are interesting however you do wait awhile to get in. The staff is entertaining. Forest Walk was really cool.
Hi, many thanks for your review. Unfortunately on busy Cruise Ship days like today, the wait time is something out of our control. I am pleased the staff took good care of you and your party.
We tendered into the harbor and 100 feet from the dock. Was the Tour company with assigned with our name. Super easy! We arrived 45 minutes early as we did not know how long the process for tindering would take. But with our arrival, the bus of 10 was full and we were on our way. What a beautiful day with Derek. Highly recommend.
Hi David, many thanks for your review. I will pass on your feedback to Derek.
This is prime example of an overpriced experience , got rushed through the cave & the guide didn’t know the history. the walk wasn’t all that great. Wouldn’t recommend sorry
Hi, before I can respond fully, can you please let me have the date you travelled with us and the name of your guide.
Make sure you have the correct address for pickup The cruise ship gave the wrong information how to get there
Many thanks for the review. Your feeback is much appreciated.
