Even on the cloudiest night, the New Zealand glowworm lights up the darkness in a lucky few spots across the country. This short evening bush-walk departing from Rotorua involves a short drive, a walk through picturesque native bush and the chance to see these increasingly rare creatures. Tack this tour onto the end of a thrilling day in Rotorua instead of hiring a car for an almost two-hour drive west to visit the exceedingly popular Waitomo Caves. This is one of the easiest ways to experience Aotearoa’s unique glowworm habitats.

Navigate the bush with ease on this fully-guided tour
Focus on glowworms, not getting there, with return hotel transfers included
Glowworms love gloomy nights: this is the perfect activity when the weather isn’t great
Enjoy the chance to see other wildlife, including wallabies and possums

What's Included

Driver/guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Light refreshments

Nothing

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

1167 Fenton Street
1167 Fenton Street, Rotorua 3010, New Zealand
Outside the information center. I will be in a silver Ford transit mini van

Start time

Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.

Opening hours

6/2/2020 - 6/20/2024
Monday - Sunday : 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Lake Rotorua (Pass By)

Redwoods, Whakarewarewa Forest (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
A maximum of 9 people per booking

Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Operated by Real Rotorua

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.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

memason

Fantastic fun and wonderfully informational. Would recommend Stephen as a guide. Excellent knowledge of the forest , it's inhabitants and Nee Zealand.

Reviews

5.0

312 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 312 reviews

Fun and unique tour!

kelliehansell, May 2023

This was a very fun and unique tour. Stephen was a wonderful guide and taught us a lot and we really appreciated the photos he took on the tour. Thanks, Stephen!

Response from Host, May 2023

Your welcome and thanks for joining me. All the best. Cheers stephen

Fantastic Adventure

memason, May 2023

Fantastic fun and wonderfully informational. Would recommend Stephen as a guide. Excellent knowledge of the forest , it's inhabitants and Nee Zealand.

Response from Host, May 2023

Thanks for recommending myself and for choosing and supporting small group experiences. All the best for your future adventures. Cheers Stephen

Amazing Adventure

laughsalot0579, May 2023

This was a fantastic tour! Stephen the guide and owner went above and beyond. I felt this was both informative and fun! Highly recommend for both natives and tourists!

Response from Host, May 2023

Awesome to hear , keeps me doing what I do. Happy travels. Cheers Stephen

A very special tour

Zena_W, Apr 2023

Steve is an excellent tour leader and his knowledge and enthusiasm make the nocturnal tour a must-do if you are in Rotorua. It was amazing to see the glow worms and to be immersed in the forest by night.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks Zena for braving the weather and of course we were rewarded for doing so. I love a rainy night and only to happy to have shared it with you both whilst staying dry. happy travels. Cheers Stephen

A wildlife walk in forest Primeval.

GAIL_G, Apr 2023

Steve was an informative and charming host. He has an incredible sense of humor. He did everything to make our excursion convenient and exciting. He provided us with all the equipment we needed. At the end of our delightful hike, he served us delicious hot cocoa and cookies. What more could you want.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks Gail, great to hear you enjoyed all aspects of the experience and yeah that hot chocolate is pretty mmmmmm yum if I do say so myself . cheers Stephen

fun evening

Nid_M, Mar 2023

a fun way to spend the evening; glow worms (up close and personal), stars, bugs, hedgehogs and wallabies!!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks Nid, You never know what you may see and that is what I love about the forest and great to see you enjoyed it as well. All the best. Cheers Stephen

Absolutely Stunning

Karen_S, Mar 2023

My husband and I have literally been on scores of tours in many different cities/countries and this one is definitely in our top five ever. Stephen is an excellent guide and clearly has a passion for what he does. He has researched the best equipment for touring the forest at night and you get to see so much more than glow worms, although, when it comes to them, I truly have no words. I didn’t post pictures because there’s just no way to do the experience justice. It’s important to note that this is a walking tour, so you really get to see everything, including the worms, up close. Thank you Stephen for an amazing experience.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Your welcome Karen, awesome to hear you enjoyed all aspects of the experience and yes no photo could capture all we saw. Thanks for supporting small business like my self. All the best. Cheers Stephen

glow-worm tour

janusz_P, Mar 2023

Stephen Julian provided an unforgettable experience, he took his time to show and describe the surroundings to us all along the trip. He provided us even with rubber boots to walk in the forest, at the end there was hot chocolate and cookies! Glow worms were very excited and unique. Among other living creatures we sow wallabies! We recommend Stephen and his services wholeheartedly. Cheers!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for recommending my tour and taking the time to share it. Lots of surprises along the trail, a pleasure to share it all with you. Happy travels. Cheers stephen

Costly

Helen_K, Mar 2023

Steve was an excellent guide. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience 100%. However we probably won't go through Viator again as it was expensive converting NZ currency to USA to pay for 2 of our tours.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Great to hear you enjoyed the experiences. Happy travels cheers Stephen

Definitely recommended

Charles_M, Mar 2023

Steve was a great host. The information about the forest and glow worms was fascinating. His photos were brilliant and his patience with a curious 8 year old was outstanding. There was even a surprise at the end.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

A pleasure to share the experience with you both and we all had plenty of laughs along the way. All the best for your future adventures. Cheers Stephen

Amazing evening.

