Auckland to Rotorua via Waitomo Caves Small Group Tour (One Way)
Description
On this small group, fully guided One Way trip visit the stunning Waitomo Glowworm Caves and other stops and secret locations on the way from Auckland to Rotorua. Highlights: • Waitomo Glowworm Caves • Wildlife viewing Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in a modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety. While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, we at Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it is our small groups, our guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles, complementary refreshments and many other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city, your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today, but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.
Exiting Auckland we drive south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world. Encounter stunning scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, beautiful mountains and several farm animals along the way. During this journey we pass through Taupiri which has many interesting sites of cultural significance including local Maori burial grounds & cultural totem poles.
Continuing our adventure we enter Otorohanga “The Kiwiana capital of New Zealand”. See all things Kiwi as you pass through this unique and charming town.
Arriving at Waitomo Glowworm Caves you will be guided through the ancient and amazing caves seeing many different cave formations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and Lime Columns before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your glow-worm boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must-see for any traveller.
Once in Rotorua your guide will drop you at your accommodation in Rotorua (central hotels only) or at a main Rotorua central location, or choose to visit Te Puia before ending your tour !
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
*If no pickup is selected at time of booking, you will be allocated our default meeting point (SkyCity Hotel). You are welcome to update this at any time. If your location isn’t listed, please choose your nearest available option & meet us there. *Pick-ups can begin up to 20 minutes before the tour departure time, depending on location. To ensure a smooth start, please be ready and waiting outside 5 minutes prior to your specific pickup time. *Pick-up locations are carefully planned for each tour and may vary by day. If your pick-up location changes, kindly inform us in advance. *Our guides make multiple stops and may arrive within a 10-minute window. We are unable to wait for late guests.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Due to uneven surfaces, steps & a moderate amount of walking being involved, this tour is not recommended for travelers with severe mobility difficulties, or wheelchair users
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
Reviews(87)
We had an amazing experience with Cheeky Travel! Our guide, Grant, was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable. We travelled to the Waitomo Caves, and he made the whole journey enjoyable by sharing lots of interesting information about New Zealand and the places we passed. He also provided us with water and snacks, which was a lovely touch and made the trip even more comfortable. The bus was very clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. Thank you, Grant, for making our trip so enjoyable. We would definitely recommend Cheeky Travel to anyone looking for a great travel experience in New Zealand!
Recommended tour. Pick-up at hotel at 5:40 am. Coach was comfortable with Wifi and usb charging ports available. Breakfast granola bars, cassava chips, and bottled water were complimentary. Our tour had 8 people, so the bus was not squeezy. Space in the trunk for our big luggages. Grant's driving was smooth and he was perfectly friendly. Stops for breakfast and coffee, glowworm cave, te puia, and lake Rotoura sulphur point. Not very tiring for a 12 hr+ tour, quite well-timed provided all passengers were on-time. Dropped off at Rotoura around 4 pm ish while others on the tour returned to Auckland ETA 6-7 pm.
We had such a lovely time touring with Vicky from Auckland to Rotorua via the Waitomo Caves! She was very knowledgeable about the region with plenty of history and fun facts. The luxury van was very comfortable with WIFI on board (keeps teens happy)! The caves are definitely worth experiencing. The cave formations are mind boggling and the glow worms are fascinating to learn about and see. Look no further to book this portion of your trip!
Thank you for this glowing review! Vicky will be so happy to hear your kind words. She loves bringing the history and highlights of the region to life for our guests. It is wonderful to hear the whole family enjoyed the experience from the Waitomo Caves to the comfortable ride with WiFi on board. Thank you for booking your Auckland to Rotorua tour with Cheeky Kiwi Travel and we hope to see you back on another New Zealand adventure very soon!
A great experience seeing the stunning constellation of glowworms at Waimoto, learning about Māori culture, and getting close to multiple geysers. Alessandro was knowledgeable and helpful, giving great recommendations and dropping be off at my accommodation at Rotokua.
