Auckland
Top activities in Auckland

Waitomo Caves & Rotorua Small Group Tour including Te Puia from Auckland

Auckland Central, New Zealand

From US$215.94

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation
Up to 24 hours in advance.
Auckland Tours
All Auckland Tours
Audio Guides
Likely To Sell Out
Private and Luxury
Unique Experiences
  • 13 hours (approx.)
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

The Waitomo Caves and Rotorua rank among New Zealand’s top attractions, offering natural beauty, geothermal features, and native culture in equal measure. Ideal for travelers short on time, this adventurous tour takes in both sites in the same day, with entry fees plus round-trip transport from Auckland included. Discover subterranean stalagmites at the famous Waitomo Caves and hit top Rotorua attractions including the Government Gardens and Lake Rotorua.
  • Visit the Waitomo Caves and Rotorua in one action-packed day
  • Panoramic views over Waitomo’s subterranean caverns
  • Take in top attractions including the Government Gardens and Lake Rotorua
  • Hassle-free round-trip travel from central Auckland

What's Included

  • Small Group & Fully Guided Tour
  • Entry Tickets - Waitomo and Te Puia
  • Bottled water
  • Snacks
  • Optional extra - One-way option from Auckland to Rotorua
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities
  • Souvenirs (available to purchase)
  • Optional extras and activities - please select the tour option you want at time of booking

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Hotel pick-ups are from the below hotels only. If you do not see your pickup location please select the closest one to you to be picked up from. Pick ups start up to 20 mins before your tour time. Please see below what group your hotel is in and what your pick-up time is. Please be waiting in your accommodation's lobby or outside no later than this time to avoid missing your pick up. Guides have multiple pick-ups so can on occasion run up to 10 minutes late. Guides cannot wait for late passengers as it will mean the entire group is at risk of missing out, so please be waiting and ready (5-10 minutes before your listed time is highly recommended). Group 1: 20 minutes before tour start time. Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour, Swiss-Belsuites Victoria Park Group 2: 15 minutes before tour start time. Adina Apartments, Copthorne Hotel Auckland, Grand Mercure Hotel, Hilton Hotel Auckland, JUCY Snooze, M Social, Nesuto Stadium Apartments, Pullman Hotel, Queen Street Backpackers, SO/Auckland Group 3: 10 minutes before tour start time. AVANI Metropolis, Barclay Suites, CityLife Hotel Auckland, Heritage Hotel Auckland (Hobson Street), ibis Budget Auckland, Rydges Hotel Auckland, Stamford Plaza Auckland. Group 4: 5 minutes before tour start time. Crowne Plaza Auckland, Four Points by Sheraton, Airedale Boutique Suites Auckland, SkyCity Hotel, SkyCity Grand Hotel, YMCA Hostel Group 5: At tour start time or up to 10 minutes after. Cordis Hotel Auckland, Grand Millennium Hotel, Haka Lodge Auckland City, Kiwi International Hotel, VR Auckland City (Hobson Street), St Martins Waldorf Apartment Hotel, Tetra Serviced Apartments by Nesuto, YHA Auckland City Backpackers Passengers that miss their pick up will be required to meet the tour at the tour's first stop at their own expense to continue on the tour. No refunds will be given to late or no show passengers. Auckland Airport (Butterfly Creek) pick up must be requested and approved by our team in writing to receive your pick up time. Pick up time will normally be 20 - 30 minutes after the tour start time.

What To Expect

Auckland Central (Pass By)

Waikato Region (Pass By)

Pirongia

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Otorohanga (Pass By)

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Waitomo Big Bird & Miniature Animal Petting Farm

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Te Puia

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Rotorua (Pass By)

Auckland

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
  • A moderate amount of walking is involved.
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately and wear comfortable footwear.
  • Children aged 7 years and below are required to travel in a child safety car seat. If you don't have a car seat one can be provided (with 24 hours notice).
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

See more

Traveler Tips

For folks with limited night vision, this tour is dangerous.
It was a long, long trip from Auckland and if you should choose to do it take lunch, water, and a large pillow!

