Waitomo Caves, Rotorua and Te Puia Small Group Tour from Auckland
Description
New Zealand’s most remarkable landscapes aren’t always found in plain sight. Journey from Auckland to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves, where thousands of tiny lights illuminate an underground world hidden beneath the hills of the Waikato. Then continue to Rotorua and Te Puia to experience steaming geothermal landscapes, powerful geysers, and the living Māori culture of Aotearoa. From the hidden world beneath Waitomo to the spectacular forces shaping Rotorua above ground, experience a side of New Zealand that goes far beyond the scenery. While the destinations you will be visiting are spectacular, we at Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it is our small groups, our guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Led by our passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life, sharing their stories and background knowledge, and run in modern minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.
Tour Options
Itinerary
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.
Exiting Auckland we drive south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world. Encounter stunning scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, beautiful mountains and several farm animals along the way. During this journey we pass through Taupiri which has many interesting sites of cultural significance including local Maori burial grounds & cultural totem poles.
Continuing our adventure we enter Otorohanga “The Kiwiana capital of New Zealand”. See all things Kiwi as you pass through this unique and charming town.
Arriving at our first feature attraction you will be guided through the ancient and amazing caves seeing many different cave formations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and Lime Columns before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your glow-worm boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must-see for any traveller.
Arriving at our second feature destination, Te Puia, you will receive a fully guided 90 minute tour to best experience the geothermal and cultural wonders including: Pōhutu Geyser, Māori Architecture, The National Māori Arts School, geothermal craters, geothermal events and even the chance to view a Kiwi bird in the Kiwi viewing house.
Nga Manu Ahurei is Te Puia’s native bird enclosure, where you can see New Zealand’s unique native birds up close, including the elusive kiwi. Learn about these precious species and the conservation work helping to protect New Zealand’s native wildlife.
Pohutu Geyser is New Zealand’s largest active geyser, erupting spectacularly several times a day and reaching heights of up to 30 metres. Located within Te Puia, it’s an impressive display of Rotorua’s geothermal power and one of the region’s most iconic natural attractions.
To finish off our Rotorua experience we do a guided driving tour seeing the most famous sites in Rotorua city including: Lake Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, Government Gardens, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring) & the Blue Baths.
Sadly we must start to head north again but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland with secret stops along the way.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*If no pickup is selected at time of booking, you will be allocated our default meeting point (SkyCity Hotel). You are welcome to update this at any time. If your location isn’t listed, please choose your nearest available option & meet us there. *Pick-ups can begin up to 20 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 minutes prior to your specific pickup time. *Pick-up locations are carefully planned for each tour and may vary by day. If your pick-up location changes, kindly inform us in advance. *Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. We are unable to wait for late guests.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- 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.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately and wear comfortable footwear.
- Due to uneven surfaces, stairs & a moderate amount of walking, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair.
Reviews(757)
We did a small group tour with 6 people. With people from diverse nationalities in the US, Canada, and Japan, and even though I'm not good at English, I was able to enjoy it. It was a tour that made me want to come to New Zealand again. It is a very efficient and moving tour.
The trip was awesome, the guides are super nice and friendly. They added very interesting information beyond the trip including what we saw in the way, Auckland and the local culture.
Pick up was great. Driver was right on time. Hanoz was knowledgeable about the area and the sites we visited on our tour. He kept the group engaged and his banter was friendly. The glow worm caves were spectacular. At Te Puia, we learned a lot about the Maōri culture. This activity seemed a bit fast-paced...wish we had more time to enjoy the area, learn their customs, and experience the hot springs.
We had an absolutely wonderful experience with Cheeky! Everything was so well organized, and the experience was even more special thanks to our guide, Grant! He was truly exceptional, incredibly patient, kind, caring, and clearly someone who genuinely loves what he does. Grant was so knowledgeable, but what stood out the most was the way he connected with us and made everyone feel comfortable. You can really tell when someone is passionate about their work, and Grant is exactly that kind of person. He went above and beyond to make the experience memorable for us. If you book with Cheeky, I highly recommend asking for Grant. He is honestly the best guide we could have asked for! Thank you, Grant, for making our experience so special. We will definitely remember it! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
John was amazing. He was very friendly and made sure everyone had a great time. There was a fair bit of driving and he did an excellent job of balancing talking to us, whether it was to point something out or play some silly game, and just being quiet and letting us enjoy the scenery. The sites themselves were exceptional. The glowworm caves were everything I hoped they'd be and more, and I really enjoyed Rotorua as well. Strongly recommend this tour.
The tour was excellent and the tour guide was kind.
I really enjoyed my visit, especially our tour guide, Dave. He made the tour so much fun and made sure to explain everything we were seeing along the way. His knowledge and enthusiasm made the experience even more enjoyable. Rotorua is truly a must-visit destination—I absolutely loved my time here and can't wait to come back!
Grant (a.k.a. "Enrique") was just wonderful throughout the tour. He shared the history of New Zealand and the neighbourhoods we drove through. The drive between each location was long but Grant ensured our safety and it was a very comfortable ride. The tours themselves were great - you can really tell the New Zealanders truly cherish their land and their culture.
We had an amazing time on this tour. Grant was an amazing tour guide. He was so informative and we learnt so much. He was a great driver too and expertly navigated through the sudden mists that formed on our way to Waitomo and never made the drive feel unsafe. Waitomo was magical and I recommend it as a can't miss to everyone considering their itinerary. We loved Te Puia and saw the geyser erupt and Maori art and craftsmanship as well. Overall, it was an amazing trip with a really considerate guide and I'd recommend both Grant and this tour to everyone.
Hanoz was a safe, informative and entertaining guide during our day of driving to Waitomo and Rotorua.
