Tubing an underground river beneath a ceiling of glowworms. What each tour includes, who runs it, and which one fits you.
Pick a day, or the first and last day you are around Waitomo. We check the booking calendar of every cave tour and show which ones still have places.
In the next 7 days, all 3 tours on this page still have places.
Cave: Ruakuri Cave
Cave: Ruakuri Cave
Cave: Okohua Glowworm Cave (private)
Black water rafting in Waitomo is run by The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co. and by The Waitomo Experience. The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co., New Zealand’s first black water rafting company, founded in 1987, takes its tours through the Ruakuri Cave. The Black Labyrinth is the classic: three hours of tubing on the underground river, jumping backwards off small waterfalls and floating under the glowworms. The Black Abyss is the full adventure: five hours that begin with a 35-metre abseil and add a zipline and waterfall climbing before the tubing even starts.
The Waitomo Experience, a family business outside the village, takes groups of up to six into the Okohua Glowworm Cave on its farm, Tumu Tumu Station: three and a half hours of walking, wading, swimming and climbing, with a tubing section under the glowworms, the guide photos included and a cedar hot tub at the end. See the Okohua Cave page for how physical it gets.
All of them are wet, dark and cool. Wetsuits are provided, and the cave water stays cool whatever the season. If you would rather see the glowworms warm and dry, the quiet boat tour through the Waitomo Glowworm Caves is the other way in: our sister site Glowworm Caves compares those tours.
Ruakuri Cave or a private farm cave, and very different intensity. Open a card for the full tour details.
Three hours of tubing on the underground river through Ruakuri Cave: waterfall jumps in the dark, then lights off and a slow float under the glowworms. The entry-level tour, open from age 12.
The classic black water rafting trip: three hours with The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co., New Zealand's first black water rafting company (founded 1987), floating an underground river through Ruakuri Cave on a rubber tube. You jump backwards off small waterfalls in the dark, then switch off your headlamp and drift under a ceiling of glowworms.
This is the entry-level tour: guided step by step and doable for most reasonably active people from age 12. If you are after ropes, heights and a physical challenge, the Black Abyss is the one built for that.
The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co., 585 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo. Check in 30 minutes before your tour starts.
Details as listed by the operator on the booking platform.
The five-hour adventure version: a 35-metre abseil into the cave, a zipline through the glowworm gallery, waterfall climbing and tubing. Minimum age 16, good fitness asked for.
The full adventure version of black water rafting: five hours that start with a 35-metre abseil into the cave, continue with a zipline through a glowworm gallery in total darkness, and work through waterfall climbing and tubing on the underground river before you surface again.
Abseil training on the surface is part of the tour, and it ends with a hot shower and soup. The operator asks for good fitness, and the minimum age is 16. This one is clearly more demanding than the Black Labyrinth, which is the point.
The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co., 585 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo. Check in 30 minutes before your tour starts.
Details as listed by the operator on the booking platform.
Three and a half hours in a private cave on a family farm ten minutes from Waitomo Village: walking, wading, swimming and climbing, a float on the tube under the glowworms and a cedar hot tub at the end. Guide photos and videos are included. From age 12 with an adult caregiver, at most six guests.
A small-group cave adventure in a private cave: Okohua Glowworm Cave lies on Tumu Tumu Station, a family-owned farm about ten minutes from Waitomo Village, and according to The Waitomo Experience no other tour has access to it. After a walk across the farm you climb down into the cave and follow an underground river through large limestone chambers. You walk, wade, swim and climb, and for part of the route you float on a tube under the glowworms.
Groups are capped at six guests, and the guides take photos and videos during the tour. Halfway through there is a snack in the cave, and back at base a hot shower and a cedar hot tub with a view over native bush.
Expect a physical tour: reviewers describe narrow passages and swimming sections, and one mentions a ladder down a narrow tunnel right at the start. The guides offer easier alternatives on some passages. How much of the route you float depends on the water level, and the natural rock slide only runs when it is right.
