Waitomo

Glowworm Grottos Under the Farmland

1 dayIdeal stay₹7,700From / night₹2,750Food / day₹3,580Entry

A village in green limestone country, above caves lit by thousands of glowworms. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves boat ride drifts through the grotto in silence; Ruakuri and Aranui caves are walked; black-water rafting floats you through on an inner tube. A half-day stop between Auckland, Rotorua and Taupō, or one night. The Northern Explorer train stops at Otorohanga, 16 km away.

Highlights

Glowworm grotto by boat
Black-water rafting
Ruakuri Cave spiral entrance
Mangapohue Natural Bridge walk
Marokopa Falls
Kiwi house at Otorohanga

Things to do

Waitomo Glowworm Caves boat tourMorning · 1h
Black-water rafting in Ruakuri CaveAfternoon · 3h 30m
Ruakuri Cave walkAfternoon · 2h
Mangapohue Natural Bridge and Marokopa Falls driveMorning · 3h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Waitomovia GetYourGuide Tours & tickets in Waitomovia Klook

Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.

When to go

Best time: All year (caves are the same in any weather)

Getting there

Fly into Auckland (AKL), 160 km away

Then: Transfer · 2h 30m (Rental car (self-drive), per vehicle)

Search flights to AKL from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹55,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹54,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹54,000
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹56,000
From Kolkata (1 stop)from ₹56,000
From Hyderabad (1 stop)from ₹56,000

Fly into Christchurch (CHC), 622 km away

Search flights to CHC from your city ↗

Flights from India

From Delhi (1 stop)from ₹55,000
From Bengaluru (1 stop)from ₹54,000
From Chennai (1 stop)from ₹54,000
From Mumbai (1 stop)from ₹56,000

Fares from India: one way, per person; typical fares, not live prices.

Entry rules

Your passport

E-visa before you fly for up to 270 days, about ₹24,260

Apply online for a New Zealand Visitor Visa on Immigration New Zealand's Immigration Online (immigration.govt.nz), at least 6 weeks before you fly and earlier for December to February. Indian passports can't use the NZeTA.
Pay the NZ$341 visa fee and the NZ$100 tourism levy (IVL) online, together about ₹24,300. If INZ asks for your passport or documents, the VFS Global centres in India handle them for a service fee.
Upload your passport, a photo, 3-6 months of bank statements, flight and hotel bookings, a letter from your employer or business, and your income-tax returns.
The visa comes by email as an eVisa (nothing is stuck in the passport): print it and carry it.
Before you land, fill in the free New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) online or in its app, and declare all food on it: undeclared food brings an instant NZ$400 fine.

Carry: Passport valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave New Zealand; Visitor Visa (eVisa) printout; Return or onward ticket; Proof of funds: NZ$1,000 per person per month of the stay (NZ$400 a month if your accommodation is paid), about ₹55,000 a month; Hotel bookings or a host's invitation for the whole stay; NZTD confirmation.

The fee rose to NZ$341 plus a NZ$100 levy in October 2024; older guides quoting NZ$211 are out of date. INZ moved visitor applications to its enhanced Immigration Online system in September 2026, so check the current steps and processing time on immigration.govt.nz before you apply.

Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.

Also in Central North Island

♨️ Rotorua · Geysers, Mud Pools and Māori Culture
🌋 Taupo · Great Lake Taupō and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Plan a trip to Waitomo

Flying in from elsewhere? Start at Auckland (AKL)