Waitomo


Image: The flooded entrance to Waitomo Glowworm Grotto, after heavy rains.

The Waitomo Areas has lots of Caves. Three of them,  The Glowworm Grotto,  Ruakuri Cave and  Aranui Cave are developed for visitors. Some other caves are guided in Black Water Rafting or Adventure tours. Very interesting is also the  Museum of Caves. This is the center of all caving activities, ticket office and staring point for most tours.

The name Waitomo comes from the Maori wai=water and tomo=hole or shaft. This name tells a lot about the area: a lot of karst features as karst springs, ponors, dolines and natural bridges are to be seen here.


 Aranui Cave |  The Glowworm Grotto |  The Lost World aka Mangapu Cave |  Museum of Caves |  Ruakuri Cave |  Spellbound Glowworm Cave

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