The Waitomo Experience HQ, 754 Boddies Road, RD1, Te Kuiti, about 10 minutes by car from Waitomo Village. Boddies Road is narrow and unsealed, and mobile reception can drop out, so save the map offline. Check in at the cave building on arrival.
Details as listed by the operator on the booking platform.
Pick your answers and we suggest the tour that fits. Children under 12 cannot join any of these tours.
Question 1 of 2
Question 2 of 2
No tour fits every answer, so here is the closest one.
Three hours of tubing on the underground river through Ruakuri Cave, with waterfall jumps and a float under the glowworms. Open from age 12 (minimum 45 kg), so this is the one to pick when someone in your group is under 16.
A private cave on a family farm near Waitomo with at most six guests: walking, wading, swimming, climbing and a float on the tube under the glowworms, guide photos included. From age 12 and 45 kg; anyone under 18 needs a caregiver aged 18 or over on the same tour.
A 35-metre abseil into the cave, a zipline through the glowworm gallery, waterfall climbing and tubing over five hours. Minimum age 16 and 45 kg, at most 8 in the group, and the operator asks for good fitness.
Also a good fit
Okohua Glowworm Cave (black water rafting with The Waitomo Experience)
Book now
Sorted by review count. Tap a column header to re-sort.
| Photo | Tour | What's in it | Rating ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Black Labyrinth (glowworm tubing) | Tubing on the underground river, waterfall jumps, glowworm float · 3 h · age 12+ | ★ 4.9 (1,870) | NZ$ 199 per person | Book now |
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Black Abyss (abseil, zipline, tubing) | 35-m abseil, glowworm zipline, waterfall climbing, tubing · 5 h · age 16+ | ★ 5.0 (297) | NZ$ 332 per person | Book now |
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Okohua Glowworm Cave (small group) | Caving, swimming and tubing in a private cave, guide photos, hot tub · 3.5 h · age 12+ · up to 6 guests | ★ 5.0 (172) | NZ$ 269 per person | Book now |
Prices come live from Viator and GetYourGuide and include taxes and booking fees. On the Black Labyrinth and the Black Abyss, the photos the operator sells afterwards are extra. “What’s in it” summarises the product title. The full inclusions are on the product page.
What decides whether a cave tour suits you, as each listing states it.
| Tour | Cave | Ropes and jumps | Time underground | Minimum age | Group | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black Labyrinth (black water rafting through Ruakuri Cave) | Ruakuri Cave | Waterfall jumps | Not stated | From 12 | up to 12 guests | 3 h |
| Black Abyss (abseil, zipline and black water rafting) | Ruakuri Cave | 35 m abseil, zipline | Not stated | From 16 | up to 8 guests | 5 h |
| Okohua Glowworm Cave (black water rafting with The Waitomo Experience) | Okohua Glowworm Cave (private) | Rock jump (optional) | 2–3 h | From 12 with a caregiver aged 18+ | up to 6 guests | 3.5 h |
From the GetYourGuide listings, checked in October 2026. The duration is the provider’s figure.
The full trade-off is on Labyrinth, Abyss or Okohua.
You do not need a wetsuit for that. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves run a quiet boat tour under glowworm ceilings that is dry, warm and open to all ages. Our sister site Glowworm Caves compares the boat and walking tours.
Real traveller reviews.
★ 4.9 (1,870 reviews)
“This was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my entire life. … The guides were patient and helpful. Myself and my 12yo daughter needed a little more time and care and our guides Warren and Scuba were amazing. The sights were breathtaking, we learned a lot, and floating through the dark caves was unforgettable. 1000% do it!!!”
“it’s the most amazing, challenging and coolest thing to do - especially if you’re a beginner to this kind of thing! … The glow warms were cool to see but they weren’t as bright and blue as I expected - they come out a lot better in pictures but it didn’t take away from the overall experience. Super happy I booked this!”
