Waitomo Caves
The Waitomo Caves, famous for their vast caverns full of eerie stalactites and stalagmites, are the
Waikato's best known attraction. The meaning of Waitomo – water passing through a hole – is accurate. Over thousands of years, rainwater has seeped through layers of limestone, leaving tiny deposits as it enters the underground caverns. The most beautiful of these stalactites (from the roof), stalagmites (from the floor) and incrustations now have names like the Bride's Jewels, the Organ and the White Terrace.
The caves were first explored in 1887 by local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau and English surveyor Fred Mace, and have since become a leading visitor attraction. Guided tours take in some 250 metres of stunning underground scenery, including the famous Cathedral Cave, where opera diva Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has performed, and the Glow-worm Grotto, which is lit by thousands of lights belonging to these tiny insects.
There are more than 500 caves in the area, but the most famous are the Waitomo, Raukuri and Aranui. Thousands, if not millions, of people have visited here - floating for 80m on a river, 13m below ground, and gazing at the galaxy of blue lights. It is so quiet here, even your breathing seems loud.
Extreme Caving In New Zealand, it was natural for someone to think of a more active approach to the caves and so Black Water Rafting is now on the menu. Wearing a wetsuit, lamp helmets and sitting in well-inflated tyre inner tubes, you float and clamber down the river section of the Raukuri Cave. For the more daring, enter Haggas Honking Holes. After you conquer the first 20m abseil, the next two waterfall abseils, the rock-climbs, squeezes and commando crawls come a little easier.
Now you're ready for the Lost World. You can't see the bottom of the abyss as you dangle by rope and slowly descend its 100m of mystery. You return to the surface at another location after walking through a series of spectacular rock falls and caverns. You can see these caves on a day trip and Great Sights offers an excellent alternative to self-driving. Their five-star luxury coaches, with full commentary, depart daily from Auckland and Rotorua on a full-day tour.
ToursA range of tours are on offer from adventure activities such as tubing and abseiling through to guided tours on foot or by boat.