Perfect day from start to finish!
This is a long write-up with some details if you care to read.
TL;DR - What a cool experience! If you have the time, I would definitely recommend taking this tour! The caves are otherworldly.
The ExperienceKart Team was excellent from start to finish.
*Side note, I have some specific anxieties - water (or rather falling in it), darkness (or rather what’s lurking in it), closed spaces (or rather being trapped), heights (or rather falling from them), and car rides (or rather accidents in one). I have a lot of “what if’s”.
But hey, when in Rome - or rather NZ this time.
*Another side note - My husband and I didn't find it cold in either cave. We both wore shorts, but brought a sweater.
First, the caves:
- Waitomo Glowworms - This is the shorter tour of the two caves, about an hour, but it is still a must-see.
The massive covering is a marvel to look at if you’re into how a structure is built. It’s just beautifully done. Open, airy, and inviting.
When your group/time arrives, your guide will escort you down a short pathway while they tell you a bit about the area and the safety measures.
The boat tour was otherworldly. The silence, aside from the dripping water, the people shuffling in their seats, and the slight movement of our vessel cutting through the surface, was both eerie and exciting. The stillness really lets you soak in the atmosphere and let your thoughts sink in. It was amazing!
It was like riding the Pirates of the Caribbean for the first time in the dark with the “fireflies” flitting around.
Although you can’t take any photos in this cave, they do let you take photos coming out and let you stay as long as you like to take photos from the riverside after they drop you off.
We got shots of the boat while it was heading back in to pick up the next group. Even the riverside was beautiful and peaceful.
- Ruakuri Twin Cave - First, you are able to take photos in this cave, but you have to turn the flash off. They remind you and have you test it before moving any further.
Then, you descend on a spiral pathway lit by dim lights at your feet. It’s not a hard walk, and the path is smooth enough for strollers, wheelchairs, and mobility carts to travel with no issues.
This is a longer tour on pathways and walkways/bridges, which are only lit where your tour is passing or stopped. It’s best to keep up with your guide/group or risk being in the dark.
Some pathways are no longer accessible to the public out of respect for the land and culture. They’ll tell you about it. But it’s still neat to see the paths that others took, once upon a time.
You make several stops along the way. The guide will tell you about specific areas, what happened there, why something is, or just some cool information or tidbits about a particular formation. It was really interesting from the little we could hear from the guide.
The glowworm section was really cool. It was like the night sky in several places, and you were able to take photos of them here. Just make sure to turn on the night setting on your camera/phone, and stay still while it counts down.
Traveling through the caves in this part, you come across a small “lake,” and if you're lucky, you might see some of the Black Water Rafting tours getting in the water close by. We did.
**Parents of small children!**
Please allow others to enjoy the tour, too!
Letting your children weave through everyone during the entire tour takes away from everyone’s experience. Whether they’re on their own, or the few times that you weaved through the group to catch them. It makes some of us stay on the backside of the light, partially in the dark, and not be able to hear the guide.
Be safe! Although the caves are relatively safe, there are still hazards! If you’re not willing to keep your kids by your side, don’t expect anyone else to look after them. They’re not anyone else’s responsibility!
Don’t ask the kids, “Where are your parents?” The question should be, “WHERE ARE YOUR CHILDREN!?”
Yes, we did move to the front near the guide. The children followed, and still we could not hear. Either over the children, or the parents saying, “wait right there”, or “stop and wait for us”, neither of which was working for these parents, or children!
Sorry for the rant. Anyhow -
I love exploring caves, both look & don’t touch type, and amateur spelunking, and this is by far one of the coolest.
If you get a chance, there’s a video documentary playing in the lobby/waiting area that is about the cave, the families, and the building of the structures within. We didn’t get to watch/listen to it all after the children arrived. We asked the receptionist if there was a copy or a video online of it, but she couldn’t find anything. We haven’t found one yet either. :(
Now for the service we received:
I originally booked this tour earlier in our travels, but Vee contacted me a couple of days before to let me know that there weren’t enough people to make it happen. We were fully refunded. They said that there was another tour the following Tues but I didn’t know our plans, so I asked if they could keep in touch with me if a group was forming.
On Monday, Vee reached out again to say it didn’t look promising.
In the meantime, we spent the week in Rotorua exploring. But we couldn’t stop thinking about the caves. It was the one thing we knew that we absolutely wanted to do, even before we traveled to NZ.
So, while we were still in Rotorua, we booked again and crossed our fingers. The only thing was, we were heading back to Auckland on Sunday, and the tour was on Monday. But, when in Rome!
On the day, our tour guide called our hotel room at SkyCity to let us know he had arrived and was waiting downstairs. He was a little early, but some of the other tours had us waiting 30+ mins, so that was a nice surprise. He told us that we had time and not to rush.
I didn’t realize it when I booked, but this was a private tour. Just our guide, Steve Withel, and the two of us, in a nice, comfy SUV. We were expecting a small group on a small tour bus. This is even better!
Steve greeted us kindly, let us get settled, and gave us a goodie bag from ExperienceKart (the company that handled the booking). What a treat! You can tell how much they care about the service they present. We appreciate those little things even though they’re not expected.
We had a couple of hours of drive time to the first cave, but it went by quickly. Steve was like an encyclopedia of information about the area, the plants, the people, the culture, the buildings, the waterways, everything! We learned more about the land from him than anywhere else during our travels in NZ.
Once we got to talking, I think he loosened up and knew what he could talk about with us, which was pretty much anything. My husband and I are pretty easy-going and respectful on most topics.
When we weren’t talking about NZ, we talked about cars, motorcycles, family, work, travels, and wishes for the future - Route 66! There wasn’t much downtime in our conversations. It was really easy, fun, engaging, and entertaining. Steve was a delight and a highlight, not just of this tour, but of our whole trip overall.
Steve walked us up to the ticket counter to check us in for both caves, showed us where to wait, find the toilets, vape or smoke, the gift shop, snacks, and where to find him once we were through.
He took us to a little restaurant off the beaten path and enjoyed a meal with us. We truly felt like we were just having lunch with a long-time friend.
Sadly, it was time to head back to Auckland and part ways.
After our tour was done, Karthik checked in on us to make sure everything went well. It had, 100% it had - except that we had to call Steve back because my husband forgot his phone in the car. Sorry again, Steve!
We really enjoyed the whole experience. We couldn’t have asked for a better day!
Thank you, ExperienceKart Team - Vee, Steve, and Karthik, for making this day perfect!
事業者からの返答
Kia Ora Chilled Pineapples,
Thank you so much and this is by far one the best reviews that we could have ever received from such a lovely guest and thank you very much for taking the time to write such a detailed review of your experience travelling with ExperienceKart! Every little detail in your review comments means the world to us and we are deeply humbled! These lovely comments mean so much to us and when other travellers read these, it would provide a lot of context and showcase the difference in how we differ from the other big tour operators and the quality of services delivered.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a detailed and thoughtful review. We truly appreciate it.
We’re delighted to hear how much you enjoyed the Waitomo experience and that the caves left such a lasting impression. It’s wonderful to know the journey, the atmosphere, and the guiding throughout made it a memorable part of your time in New Zealand.
We’re especially pleased that our team could look after you so well. Vee’s communication, Steve’s hosting on the day, and Karthik checking in afterwards are all part of the care we aim to deliver from start to finish.
Your kind words mean a lot to us, and we’re so glad the day turned out exactly as you had hoped.
Ngā mihi nui,
The ExperienceKart Team
