Reviews of Waipu Caves Scenic Reserve. (Museum) in Waipu (Northland).

Waipu Caves Scenic Reserve

1424 Reviews

396 Comments

Museum

Park

Waipu Caves Road, Waipu 0178, New Zealand

Description

Information of Waipu Caves Scenic Reserve, Museum in Waipu (Northland)

Here you can see the location, open hours, popular times, contact, photos and real reviews done by the users.

This place has good reviews, this means that they treat their customers well and you’ll feel great with their services, recommended 100%!

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Reviews of Waipu Caves Scenic Reserve

V. F.

A non commercialized cave where it's free to explore. Love the raw, rugged terrains inside. You'll need a good torch/headlamp and expect to walk through water. About 50m in, look up, off your torch and you'll see glow worms lighting up inside looking like stars. It's absolutely stunning.

V. N.

Great adventure, took the kids (3,6 and 11) and my self with a metal plate in foot up until you have to go knee deep in water and bend alot of the way, 3 yr old wasn't too keen to go further. Beautiful glow worms, rock formations and secrets I'll leave for you to see for yourself. Take a good torch, shoes you don't mind getting wet and spare pants as some places are slippery!

M. S.

Well worth a visit. Bring a change of clothes and be prepared to get your feet wet. There is a lot to explore with a number of looping back tunnels to check out if you are feeling adventurous. Suitable for families. The caves can be slippery so caution for those who are unsteady on their feet.

S.

Beautiful place, must visit. Make sure to qear waterproof shoes, carry good handsfree light. As walking inside the cave is slippery and dark. Enjoy the darkness to see glow worms.

j. m.

Amazing out of the world experience. Crystal clear water inside the cave. Amazing rocks textures. Prepared a good camera to capture glow worms starry lights - use night mode.

A. N.

Didn't know what to expect when we took the kids here. Some slippery clambering over muddy rocks at the entrance which were quite slippery and prevented one of our party from coming into the cave. We also lacked torches but made do with a cell phone. Jandles worked fine as you get your feet wet in here but its not deep. Lots of glow worms to see. Amazing for a free resource!

t. n.

Be prepared as we were not! A good flashlight or head light is a must. Good, closed footwear. We could not venture too far into the cave but what we did do required careful steps through water. We spoke to a couple who said they went through waist high water to get through.

J. C.

Waipu Caves is an excellent, more accessible and family friendly cave experience than many! There's a generous parking lot with a couple of restrooms with an exterior rinse area first off. Expect the parking lot to be full on summer weekends regardless. A small area of limestone labyrinth pillars and veils provide a nice little spot for shady picnicking between the lot and the road. A short walk and you're at the cave. The rock in is slippery and muddy, so watch your step! You'll immediately be walking in the stream in a large wide cavern with impressive stalactite formations. This is only the beginning! Put on your headlamp and head either way. Both ways will require walking in the water. Going left will provide a further adventure with larger overhead caverns, sparkling walls, and galaxies of glow worms. Come prepared for a swim and spend as much time as you like!

a. g.

Get your gum boots and headlamp on walk a bit deep into the cave to see a galaxy of glow worms. If you don't mind getting wet and you are adventurous then you can go further exploring the cave. Not much glow worms deep into it but surely fun crawling your way through this amazing cave. Oh yes there are eels in the water. Haven't been nipped yet.

D. C.

Long gravel road in, Needed gum boots and torch in cave. Looked interesting from outside. Walk to view 1.5 hrs up and back. Walk a reasonable workout, bush unspectacular, little to no bird life. View from top was extensive over surrounding countryside.

C. T.

Beautiful spot to see the glow worms and easy enough to get into the cave. Definitely a slipping hazard so go barefoot or bring good grippy shoes. Also has a walk that goes up to some pastures if you want some extra time there.

M. P.

A great place to stop and explore! Wear your waterproof shoes or some hiking sandals to go into the cave. It is wet and slippery, so be careful! We saw many people wearing headlights and wading boots going deeper into the cave to explore, so you can plan for that, if you like. Take the time to use the hiking trails to walk through the woods while you are there. The trails are well developed and easy to walk, and it’s a great forest hike.

H. K.

Long ride to get there but definitely an experience to be had - not an activity for someone who doesnt like getting wet and dirty. School Trip with students who really enjoyed this new & challenging experience

N. H.

Good place to go. You will get muddy and wet. Bring an extra pair of shoes. There are glow worms but you'll have to work with everyone else and ask others to turn lights off at the same time.

C. B.

Fantastic place explore and see glowworms. Areas of the cave we explored were muddy and a bit slippery. Old running shoes are good, your feet will get wet walking across shallow streams. Warm clothing and strong torches recommended. No cellphone coverage around the carpark or immediate area.

P.

