Glowworm Grotto in NZ

[mbg1040]

We are taking a princess cruise from sydney to auckland in february, and thought the description of the grotto glowworm excursion sounded interesting. Has anyone done it and is it worthwhile? We were also wondering if someone had the name of private outfits that could provide the tour either from auckland or tauranga?

 

Thanks,

Mindy & Joe

[Jane110]

I've never heard the term glow worm grotto, but if it's the same as the glow worm caves, then I highly recommend seeing it.

 

You go into a canoe-like boat into the cave which is pitch black and only lit up by the millions of glow worms on the ceilings and walls. It's absolutely silent as your guide will move the boat through the cave by pulling on rope cables - no motor or oars.

 

Sorry, can't recommend a guide ........we didn't visit as a cruise excursion, we just spent a couple of weeks travelling around on our own.

[cathi]

Don't know about private excursions but Princess has one from Aukland. Plan to book it since we are spending the night at the end of our cruise and it will be a fun way to see this phenom. They will also drop us at the airport and our hotel provides shuttles.

[mare s.]

I've done quite a bit of research on this for our March 2007 cruise. There are a couple of private tour operators out of Auckland...google Auckland tourism and you should be able to see what's available. We have booked with Transfers & Tours Auckland (TATA) (http://www.tata.co.nz) It's a very full day from Auckland to the Glowworm Caves back through the city of Hamilton and possibly Kiwi House in Otorohanga. Princess does offer the excursion, but since we're staying in Auckland on our own post-cruise, this wouldn't work for us. You can also visit the caves from Tauranga, but we opted to spend our time there on the geothermals at Te Puia.

[KiwiIan]

We are taking a princess cruise from sydney to auckland in february, and thought the description of the grotto glowworm excursion sounded interesting. Has anyone done it and is it worthwhile? We were also wondering if someone had the name of private outfits that could provide the tour either from auckland or tauranga?

 

Thanks,

Mindy & Joe

If you want to find a private tour company in any of the NZ ports of call just try a google search og "Shore Trips *******" and replace the ***'s with the port of call name. Good way to start. Regards Ian [Tauranga]

[KiwiIan]

We are taking a princess cruise from sydney to auckland in february, and thought the description of the grotto glowworm excursion sounded interesting. Has anyone done it and is it worthwhile? We were also wondering if someone had the name of private outfits that could provide the tour either from auckland or tauranga?

 

Thanks,

Mindy & Joe

Check out the bannner ad at the top of the page, should help.

[LKJ]

Thanks for the info KiwiIan.

[CruisinMK]

The famous place for the icky glowworm is WAITOMO CAVES.

 

I think it is a beautiful area, stay at a B&B there if you can

[DucknChook]

Waitomo Caves are really beautiful. They also have a Black Water Rafting trip through the caves-don a wet suit, helmet and miners lamp and cruise down river in a rubber ring. Google Waitono Caves and you should come up with something.

[Suzanne123]

I'd like to book the Glow Worm excursion through Princess, but the description says "This tour is available only to passengers with a Princess transfer disembarking in Auckland and departing on the same day with flights after 8:30pm. The tour will end at the airport at approximately 4:30pm; passenger baggage will be transported separately and claimed at the airport."

 

Our flight leaves at 7:45 PM, so my question is, why do you need to be at the airport a full four hours before departure? If security or customs requires 4 hours, is it possible to book a private excursion that would get us back to the airport by 3:45?

 

Thanks.

[KiwiIan]

I'd like to book the Glow Worm excursion through Princess, but the description says "This tour is available only to passengers with a Princess transfer disembarking in Auckland and departing on the same day with flights after 8:30pm. The tour will end at the airport at approximately 4:30pm; passenger baggage will be transported separately and claimed at the airport."

 

Our flight leaves at 7:45 PM, so my question is, why do you need to be at the airport a full four hours before departure? If security or customs requires 4 hours, is it possible to book a private excursion that would get us back to the airport by 3:45?

 

Thanks.

Basically its just the Cruise line being cautious, Waitomo is about a 2.5 hour drive south of Auckland and depending on the date and the day of the week you need to allow a bit of slack in case of any delays on the road. Missing your flight back to the USA would be a big cost and headache.

 

If you really want to see the caves then you can do this with a small private group from the Tauranga port of call. This could be combined with either a stop at Rotorua or Hobbiton, maybe both if you are OK with a long day. Depends on how long the ship is in port. If you can advise the date i can check this with the port for you.

 

You can try and do a trip on the embarkation day but as you may not be off the ship that early, its best to just do some local sightseeing in Auckland,

 

Let me know if you need any further help.

