Ruakuri Cave

Cave of the Dogs - Den of Dogs

Useful Information

Location:	Southwest of Waitomo Caves. From Auckland follow State Highway 1 south to Hamilton, then State Highway 3 south to Waitomo. Caves are signposted. 200 km south of Auckland, 70 km from Hamilton, 16 km from Otorohanga. 2 km from Waitomo Caves in Ruakuri Scenic Reserve. (-38.2681318, 175.0782455)
Open:	All year Thu-Sun 10-15:30. Online booking mandatory. Check in 30 minutes early. Closed 25-DEC. Ruakuri Walk: no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	Adults NZD 107, Children (4-14) NZD 41, Children (0-3) free, Family (2+2) NZD 260. Ruakuri Walk: free: [2024]
Classification:	Karst Cave The Most Expensive Show Cave
Light:	LED Regenerative Electricity
Dimension:	L=3,880 m.
Guided tours:	L=1,600 m, VR=60 m, D=1.5 h. Ruakuri Walk: self guided, L=1 km, D=45 min.
Photography:	permitted in selected areas of the cave.
Accessibility:	fully wheelchair and pushchair accessible
Bibliography:
Address:	Ruakuri Visitor Centre, 205 Tumutumu Road, Waitomo Caves 3985, Tel: +64-7-878-, Free: 0800-456-922. E-mail: Department of Conservation, Te Kuiti Office, 78 Taupiri Street, Te Kuiti 3910, Tel: +64-7-878-1050. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

~1500	discovered by the Maori.
1904	opened to the public by James Holden.
1905	75 ha of land protected by the foundation of Ruakuri Caves Scenic Reserve.
1906-1908	39 ha of land added.
1987	First Black Water Rafting of New Zealand started.
1987	show cave closed as facilities required upgrading.
2000	Andy Serkis who played Gollum in Lord of the Rings spends time in the cave to get into character.
2003	Black Water Rafting Co. sold to Tourism Holdings Limited (THL).
28-JUL-2005	cave reopened to the public.
2016	a photograph by Shaun Jeffers of the glowworms wins the National Geographic Photographer of the Year award.
2017	Katy Perry takes the Black Abyss tour while on her California Dreams Tour in New Zealand.
2019	the cave is powered by solar energy.

Description

The entrance hall of Ruakuri Cave was well known to the Maori for many years. The name is derived from an old Maori legend that wild dogs inhabited the cave entrance. Rua means den, and kurī means dogs, so Ruakurī translates dog's den. According to legend, it was named by the chief Tanetinorau who was travelling through the area when one of his party was attacked by wild kurī defending their den. The cave entrance was used as a resting place for the living, and a hollow high in the cliff above was used as a resting place for the dead. So the cave entrance is of high spiritual and cultural significance to Māori.

The cave was opened to the public in 1904, one of the three show caves at Waitomo. It is the longest and most complex of all three caves. The original entrance was through the natural entrance, leading into a large chamber known as Holdens Cavern. It was named after James Holden who was the first Englishman who discovered the caves. More highlights of the tour were the Ghost Walk, the Bridal Chamber and the Mirror Pool.

In 1987, the first Black Water Rafting of New Zealand started at this cave, using the infrastructure of the show cave as a jetty. In the same year the cave was closed as a show cave, although the black water rafting continued. The reason was the poor state of the paths and light, but also the bureaucracy with the DOC. The cave was thought to be owned by the Crown, and it was protected by the Department of Conservation (DOC), which caused the closure and blocked any renovation and reopening. And after the main entrance was recognized as a Waahi Tapu (Maori Burial Site), it was designated as a Maori reserve. But in fact, the Crown only owned the natural entrance and a short section behind. Almost the whole cave is located below the farm of the Holden family, and thus it is owned by them, as in New Zealand the owner of the land owns the undergroun right to the center of the earth. Only the Ruakuri Road, and the cave sections below, are owned by the local council.

The company Black Water Rafting (BWR) used the cave under licence for their cave trekking tours. Then the company was sold in 2003 to Tourism Holdings Limited (THL) which operates the Waitomo Glowworm Cave and Aranui Cave at Waitomo. One of the conditions of the sale was, that they committed to reopen the cave as a show cave with an artificial entrance. They invested NZD 3.5 Million for this development. During 2004 and 2005 the cave was restored, and 1,600 m of paths with new bridges and walkways constructed. The new route is different from the old one and avoids the natural entrance with the sacred ground of the Maori burial place. The artificial shaft with the spiral ramp going down 60 m is quite spectacular. It was opened in Juli 2005. Quite exceptional is the fact that it is fully wheelchair and pushchair accessible. And as THL is owner of the show cave and the black water rafting there is no potential for conflicts. However, there is a drawback, the massive investment obviously resulted the highest entrance fees of any show cave in New Zealand and currently 5th place on our list of Explain The Most Expensive Show Cave of the World. On the other hand its also on the Explain Regenerative Electricity list, as the cave is almost completely powered by solar power. They have a fallback diesel generator though, when there is no sun and the battery is empty.

Next to the entrance of Ruakuri Cave is the starting point of the Ruakuri Walk, leading to various natural bridges, canyons and several small caves. The pictures on this page show small caves which are crossed on the 45 minutes return walk along the river. Highlight is the Ruakuri Natural Tunnel or Ruakuri Natural Bridge, a spectacular cave through which the Waitomo river flows. The trail leads to a viewing platform in the entrance, which allows the view of large stalactites and stalagmites. All along the trails the moss is full of glowworms, obviously their light can't be seen by day, but it is possible to see the worms in daylight. They are actually much less spectacular than their glow. They are tiny slimy worms crawling along their threads, but actually they are the larvae of gnats. If you are silent, you can see them glow in the different cave passages along the trail though. At night, you can see them all along the trail. It seems night walks are allowed, to see the glowworms, but a torch is strongly recommended. Be careful not to stumble in the darkness.

Keep your eyes open, and you will see a lot of karst features along the trail. There are dolines, karren, and numerous small caves and crevices. All is covered by a dense rainforest with the ferns and fern trees typical for New Zealand. A number of native birds can be seen in the reserve, though they are rather shy. This includes kereru (native wood pigeon), tui, piwakawaka (fantail), and tauhou (waxeye). Like for the glowworms, it's the best tactic to be as silent as possible, move slowly, and be attentive.

Gardner's Gut is an extensive cave system in the reserve, which is accessible only to cavers.