Amazing place. Such fun exploring deep into the caves, seeing the stalactites, fireflies, rock formations, etc.. Barefoot or jandals is OK if you're only going in a little way but what we did needs trainers or hiking shoes. Top tip: if you go all way in you will get wet to your thighs so wear shorts or take a spare pair of everything from the waist down and a towel. Also a good head torch each really helps. We would go back with better gear and explore even more. We'll worth the trip.

M. H. D. l. S.

If you like adventures and exploring caves, then Waipu Caves is a great spot to be. The entrance of the cave is a bit slippery so wear appropriate gears that are well suited for caving. It is necessary that you bring a flash light to see your steps as it becomes pitch black when you reached the inner cavities of the cave. Be amazed from the spectacles of glow worms hanging from the ceilings of the caves as it emit faint luminous blue lights. Their is a stream of cold water flowing inside the caves and you can find formations of stalactites as well.

S.

What a magical place. Be ready to get wet to the waist in some places or to crouch down in others. If you can convince your fellow travellers to switch off their torches, you are in for a treat, millions of tiny glow worms will sparkle in the dark and these ones are not shy to show themselves. Good shoes and a torch are a must, best if you have one of those head torches. I didn't see them but I'm told there's eels in the water. And you have to check for rain and it seems the caves do flood. Check with locals before you head out and make sure someone knows where you're going and ETA.

A. A.

Must go location. Take footwear you don’t mind getting soaking wet, and a bright diffuse torch or lantern. It’s a bit slippery at the start but it’s completely safe to walk about 100-200m into the cave. Water gets to about knee length at some parts (this may change if it rains more? - we went in peak of January Summer). At the end you’ll get to an opening that’s a huge chamber. On the way back, turn off your lights and look up for glow worms.

F.

A-maze-ing ~ amazing place! Awesome caves, so accessible and easy to navigate. Def go when there's been no rain as you can go quite deep. Take a torch or two Check out the glow worms, stalagmites, stalagmites etc an awesome adventure. But of a dusty road to get there but that just makes it more exciting. Make sure to take food You can even camp there for a couple of days free! Doc toilets are onsite at the carpark so really well set up and maintained.

W. W. P. R.

Beautiful and a bit scary place. You can feel the energy into the cave. The place is free entry and have toilets. Good track and nice pictures you can take.

E.

Arrived late around 5pm. Explored the 1st cave but not the one next to it. Shall return someday n be prepared at least an hour to fully explore the place. The last 5 kms are on gravel road. Narrow & winding. Drive safe.

A.

Amazing! Free glow warms caves! We really enjoyed visiting the caves. There is an easy walking track running to the mountain top. The cave itself is not huge, it has couple of grottos with thousands of glow warms that create illusion of a night sky with starts.

C. O.

Went to cave entrance but did not have torch or good shoes to go in any further. Looked interesting though from the outside. Will return with torch and good shoes and go all the way in!! Be great to see the views inside when we return.

T. S.

Roughly 7kms away from main highway. Nice place to explore where you will able to see actual glow worms... not as big as Waitomo though but it's free activity so it's good. Bit slippery when crossing some rocks to the other side so extra care is needed. Bring a change of clothes as surely you'll get wet along the way.

H.

Great cave. the more we advance the more there are glow worms. At the end of the cave there are a lot of glowworms. the cave is 50 meters from the parking and very easy to access. take worn shoes because of water up to the knees. go to that one. free, easy access ,no people, and amazing cave

M.

Wao wao wao 🤩😍. Incredible place. I loved it!!!! Very adventurous caves, a lot of worms. Be prepared to wet your shoes or you can take them off, walk barefoot could be part of the adventure but can hurt yourself, also get ready to squat 😂. What to bring (shoes to walk in the water and a torch).

D. N.

Fantastic and very natural place to visit. Excellent caving experience for people with no experience, easy walk to get far enough into the caves to see glow worms. You will get wet feet and it can be a bit slippery on the way out. Good to have a decent torch, head lights are great to leave hands free for photo taking. But also plenty of people walking with cell phone torches... Car park can get pretty full (was there labour weekend) but pretty quick turn over so shouldn't be hard to find a park. Nice clean flushing toilets in the car park.

V. B.

Beautiful caves and if you can brave the cold water and a short but very slippery walk further in to the cave you will see a few glow worms. Also the doc walk up to the top of the hill takes you up to a spectacular viewpoint. Lots of native birds and stunning Kauri trees. Approx 2k each way. Very steep in places.

L. E.

Definitely a visit worth! The cave itself is beautiful and you can enjoy it for free. It’s an advantage to come before 11 a.m. or after 5 p.m., otherwise there are too many people and you can only see the glow worms in total darkness. We spent the night before at the free parking space in front of the cave in our Campervan and we weren’t the only ones. ;-) The toilets are fine, the water though smells very muddy. If you have some extra time you can enjoy a short walk into the woods nearby.

S.

Went on weekday and was quiet and nice. Amazing experience

N. C. (.

Cathedral Cave is a reasonably easy and accessible cave. Plenty of space within and plenty of glow worms. A few crawl spaces for the adventurous ones and plenty of open space to marvel. Have added maps to allow people to gain a better understanding of the cave system. More maps available within the public library. A completely different cave system than Abbey caves and both are a worthwhile adventure.