“We expected to spend about three hours in the cave, but in reality we were only inside for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. A lot of time was lost with instructions, putting on the wetsuits, and driving to the cave area. … The fun part in the cave lasted only about 20 minutes, and then we had to wait a long time for everyone else, which took forever. I did enjoy the fun part, but I wouldn’t do the tour again. I really wish it had lasted longer, or that this had been clearly communicated before booking.”
The praise in these reviews centres on the guides (patient, safety-conscious, often named) and on the float under the glowworms in total darkness. The sharpest criticism is about time. The three hours are the door-to-door duration, and one reviewer counted about 1 hour 10 minutes actually inside the cave, with the rest going to the briefing, wetsuits, the shuttle and waiting for the group. Two smaller notes: one five-star review finds the glowworms dimmer in person than on photos, and a critical review describes customer service as sticking strictly to the terms. That matters because a late arrival forfeits the ticket.
★ 5.0 (297 reviews)
“The tour was amazing. Very adventurous and fun. Floating underneath the glowworms was magical. Our guide Patty was a star.”
“Probably one of the wildest and unique experiences of my life. … A true adrenaline rush coupled with the magical, luminous tapestry of the glow worms. … My only complaint….the water was 58 degrees and damn cold! Even with wetsuits. Other than that minor discomfort it was a blast and met some wonderful people.”
“The tour overall was beautiful. The guides really well prepared and funny. It was charming. But I give 3 stars just to point the attention about the policy no go pro thing. I can’t believe that for the price you pay you still cannot bring your own. Just business because the excuse about safety is total bs.”
Written criticism is rare on this tour, and the recurring theme sits inside the positive reviews themselves: the water is cold (one reviewer put it at 58 °F, about 14 °C), and over five hours that gets to people even with the wetsuit. The other point is the strict camera ban, GoPros included, which one reviewer found hard to accept at this price. Both points come from people who otherwise liked the tour, and both are worth deciding about before you book, not at the cave.
★ 5.0 (172 reviews)
“It was a magical experience, and I’m so glad I went. It should be super clear to anyone doing this tour that it’s a *very* physical experience, and that requires a lot of clambering and swimming- especially when the river level is high. And that one should not have claustrophobia. We had one person elect to not do the tour right at the beginning when we needed to climb down a narrow tunnel on a ladder, and a second who reported having a lot of difficulty with claustrophobia early on but who was able to complete the tour. The guides handled all this with compassion and safety. … The cedar hot tubs are top notch (but could be a degree warmer after the cold river), and the setting is gorgeous. I appreciated all the photos the guides took.”
“I have been caving in NZ before but this was just awesome. To see glow worms as well as the rock formations, colours, stalagmites and stalactites was amazing. Our guide was Geoff and he was great. Great knowledge and patience. Being only a small group tour was also good. We didn’t get to do as much tubing due to low water levels. I would recommend this tour to anyone”
“Really excellent activity. With two of us and just four other participants, this felt like a bespoke tour. … There’s lots of wading through rocky caves, floating and through navigating some narrow gaps, but if you’re reasonably fit you’ll be fine. My wife and I are in our 60s and we had a blast. The pay-off is well worth it.”
The points worth knowing about this tour come from positive reviews. It is physical, with narrow passages, climbing and swimming, and one reviewer saw a fellow guest drop out at the ladder down into the cave. How much of the route you float depends on the water level. Several reviewers mention that the guides offered an easier way round the tighter or more adventurous sections, and one wished the hot tub were a degree warmer after the cold river.
Reviews of the Black Abyss and the Okohua Cave tour. Long ones are shortened (marked with …) but not reworded; names are cut to first name and country.
Black water rafting in Waitomo comes from companies with very different set-ups: an established operator in the village with tours through Ruakuri Cave, and a family business that takes six guests at a time into its own cave. We put the tours side by side with the limits that decide most bookings (age, weight, fitness, group size, check-in) so you can pick one without opening five tabs. When you book through a link on this page, GetYourGuide or Viator pays us a small commission. It comes out of their margin, not out of your ticket price.
