Under the green hills of the Hamilton-Waikato region lies a labyrinth of caves, sinkholes, and underground rivers recognized as Waitomo. The area’s name comes from the Maori words wai (water) and tomo (hole). The Waitomo Caves is a beautiful village and solutional cave system forming a foremost tourist attraction in the northern King Country region of the North Island of New Zealand, 12 KM northwest of Te Kuiti.
The cave is a famous tourist attraction in New Zealand and a renowned magnet for both local and overseas visitors. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves occupy a high place on the New Zealand vacation wish list. The caves were carved by underground streams pushing through soft limestone over thousands of years.
Numerous have astonishing stalactites growing down from the ceiling and stalagmites growing up from the cave floor, pointy cones of layered rock formed over centuries by dripping water. The cave walls are also decorated with galaxies of native glowworms. Definitely! Glowworms are stunning. In 2005, we were delighted to host two separate BBC film crews at Spellbound, and they were really impressed and amazed by glowworms, one cameraman described the Spellbound Glowworm Cave as one of the top 10 natural spectacles he’d seen.
The glow-worm, Arachnocampa luminosa, is unique to New Zealand. Thousands of these tiny creatures radiate their unmistakable luminescent light as our expert guides provide informative commentary on the Caves’ historical and geological significance. Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must-see for any traveler. Enjoy the world-famous boat ride under thousands of magical glowworms and become a part of over 120 years of cultural and natural history.
Almost 30 million years ago, the legend of Waitomo Caves started with the creation of limestone at the bottom of the ocean. Nowadays, limestone formations stand as one of New Zealand’s most inspiring natural wonders and a must-see destination. The magical glowworms Waitomo cave is home to unforgettable sightseeing attractions.
