My Bubble: Discovering Waitomo Caves Part 1

Upon arrival at the Waitomo i-Site, we excitedly purchased the combo package as planned to explore all 3 caves at Waitomo at NZ$89 per person. It would have been more expensive to visit only one cave at NZ$161 per person. All the 3 caves are at different locations and as each cave has its own tour schedule, we had to ensure we juggled the timing correctly so as not to miss the connecting tours and waste our time. First on schedule was the tour to Aranui Cave which began at 10am.

Aranui Cave is a magical, mystical place that is steeped in Maori myth and legend. It is set in the Ruakuri Scenic Reserve, 5 minutes drive from the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. It is named after Ruruku Aranui, the local Maori man who first discovered this previously hidden gem back in 1910.

Aranui Cave has a natural cave entrance and is the smallest and most delicate of Waitomo's three main caves. As a dry cave without a river running through it, it houses very little life past its entrance. However, just inside the entrance is a colony of native New Zealand cave wetas and further into the cave is the most beautiful collection of stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones and decorative formations.

Catch our unforgettable experience of the Aranui Cave here.