Cold water, age limits, cameras, claustrophobia and the drive from Auckland.
Black water rafting is cave tubing, Waitomo style: instead of paddling a raft down a river in daylight, you float an underground river through a cave on a rubber tube, in the dark, under glowworms. There is no raft and no white water; the name is a play on white water rafting. In Waitomo you book it with The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co., founded in 1987 as New Zealand's first black water rafting company, which takes the Black Labyrinth and the Black Abyss through the Ruakuri Cave, or with The Waitomo Experience, which takes groups of up to six into the private Okohua Glowworm Cave, where tubing is one part of a longer caving route.
Take the Black Labyrinth if this is your first caving experience or you mainly want the glowworm tubing: three hours, guided step by step, open from age 12. Take the Black Abyss if you want ropes and heights: five hours with a 35-metre abseil, a zipline and waterfall climbing, from age 16 with good fitness. Take the Okohua Cave tour if you want a small group and a varied caving route with swimming and climbing, with the guide photos included and a hot tub at the end. Our comparison page walks through the decision point by point.
The cave water stays cool all year round. A summer booking does not change that: a February review, from the middle of the New Zealand summer, still calls the water damn cold even with a wetsuit. You get a wetsuit, boots and a helmet from the operator, and the Black Labyrinth ends with a hot shower; the Black Abyss adds soup after the tour. On the Okohua tour one reviewer names 12 degrees in the water, and that tour finishes with a hot shower and a cedar hot tub. If you feel the cold easily, plan for it rather than around it.
Only from age 12, and only from 45 kg body weight. Every tour on this site enforces both limits, the Black Abyss raises the minimum age to 16, and on the Okohua tour anyone under 18 needs a caregiver aged 18 or over on the same tour. These are hard gates, not recommendations: younger or lighter children cannot join. Families with smaller kids can see the glowworms on the quiet boat tour through the Waitomo Glowworm Caves instead.
Not on the Black Labyrinth or the Black Abyss: personal cameras are not allowed there, the guides take photos along the way, and the operator sells them separately after the tour. On the Okohua tour the photos and videos the guides take are included; your own camera stays behind there too, because the operator does not take guests' camera gear into the cave.
For the Black Labyrinth: reasonably active is enough. You climb through the cave, jump backwards off small waterfalls and float the rest. For the Black Abyss the operator explicitly asks for good fitness, because abseiling, climbing and five hours underground take real effort. The Okohua tour asks for moderate fitness, and reviewers describe it as physical, with narrow gaps, climbing and swimming. Be realistic about that before booking; a tour cannot be shortened halfway through.
You are underground, wet and in the dark for a good part of the tour, and some passages are enclosed. One reviewer who was nervous before the start describes feeling comfortable and relaxed thanks to the guides. The Okohua route has tight spaces and a ladder down a narrow tunnel at the start, though one reviewer says the guide shows people who dislike confined spaces an alternative route. If tight, dark spaces are a real problem for you, the walking and boat tours through the Waitomo caves show you the glowworms without the squeeze.
Yes, every tour on this site offers free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. Mind the other direction too: check-in for the Black Labyrinth and the Black Abyss closes 30 minutes before the tour, and arriving late or not showing up means the ticket is forfeited. Every tour here is booked on GetYourGuide or Viator, and the policy shown there at checkout is the binding one.
Waitomo is about 195 km south of Auckland, and you come by rental car or as part of your own North Island route. The Black Labyrinth and the Black Abyss both check in at 585 Waitomo Caves Road, at the Long Black Café. The Okohua tour starts about ten minutes outside the village at 754 Boddies Road, at the end of a narrow gravel road.
Three hours of tubing, five with an abseil, or a group of six in a private cave, compared above.
See the tours