Black Abyss: Ultimate Waitomo Caving - Private Tour from Auckland
Description
Embark on a drive from Auckland to the king country of Waitomo on a luxurious private vehicle to test your limits with this thrilling caving experience at the Waitomo Caves. Abseil into the Ruakuri Cave, zipline through a gallery of illuminating glowworms, and climb underground waterfalls. An Unforgettable Journey into The Underworld to Jump deep into the abyss and experience the ultimate caving adventure in Waitomo!
Tour Options
Itinerary
We pickup travellers from most locations in the Auckland CBD location. If your pickup location is not available on the list, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our very best to accommodate your request.
The Bombay Hills are a range of hills to the south of Auckland, New Zealand. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland region, and serve as a divide between Auckland and the Waikato region. directly named after the ship Bombay, The ship itself was named after the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Bombay Means: a breed of black short-haired medium-sized cat.
We stop to get some great coffee at your own expense and a comfort break before we continue our journey into the Waikato region
Te Awamutu calls itself the ‘Rose Capital of New Zealand’. During the blooming season, November to April, the garden next to the visitor centre is a technicolour dream as 2000 rose bushes turn on the charm.
The 5-hour Black Abyss tour packs all the most adventurous ways to make your way through a cave into one Black Water Rafting tour. An exhilarating caving experience blending the magic of abseiling, flying fox, climbing and floating through unique underground river system. Slip spider-like down into the black, seemingly bottomless depths of Ruakuri Cave and ride a roller coaster of everything caving has to offer. Explore and tube through ancient glowworm studded stream-ways. Underground snacks in the form for yummy New Zealand chocolate and a hot beverage to fuel you for the cave exploration ahead. . However, there’s no experience required, as you’ll have an experienced guide and be equipped with all the caving essentials! This is the most adventurous tour! If you have a “go big or go home” mantra then this Black Water Rafting tour is a must-do! A fun challenge!
After an exhilirating fun-filled adventure experience at Waitomo, it is now time to head back to Auckland to conclude your evening and drop-off at your hotel in Auckland.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Minimum weight restriction of 45kg+ apply
- Guides at Waitomo reserve the right to refuse to take anyone into the cave that they consider to be unsuited for the tour (e.g., physically incapable, or too small).
- Participants must be 16 years old or over (proof of age may be required)
- Good and moderate fitness level is required
- Just bring yourself, your swimwear, a towel, shower gel and a thirst for adventure.
- No caving experience is needed!
- The water temperature is 10-14C / 50-57F year-round so doing the activity in winter will feel almost the same as doing the activity in summer
- Photos are taken for you throughout the experience where you’ll get to view and purchase your photos at the end of the tour
- Cameras, including GoPros, can’t be taken on the tour
- Tours only run if it is safe, which is the vast majority of the time. However, prolonged heavy rain can result in rising water levels in the caves, in which case the tours would be cancelled.
- Each participant requested to complete a disclosure document and provide information relation to health, physicality, impairments, and water preparedness.
Reviews(17)
Mary, our tour guide, is really kind. She is an excellent driver and showed us a lot of consideration. We had a great time with her!
Kia Ora Sheena, Thank you so much for your lovely 5-star review! We’re delighted to hear you had a wonderful time with Mary. It’s lovely to know that her kindness, considerate nature, and excellent driving helped make your journey comfortable and enjoyable. We’ll be sure to pass on your kind words to Mary. We truly appreciate you travelling with us and hope to welcome you back for another memorable New Zealand experience. Ngā mihi nui, The ExperienceKart Team
My wife booked the Black Abyss - Private Tour for me a month ago. I was picked up from the SkyCity Hotel in Auckland by tour driver Mary Cunningham. She offered a warm greeting and was very friendly. Throughout the two hour plus drive to Waitomo, Mary provided an informative and insightful history of the area and of Maori culture. The several hours I spent with Mary was a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. The Black Abyss tour exceeded my expectations and was an amazing and otherworldly experience. Caving tour guides Evie and Sara were provided a contagious youthful and enthusiastic energy that my two other guests and I really appreciated. Safety was their priority and they also took the time to explain the unique features of the cave and the lifecycles of the famous glow worms. This tour was probably the best experience during my 30 day holiday in Australia and New Zealand.
Kia Ora Carlos, Thank you so much for this incredible and heartfelt review! We’re absolutely thrilled to hear how much you enjoyed your Black Abyss Private Tour, it truly is one of the most extraordinary experiences in Aotearoa. Mary will be over the moon to know that her warmth, storytelling, and deep cultural knowledge made your journey to Waitomo so enjoyable and memorable. It’s an honour to know this was one of the best experiences of your 30-day holiday, it really means a lot to us. Thank you once again for choosing ExperienceKart. We’d be absolutely delighted to welcome you back for more unforgettable adventures in New Zealand! Ngā mihi nui, The ExperienceKart Team
This was the priciest thing we did in New Zealand but was one of the top experiences I was looking forward to. It did not disappoint in the slightest! Our guides (Lydia and I can't remember her name, but she's originally from Chicago!) were super fun, kind and engaging. Rappelling, ziplining, tubing, swimming, climbing... this had it all! I was a little nervous as the trip approached that I may have been a bit too ambitious, but it was perfect and my partner and I both considered it the highlight of our trip. The glowworms were great here, much better than the regular Waitomo Cave tour. If you are doing this, you could skip that one. It was my first time ever ziplining... in a cave... in the dark... yep, I screamed a lot, but it was still super fun!