Angela_G, Mar 2023

My son came from the UK on holiday so had never seen anything like this. I had never seen glow worms. Steve was very informative, funny and a great photographer.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Great to show you both how awesome nature can be. Happy travels. Cheers Stephen

Wonderful experience!

brianquante, Feb 2023

This was one of the best experiences we have had in New Zealand! Not only do you get a magical experience with the glow worms, we learned a lot about the vegetation, maori history, and wildlife!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

That is awesome. Keeps me doing what I do. All the best for your future adventures. Cheers Stephen

Unbelievable experience

Christine_M, Feb 2023

Wow! I wish I could give even more than 5 stars to this tour! I've seen gloworms before, but never so many and so bright. It was like the stars in the sky had dropped down to 15 feet above us. And I didn't expect to see wallabies and possums as we did our nature hike through the forest. All of his information on the plant life was amazing as well. Don't miss this tour!!!!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

I am a happy camper receiving 5 star reviews and reading how much you enjoyed the experience is the icing on the cake. All the best for your future travels . Cheers Stephen

Must do in Rotorua

xiujie311, Dec 2022

One of the must dos in Rotorua! The tour by Stephen was fun, eye opening and definitely one of the highlights of my New Zealand trip! The night ended with star gazing and hot chocolate making me all warm and fuzzy inside :D Highly recommend that you sign up for this tour if you’re in Rotorua!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Awesome to hear and thanks for recommending the Nocturnal adventure. A smile on my face for sure. All the best for your future adventures. Cheers Stephen

A priority experience to have

Simon_S, Dec 2022

Incredible adventure, our guide was perfectly prepared and the experience was full of exciting twists and turns. The glow worms were simply phenomenal and we learned a ton along the way!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thanks Simon. Nice to hear you enjoyed every twist and turn along the way, that is what it is all about. So much going on out there, a pleasure to be able to share it with you. cheers Stephen

A beautiful trek

Josh_K, Dec 2022

Trekking through the bush after sundown to see countless glow worms was an experience of a lifetime. Our guide, Steve, was passionate about the forest and shared so much knowledge. This is the highlight of our time in Rotorua.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

So cool to read, being the highlight of your time in Rotorua is the icing on the cake. Thanks for joining me and all the best for your future adventures. cheers Stephen

A Walk to Winks of Light

Sandhya_S, Dec 2022

This was really a wonderful experience! I can see that I am in no way unique in, leaving a five star rating. We arrived at our starting point at nightfall, and ran through the Flashlight instructions. The adventure began as we walked, cross a small field to the Woodland Trail. On our way, we saw a number of grazing wallaby, including a couple mothers with babies. Steven is knowledgeable about the plants and animals in the forest. He made regular stops along the trail to show us particular ferns as well as the famous Weta. At one point, we stopped and turned off all our lights, and really got an impression of just how dark the forest can be under the canopy on a misty night. You can’t see your hand in front of your face! We stopped at a marvelous waterfall, which is worth seeing in this light in its own right. But it is also good viewing of the glow worms. The glow worms will either remind you of avatar, the night sky, or the movie, “The Hills, have eyes” For me, it was all three! This is one of those experiences that I would actually do again if I am able to return here.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

It would be a pleasure to have you back and I am confident I could show you a whole lot more surprises along the way. Awesome to hear you enjoyed all parts of the experience and always appreciate the great feedback. All the best for your future adventures. cheers Stephen

Brilliant exploration experience

Kay_H, Dec 2022

This walk is such an enjoyable experience! we were guided to explore the nature and I love learning about the living creatures and seeing the beauty of the forest at night time

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thanks for joining me Kay. Being able to share a little knowledge is what it is all about and a real pleasure to share with you the beauty of the forest at night. cheers Stephen

An Unforgettable Rotorua Experience

Yvette_T, Dec 2022

Prior to the trip, I was quite worried about safety in the forest as I brought my two kids along. However, Stephen was a fantabulous and knowlegeable guide who helped us to experience the real Rororua safely. The highlight of this expedition was experiencing the countless beautiful glow worms that look like stars. This trip is definitely more worthwhile than travelling all the way to Waitomo cave. Many thanks to Stephen for making our visit to NZ a unique and unforgettable experience. Kudos to Stephen!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thanks Yvette for choosing the experience and great to hear how much you enjoyed the forest and all its surprises. all the best for your future adventures together. cheers Stephen

Glow Worm Tour November 2022

Katie_D, Nov 2022

This was a great experience and we had a wonderful time! Steve is passionate about sharing this experience with visitors and it shows in the tour. It was nice to get off the beaten path and try something new. We’d highly recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thanks Katie. Sharing and showing is what makes me tick. It is a real pleasure to be able to do that. All the best for your future adventures. cheers Stephen