Waitomo Spellbound Glowworm Caves Small Group Tour from Auckland

If you love the natural world and are visiting Auckland, going on the Spellbound glowworm tour is well worth the time. Be aware, it's a full day because the caves are about 2.5 hours away so you have at least a 5 hour round trip. We had tours of 2 caves which, combined, lasted around 2.5 hours. Our guide was Ross, who was fantastic at what he did. Easy to understand and with a good sense of humor, he made the tour fun and educational. If you are a nature lover, this is an awe-inspiring must-do tour. We were visiting from America and visiting here was a once in a lifetime trip. The tour is aptly named Spellbound because everyone on the tour truly was. It was a sight my wife and I will remember for the rest of our lives. I have also, in my short 71 years of living, never met another person in the US who has experienced this natural phenomenon. I also have to tip my hat to our tour driver, Takahiro. He was also wonderful to meet and talk to with conversations that made a long trip seem much shorter. His knowledge added to our overall experience. This, truly, was a tour of a lifetime. We enjoyed it immensely and would strongly advise people to take the tour, especially if nature holds a special place in your heart.

A glowing review If you wanted to see the Glowworms, then this trip won't disappoint. They claim Spellbound has more worms than the other tour...i cant verify. But i can verify that you can take pictures...would be best with a good camera. The extra cave for part 2 is great as well. I recommend. In fact, there was a younger man who had this tour as a bucket list item, and it brought tears to his eyes, knowing that he finally had seen them.

I had read reviews from different caves and decided on this because the reviews said you have more time in the cave for your eyes to adjust so you can see the glow worms better. I have to agree. I loved this tour because it’s small groups of 12 people, meaning less light pollution from phone screens. The operator of the is top notch, very accommodating, super friendly and helpful. Highly encourage this activity with this company.

Beautiful. This included a two cave hikes and a boat ride, waterfall sounds, photo opportunities, eel feeding, mountain/cliff side sheep, bird and goat fossils, and plenty of glow worms looking like a starry night. The tour guide is knowledgeable. Between caves, we had a coffee/hot cocoa break. Disclaimer: Minimal cell phone reception.

This was the only glow worm tour we have done (many locals recommended spellbound to us) and we were not disappointed. Besides being an amazing visual experience, the guide was personable, knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. I would definitely do this again.