Thank you for this wonderful review! Alessandro will be so pleased to hear your kind words. He loves sharing the magic of the Waitomo glowworms and Maori culture with every guest. We are thrilled you had such a great experience and that he could drop you off right at your accommodation. Thank you for booking your Auckland to Rotorua tour with Cheeky Kiwi Travel and we hope to see you back in New Zealand soon!
Alessandro was genuinely an amazing guide who was very kind to me and the other solo traveler on our trip, incredibly knowledgeable and informative about the region and New Zealand in general, and overall helped make this a great day! The fee was a bit high but a good deal for both Waitomo and Te Puia, particularly when you account for the additional transit and accommodation costs non-drivers would have to pay in time and money otherwise. The glowworm caves were stunning, the countryside scenery beautiful, and te puia interesting with a good amount of time for both attractions.
Thank you for this great review! Alessandro will be so pleased to hear your kind words. He has a real passion for making every guest feel welcome and for sharing his knowledge of the region. We are so glad the glowworm caves and Te Puia delivered such a wonderful experience. Thank you for booking with Cheeky Kiwi Travel and we hope to see you back in New Zealand soon!
Places become extra special when you have knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. This was very true for Mr Ale from Cheekykiwi. We had a wonderful time exploring beautiful places of Waitomo Caves and Te Puia with our travel partner Mr Ale. My son enjoyed a lot talking to him and getting to understand more about New Zealand and Māori culture. Thank you Cheekykiwi team.
Thank you for this wonderful review! Ale will be so pleased to hear your kind words. He has a great passion for sharing New Zealand's natural wonders and Maori culture with every guest and it is wonderful that your son enjoyed learning so much throughout the day. Thank you for choosing Cheeky Kiwi Travel for your Waitomo Caves and Te Puia experience and we hope to welcome you back soon!
It was a great trip to Waitomo Glow worm cave and Rotorua. Our tour guide, Trent, was a gracious host. Even with a very small group, he still drove us to the sites with great enthusiasm. One of our tour mates slipped on the curb side of Waitomo cave entrance and had to cancel the rest of her trip. Trent made sure that she was taken cared of and brought back to the city before we head out to our next destination. It was a great experience. One of the highlights of our trip.
Thank you so much for this heartfelt review! We're thrilled that Trent made the Waitomo and Rotorua tour such a wonderful experience for you. He is truly dedicated to every guest's wellbeing, and it's touching to hear how he went above and beyond. We hope to see you again on your next New Zealand adventure!
A big thank-you to our driver Simon! Lots of interesting facts and stories during the trip. He was absolutely lovely towards everyone, myself included 😊
One of the most unique experiences I have ever had! The places are amazing and the tour was GREAT! Specially because of our guide, Mr. Trent! Friendly, educated, clever and gentle! Always giving informations about everything on the way and also giving full attention to the group. He knows a lot about Maori culture and history. He drove us carefully and was always with us helping as much as possible. Smileful and really enjoying staying with us and taking care of the group. He even mede quick stops at a few other places on the way that were not included on the tour to show us some nice spots and give us more information. All the activities happened in a perfect way because of him. I highly recommend this tour with Cheeky Kiwi and specially with Mr. Trent as a guide! He loves what he does and he does it very well!!! Cheers
One of the most unique experiences I've ever lived. Sensational. Mr. Trent, our guide, made all the difference. Punctual, sociable, intelligent, polite, kind and has an excellent knowledge of Maori culture. Careful in the direction and perfect in dealing with us. All along he provided information about the climate, vegetation, geography, culture, customs and various curiosities. He did everything he could even to help a member of the group who had a small accident with a fall. He was equipped with first aid and provided all necessary assistance possible. The places were amazing, the cost was appropriate and the time helped but I repeat, the guide (Trent) made all the difference. I already know more than 70 countries and have made many tours around the world, this was undoubtedly one of the best! Super recommend the tour with Cheeky Kiwi and especially with Mr. Trent!