Reviews

4.5
136 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
0
0
0
0
0
Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 136 reviews
Awesome trip!
Barbara_W, May 2023
The tour and tour guide John were awesome. Waitomo Caves and Te Puia are very much worth the trip to visit.
Fantastic tour!
Seth_I, May 2023
This was a fantastic tour! Cam was knowledgeable and super happy to answer any questions about what we were seeing and anything else. The pickup went smoothly. Van was a little tight on legroom but we took breaks for coffee and it was fine. Both the Waitomo Caves and the Te Piua were fantastic. What can I say, the wormw glowed and the geysers gushed. It was also cool to go on a road trip through rural NZ. I'd happily take this tour or anything with Cheeky Kiwi Travel again. Note that no photography is allowed inside the caves, and if it was, you'd need a tripod and long exposure anyway.
It rained a bit but that couldn’t dampen our spirits.
ronitasinha1, May 2023
Tei Puia was awesome! It was a great experience from start to finish. Michael our guide with Cheeky Kiwi was very knowledgeable and entertaining. We enjoyed the Waitamo Caves as well.
A great way to see New Zealand in 1 day!
Margo_A, May 2023
Great tour! Our tour guide Grant was knowledgeable, friendly, and funny! We were disappointed that we could not go on the glow worm canoe ride, but that was due to flooding… so it was unavoidable and no one’s fault. We did get to tour the caves and see some glow worms.
Enjoyable and delightful trip
KokSiong_T, Apr 2023
Light-hearted, entertaining and informative. Friendly and helpful to set up group chat not just for CK-ordination but also for sharing of group and family photos.
Amazing experience
bianca_f, Apr 2023
It was a Amazing day and experience. The driver is so friendly, I enjoyed it a lot, with so much fun and beautiful views.
Discovering the Natural Beauty of NZL
Robert_C, Mar 2023
The two natural locations complemented one other . The Waitomo caves and their inhabitants made a appreciation of how young the human race is & our responsibility to look after the planet. Rotorua showed the force of nature which we need to respect. Also the cultural aspect of the Maori way of life was explained and expanded upon. KEV our tour guide was excellent, gave his presentation of NZL history, geography & statics. NOTE Our tour was 10 about right, in a minibus capacity of 15. It a 3 hour drive from Auckland a early start required and traffic dependent. it ticked all the boxes for me.
Relaxed but covered the contents of the trip well and the schedule was kept to time
chris_N, Mar 2023
We really enjoyed the day wanting to combine a few activities over a day Simon was very knowledgeable and great company
Good day trip to glow worm caves from Auckland
Neil_W, Mar 2023
Great tour The glow worms caves were great Te Puia was also nice But the cafe was expensive and food wasn’t the best Very long day, but enjoyable
Great attractions, Bad organisation.
Valerie_K, Mar 2023
The attractions are really worthwhile: the caves and the geysers. The organisation of the outing was lacking. First, the bus had obviously not been given the once over: the microphone did not work, so most of us could not hear the guide the entire day. Second the air conditioning did not work. At Te Puia, things must be better coordinated. We paid extra for the show, but the timing is such that visiting the mud and geysers does not allow for attending the show. The tour provider should check Te Puia's scheduling (which we were told changes) and not offer the option if it isn't possible. The hangi was average. Our guide at Te Puia had limited knowledge of Maori history and culture.
Amazing experience
Jaishri_M, Mar 2023
It was an Excellent trip. Everything was on time. Mr. Grant who drove us, is very knowledgeable, humorous and efficient. We could not have asked for more. Any day I would go with him on Viator journey. 🙏🙏
This trip is currently a total mess
Mark_C, Mar 2023
When I booked this trip roughly 3 months ago it was pretty much all 5 star reviews. Sadly my experience was particularly bad and not a 5 star. For starters the optional extra ‘cultural experience’ was cancelled the night before giving me zero scope to find an alternative way to view the experience - not ideal on a once in a lifetime trip! When I got on the bus the next day it turned out 12 out of the 16 guests had also booked this extra and were also pretty annoyed/displeased. There was certainly a bad atmosphere on the bus at 6:30am! Later talking to our guide Mark he stated this happens often and probably shouldn’t be offered as an extra. What made it even worse later in the day we could hear the experience taking place but were stuck having lunch (the itinerary needs swapping - perhaps the glow worm caves in the afternoon). The day then descended into chaos: the final pickup was at the airport which took an age and set us behind schedule considerably. Mark the guide couldn’t cope, was clearly in a flap and couldn’t get the day back under control (he’s a nice bloke but a tour guide he is not!). He kept over promising (I think he did this as he could sense the bad atmosphere) stating we would stop for coffee and then 15mins later stating we were in fact 20mins late and could only stop for a quick toilet break. (We went from 6:30am to 1:30pm before we had a chance to get food/coffee!!!) We got to the caves (which are great - book with a different company FYI). Were rushed though and hurried back onto the bus again with no scope for drinks/food and souvenirs. Now we set off for Rotorua - Marks driving became quite frankly dangerous: he was texting a lot (fully not watching the road), making