 

Regards

 

Ian [Tauranga]

[jrkfrk]

Really off the wall, but serious question that I must know the answer to before I would sign up: Do the worms ever fall off the walls of the cave (grotto) and onto the folks below? I have this picture stuck in my head, and it isn't pleasant!

Fran

[cathi]

O.K. Fran - I get the picture and if anyone answers yes, I'm cancelling!!! YUCK!!!!

[KiwiIan]

Really off the wall, but serious question that I must know the answer to before I would sign up: Do the worms ever fall off the walls of the cave (grotto) and onto the folks below? I have this picture stuck in my head, and it isn't pleasant!

Fran

No that should not be a problem. In fact they are not worms at all, in fact their real genus is Arachnocampomuinoso. In fact small spider type little bugs, but you will find out all about them on the tour so i will not spoil this for you. Its an amazing sight, cruisong through the flooded caves in total darkness except for the tiny specs of light from the glow worms. Give it a go, you'll love the experience.

 

Regards Ian [Tauranga]

[jrkfrk]

No that should not be a problem. In fact they are not worms at all, in fact their real genus is Arachnocampomuinoso. In fact small spider type little bugs, but you will find out all about them on the tour so i will not spoil this for you. Its an amazing sight, cruisong through the flooded caves in total darkness except for the tiny specs of light from the glow worms. Give it a go, you'll love the experience.

 

Regards Ian [Tauranga]

 

 

 

Gee, thanks Ian :p , spiders are MUCH better than worms (lol)!

 

Fran

[cathi]

And how much better do you really think spiders are than worms??!!!! You could find "spider" type creatures hanging down in your face!

[Pacific Sandy]

Hi - We did the Black water rafting tour through the glowworm caves last year and had a blast. It is spectacular. And, no, there was nothing "creepy-crawly" about it. You never actually see any bugs.

 

We rented a campervan and drove around the North Island for a week pre-cruise. It was amazing. The campgrounds are so luxurious and often right on the ocean.

 

I would definitely recommend doing the tour on your own and spending a few days in this beautiful area.

 

Who knows, you may run into a "Hobbit" or two!!!!!

 

Sandra

[sswitenki]

Can you tell me if this would be really tough for a claustrophobic person? My husband is claustro but I am not. I really want to see this but worry about my husband. Is it really pitch black?

[free101girl]

Can you tell me if this would be really tough for a claustrophobic person? My husband is claustro but I am not. I really want to see this but worry about my husband. Is it really pitch black?

 

Yes, a portion of the tours is done in pitch blackness, so if that will bother your husband, he should skip it.

 

My husband did the black water rafting experience and really enjoyed it, though his toes were pretty frozen by the end! It sounded a bit strenous for me, so I did the 2-hour (really more like 1.5 hour) walking tour through Ruakuri Cave. It's the same cave the rafters float through -- I actually saw my husband from above at one point -- and an easy walk. The entire walking tour is actually wheelchair accessible, amazingly enough. They did turn off all lighting for a portion of the tour, and it was very, very black.

 

We did this on our own as a day trip. We took the Tranz Scenic train from Auckland and hired Waitomo Shuttle to pick us up from the train station in Otorohanga and take us to Waitomo (this must be arranged in advance). They also picked us up from The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co and took us back to the train station, with a quick side trip to the kiwi house in Otorohanga. (This was not our idea -- our shuttle driver insisted we had to see a kiwi! Admission to take a quick look at the kiwis was NZ$6. They were quite interesting to watch, actually.)

 

If I were going to do it over again, I'd just rent a car in Auckland and drive down. It's an easy drive and a good portion of the train route wasn't particularly scenic.

[celle]

Can you tell me if this would be really tough for a claustrophobic person? My husband is claustro but I am not. I really want to see this but worry about my husband. Is it really pitch black?

 

I hate caves, and don't like to feel enclosed, but I love the Waitomo caves. Of course, I can't speak for your DH, but if you do the main cave tour, I think he should be OK. We always take our overseas visitors there.

 

The main cave complex is big. It is all well lit, except for when you go on the boat.

 

The caves mostly have high ceilings and you don't have to do any bending or crawling. The stalagtites and stalagmites are close, but you don't feel crowded by them. The biggest part of these caves is enormous - it is likened to a cathedral. Concerts have been held in there.

 

The glow-worms hang from the roof. There is nowhere that they are close enough to touch you (or to hang down in your face, as someone was worried about).

 

When you go on the boat, you first walk down some steps and get into the boat while the lights are still on. The boats are flat bottomed and you sit in rows on benches. The guide asks everyone to be quiet, as noise makes the glow-worms switch off their lights.