Kia Ora Travis, Thank you sincerely for choosing to book the Black Abyss, it is in fact one of our very popular tours! We are stoked to hear that you found this as one of the top experiences and had an amazing experience floating in the dark with the glowworms, it is truly a magical experience! We look forward to hosting you again on another adventure soon!
I cannot rave enough about this tour. The experience is out of this world. Our guides were George & Rebekah (I don’t think I spelt that right) They both were friendly, engaging, knowledgable and most importantly made us feel very safe. Floating in the dark, with glow worms above our heads and George singing, was mesmerising. Yes, the water was cold.
Kia Ora Meagan! Thank you sincerely for choosing to book the Black Abyss, it is infact one of our very popular tours! We are stoked to hear that you found this experience out of the world and had an amazing experience floating in the dark with the glowworms, it is truly a magical experience! We look forward to hosting you again on another adventure soon!
I enjoyed it very much! Unique experience. The driver and tour guide was very good and provided a lot of information. It was worth the trip!
Kia ora Ana, Thank you so much for taking your time to leave us this lovely review, we loved hosting you and we are super stoked to hear that your experience was very unique and enjoyed our tour very much. Thank you sincerely for choosing to book with ExperienceKart and recommending our tour! We look forward to hosting you again and wishing you best wishes for 2024!
It was a bit too early start, but our guide was kind and warmly welcomed us. His guide explanation was understandable. Also, the guide at Waitomo cave was funny and understandable.
Kia Ora Mayu, Thank you very much for this wonderful feedback, it was our pleasure to host you. Thank you sincerely for choosing to book with ExperienceKart and we look forward to hosting you on another epic adventure! We wish you all the best for 2024 and safe travels!
super professional and accommodating. very informative. the glow worm cave was a highlight of our trip to new zealand. incredible experience. experiencekart was fantastic
Kia Ora Chris, Thank you very much for your kind words and appreciation. We sincerely appreciate your feedback and we are very pleased to hear that you had an incredible experience with your family visiting the glowworm cave and enjoying the black abyss! Thank you for your comments about our business, we strive very hard to provide a great positive experience and we are humbled by your lovely 5 star review! We look forward to hosting you again upon your next visit to NZ and wishing you a very happy and prosperous New Year!
This was one of our activities that we did on our tour despite the high private car ride to the Black Abyss. Highly recommended! Our driver, Dep, was super cool, accommodating, and threw in some interesting cultural tidbits during the ride. The only tiny hiccup was we were expecting a solid lunch after all that caving excitement, but all we got was a simple soup. No biggie for us, but just thought I'd throw it out there. Dep did take us to a spot for lunch, but we had to fork out some cash ourselves. Not a deal-breaker, just something to keep in mind.
Kia Ora Amy, Thank you for your review and we hope you had a great day joining the Black Abyss Ultimate Caving Experience. We sincerely apologise that lunch was not provided on your trip to Waitomo despite being included as part of your experience. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused. I have gone ahead and issued a partial refund in lieu of this inconvenience and thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We will have chat with Dibs and ensure this incident is not repeated. Dibs is usually spot on with all his guiding, however it appears this one slipped through. Once again we apologise for any inconvenience, we will do our best to make everything right and hopefully you will come back and book another tour with us in the foreseeable future!
This was the single best excursion I experienced over my three weeks in New Zealand. Book it immediately. Our guides Joel, Max, and Ellen were knowledgeable, professional, and fun! The gear provided was solid, and I felt safe throughout the entire experience. The adventure was well-paced, starting with a heart racing abseil, moving on to a pitch black zipline, then jumping into the water for tubing. THE WATER IS COLD, but it was so much fun I didn't mind it (and I am not a cold weather person). We stopped twice for breaks, and the snacks were on point! I appreciated Max's knowledge of the caves both scientific and cultural. If I could choose only one excursion in NZ, I would choose this one again and again!
Kia Ora Aeacho, Thank you for your wonderful review and it's great to hear that you enjoyed our tour and recommending to other travellers as one of the best excursions in NZ! We sincerely appreciate your feedback and look forward to hosting you again!
Our driver Karthik was prompt, kind, knowledgeable, and just all-around amazing! He took great care of us as we embarked from Auckland into Waitomo region and prepped us for our Black Abyss blackwater rafting experience. He took us to get coffees and lunch beforehand and we also stopped to see the kiwi birds in a rehabilitation center. I recommend this complany 100000 percent!
Kia ora Donna, Thank you so much for your kind words and taking your time to leave us with a glowing 5 star review. We are super stoked to hear that you had a wonderful travel experience with our guide Karthik and recommending our company 100000 percent! We can't wait to host you again and look forward to seeing you soon on some of our other travel experiences we offer (Adrenaline, Heritage and Unique Experiences). Until then, safe travels and kindest regards.