phone calls (he even answered the phone at one point and said to the person on the phone he was stopped at traffic lights … he wasn’t … he was driving down a very busy road). We then arrived for lunch 30mins late giving us only 30mins to have lunch and a comfort break (being rushed was the theme of the day). I paid extra for the hangi which is quite frankly false advertising - it’s just a buffet. You don’t witness the hangi. The food was ok but not an experience worth paying extra for. The tour around Te Puia was great (again book this with an alternative company). Mark then got us back on the bus, asked us if we would like a tour of Rotorua with a stop on the way back for icecream (another over promise he made in the morning). He drove us around a bit and then set off for Auckland. Suddenly whilst on the motorway he said he had just calculated we wouldn’t make it in time so he pulled into a service station with a McDonald’s … snorts of derision were audible from all corners of the bus - another over promise. A senior member of Cheeky Kiwi staff needs to sit in on this tour as it is currently being run (and witness the chaos and the experience of the annoyed customers) as it just doesn’t work at the moment both logistically and the text description is an exaggeration (the best tours I’ve been on are the ones that give you more than you expect not the ones such as this where you walk away feeling ripped off) - I think it’s either Marks incompetence causing this mess or the road works delaying the itinerary or the bizarre airport pick up which REALLY delayed the day before it had even got going or a combination of all these points. A rubbish way to finish a fantastic trip to New Zealand … shame I fly out having not witnessed a haka :(
I did not get what I paid for
Renee_W, Mar 2023
We did not get to see Te Puia or the Màuri show due to the tour operator or scheduling. I was disappointed and it ruined my entry time and put a bad taste in my mouth
The good and the bad
Marcia_P, Mar 2023
The glow worms and kiwis were the highlights. But please fix the microphone in the van. We couldn’t hear a thing the guide said because of road noise. I’m sure the information about the places we passed was very informative, but we missed it all. In that respect we were very disappointed with the trip.
Great Adventure
Edna_R, Mar 2023
Both the caves and Te Puia were amazing. Our tour guides were very informative and made the visits memorable. Cam, our driver, was excellent. He pointed out several places that added to our trip.
Amazing
Judi_H, Mar 2023
This was a full day trip from Auckland. As always viator delivered. Driver on time, knowledgeable. We visit the Whakarewarewa Thermal caves site where we saw the amazing geysers. This was followed by a Maori cultural presentation and opportunity to visit Maoris exhibits. At the site we were treated to a wonderful buffet lunch. This was followed by a trip to the Waitomo Caves. WOW!! this part was amazing, I haven't seen caves like this since visiting China. But truly amazing part was the boat ride through and underground river where we saw the glowworms twinkling like a thousand stars.
Our guide / driver Simon...
Ian_M, Mar 2023
Our guide / driver Simon was excellent, gave plenty of good commentary and information along the route. It is a long day in the bus, but worth it for the 2 unique locations visited.
Worth the Drive for Beautiful Locations
Amanda_H, Mar 2023
A wonderful tour to see beautiful parts of New Zealand and experience life outside of Auckland. The trip might look lengthy, but it went by quick and was worth the drive. We were able to see the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves, which are very interesting. Then, we drove to Rotoroa to see Te Puia and the geyser. There is a tour of Maori Culture, an opportunity to see Kiwi, mud pools, and the geyser. Finally, we stopped by the lake and sulphur point. It was a lovely tour. Our guide, Grant, was timely. He was kind and provided various facts throughout the journey. Also, he helped us out with getting our photos completed at the caves. While you cannot take photos in the caves, you can do a professional green screen photographer to have memories of the event. It was closed upon arrival, but upon exiting it was open. He quickly ushered us to get our pictures so we could have them to take home. This act was much appreciated! I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone in the Auckland area that is looking to see more outside the city!
Good trip but a long day
Martin_G, Mar 2023
In general a good interesting trip. It was a long day, over 7hours on a bus, although the country side was lovely. We booked the traditional meal and show. We were informed the show had been cancelled, something about a cruise tour in. No sign yet of a promised refund. Disappointed in the traditional meal as it effectively turned out to be a hotel buffet. Food was good and plentiful but absolutely no information/demonstration of how the food was cooked. Guide was very informative.
Fun day
Andrew_W, Feb 2023
Our driver Simon and the community of passengers. Long drive but group chatting made it fun Simon went out of his way to get us to our tours as he was over an hour late due to technical difficulties.

Compare Similar Experiences

1 / 3
Current
No Photo
Waitomo Caves & Rotorua Small Group Tour including Te Puia from Auckland
128
13 hours
Free Cancellation
From
US$215.94

Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought

Explore Similar Things to Do

Attractions in Auckland Central, New Zealand

Help CenterCustomer CarePrivacy and Cookies StatementAbout ViatorNewsViator blog
© 1997-2023 Viator, Inc.
Terms & Conditions