 

The lights go off and you have time for your eyes to adjust to the dark. The guide pulls the boat along, using a system of overhead ropes.

 

It is an amazing sight to gradually see the little blue lights of the glow-worms come on all over the roof of the cave, as the boat glides along silently. It's like looking up at the stars on a dark night.

 

At the end of the cave, you come back into daylight and get off the boat at more steps. You then walk back up the path. At night, this path is lighted enough for you to see your way, but you may be lucky enough to see small clumps of glow-worm lights amongst the vegetation along the banks.

 

I can't speak for rafting through the caves. That would be too much for me, but I did not find the main cave at all threatening or claustrophobic.

 

I hope this is some help to you.

 

Celle

[2manyplaces]

I am semi-claustrophobic, if there is such a thing, but I was fine in the caves. Although it was dark, there is quite a bit of room above and at the sides of the boat, as I recall. We did this on a land vacation to NZ as part of a tour of the north island which went on to Rotorua--Maori people, hangi dinner, geysers, etc. We loved it, if you have time it's wonderful is you would like to learn a bit about the Maori culture.

[mare s.]

Just returned from Sapphire Princess cruise...as we had planned we took a day tour out of Auckland to the Glow Worm Cave in Waitomo. It was absolutely wonderful....the caves themselves were awesome and the boat ride was amazing...like looking up at a very very starry sky. I really must recommend Transfers and Tours Auckland...we had a great driver/guide...Chris...after the caves we went to lunch at a place called Roselands...wonderful food and a beautiful setting. On the way back we stopped at the Hamilton Gardens...if you have time, it certainly is worth a visit.

[captainron]

Kia Ora Gang,

Just spent three weeks on the North Island with my family who live in Whangamata on the Coromandel.

 

If the ports of call are Tauranga/Mount Maunganui and Auckland and if the Glow Worm Grotto tour is for late flight departure folks, then you have a choice to make:

 

a. Glow Worm Grotto tour from Tauranga with the ship or with an independent. here are actually several caves in the Waitomo area, the glow worm cave, (approx 45 mins underground) to the cathedral where Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sang in concert and through the glow worm grotto. The sticky larvae as you call them are silk like threads that the worms use to catch food, and no it's not like Alien...nothing will drop out and bite you. It's quite serene a trip actually as thousands of blue lights illuminate the roof and nooks and crannies of the grotto. As fire burnt down the offices and gift shop, they are in the process of rebuilding outside, but nothing in the caves has been affected.

 

There is a more extensive strenuous underground experience at the Aranui Cave and a third for Blackwater rafting. As Ian says "Google it"; or

 

b. while you're in that part of the world I would recommend you do a day trip to Rotorua and the Te Puia Thermal Park.

 

There you will see the Marae, Whenua, Pohutu Geyser and be entertained.

 

At 1215 daily at Te Puia there is an official welcome ceremony on the marae with wero, karangi and entertainment. This is included in the NZD$28pp fee for the day in the park. Pohutu Geyser erupts about every twenty mintes, so if you see it erupt and want close-up shots it's good to work your way down past the Blue Pool and boiling mud ponds to the geyser area of the thermal valley for the next blow. You'll have lots of time to wander and contrary to what others say, Rotorua does not stink like the sulphur pit of NZ.

 

It is a pleasant drive from Tauranga to Rotorua. You could rent a car and do it yourself. Driving on the left is not that difficult, as even with a standard it only takes a few blocks to get used to changing gears with the left hand. It's not a difficult drive with good highways and when you arrive in Rotorua, Te Puia is easy to find. You head out of town as if you were going over to Taupo and just as you 're leaving Rortorua on the left side you can't miss it as it's well signed. If you''re going all that way to Aotearoa, then you cannot miss experiencing the Maori culture and geothermal valleys.

 

Ian,

It's actually too bad that the ships don't stay later in Tauranga, as that would allow a better Maori experience out at Tamaki Maori Village on the Highway to Taupo. The first bus trips go through the wero and karangi at the marae at 5pm so unfortunately that's a schedule that ship pax could never make. Consideing the overnight cruising distance to Auckland is not that far, there's really no reason that they couldn't leave at 10pm and still be alongside Princes Pier in Auckland by 8am.

 

Regardless everyone on the thread do enjoy Aotearoa, the land the Maori people made home when the arrived in the big "Waka" from Hawaiiki.

 

Ciao for now!!!

[5-HOKU]

Aloha Mare S. Cool Cruiser,

 

What is your review on TATA Tour company Tours & Transfers Auckland for your tour to the Waitomo Caves? We are about to book the same tour, but would like more feedback on this company.