J. B.

Waipu caves were one of the few things on top of my to do list. I have to say I'm glad I completed it, fantastic experience!! Was unsure about a few things so I thought I would write a short guide to help anyone planning on visiting the caves. These are must have items, shoes or sandles (rocks can be sharp) & an actual torch (not a mobile ph). Other items which are useful was a bottle of water, change of clothes, towel & a backpack so you can safely store anything you have, it also allows you to keeps your hands free making it a lot safer to make your way through the cave. Now to see the glow worms you have to pass through water and walk approximately 5 - 10 mins into the cave. (Your feet will get wet). At this point there should be no visible light, just turn off your torch and let your eyes adjust to the darkness, this is usually more than adequate for most people and is ideal for all age groups. However if you would like to go further into the cave you will have to pass through water just below knee level and it can be very clusterfobric. You can avoid getting wet by making your way on the rocks, but this is a dangerous way to go and you will end up getting muddy.

D. H.

Amazing. Short easy access to extensive caves with glow worms. Magical. About 5km of very good gravel road at end so take your time. We were glad we had a good torch and shoes suitable for water.

T. Z.

Great place to explore. We saw some stalagmites, and glow worms deeper in the cave. Quite slippery so best to wear good shoes.

M.

Free entry, but to reach to up to Waipu Caves is a disaster. It's the road!!there are no proper road its a gravel road. But once you reach to this point its marvelous. Please don't forget a Torch!!!

A. J.

What an experience it was! Loved it. Happy to go back and spend more time. Photos shot using long exposure. Please do not use camera / mobile flash inside caves. Head light/ Torch is must. Enjoy!

L. S.

Very cool place to visit! Glow worms give a magical feeling. Be wary you have to some distance over (partially bad) gravel road. The caves are really big. You can wade through the water (knee-high) from cave to cave easy. I got startled ones by an eel swimming right by me. Some excitement in the dark-ish cave (;. You can track through the cave a bit where the glow worm show is better seen. Spectacular views! Be sure to bring your flashlight so you can find your way back without having to stumble and told the walls (which isn't possible everywhere).

A.

Awesome place to visit! I recommend you to use water shoes, since there are places where you need to go on the water to get to a good spot inside the cave. Go until the end of it to see the best glow-worms there. There are bathroom facilities.

H. “. M.

One of my most favourite finds!! For starters, free camp ground with working clean toilets! Amazingly quiet and peaceful! we arrived late but We ventured into the cave at about 9.30pm and didn't have to go far before we were amazed by glow worms! The next day we tramped the track up to the top which had nice views! We followed our own way back down and came across some cool rock formations and trees! We then made it back to the cave for a day time explore! We managed to get over the water and walked about 10-15minutes into the cave, oh my! It's stunning in there! Stalactites everywhere! Glow worms are just magical creatures, like sitting under the night sky! Definitely wear shoes you can get wet to venture down here!

S. P.

Very cool caves that are easily accessible, definetly bring a good torch/flashlight. I wore trainers and they gave me good grip on the very slippery mud, they'll get wet, though. You can go very far into the cave, it'll get very tight and water rises higher than your knees plus you can get lost since everything looks the same. So either go in a well prepared group of people or get yourself a guide.

G. H.

Easily accessible cave, interesting geography and glow worms. Expect to get wet feet and a bit muddy. Take a good torch and ideally a head torch if exploring further into the cave.

T.

Truly fascinating place. Your shoes will get wet but worth doing. Bring a torch and don't forget to look up!!

A. P.

Waipu Caves, a short walk in the cave leads you to a Whole New World of Glow Worms. However, carry a headgear torch and gum boots , if possible. Apart from caves, nice and long Forest walk way experience. You could camp overnight near the caves. You will find toilets and Wifi near parking.

G. V.

It was an awesome cave not too big but a good one. There is a small issue, to reach this point is really disaster the road. It's gravel. Very important to notice. THERE ARE NO PHONE SIGNAL. SO PLEASE MAKE SURE U HAVE A OFFLINE MAP. Carry a torch 🔦 need it when u r at cave. Have a nice journey guys!!!

m. l.

Waipu caves. 2hours drive from Auckland CBD, these caves lie in a beautiful spot up north of Auckland, easy to access and free unlike the famous waitomo caves down south. The drive was beautiful but a little hectic, once you are 15 mins closer to the caves it's a gravel road so delicate cars ...be careful! We did not have to walk or hike to the caves it was just across the fields from the cars. You must wear good gripped shoes CZ ur always walking through waters and it's very slippery. A torch is a #musttake along since it gets pitch dark inside ...duh! Obviously. And last but not the least, please carry an awesome camera that captures these beauties in the best way. There is a toilet clean and nice if you need to. Just get to the farthest point and close all the lights and just let ur eyes adjust to the beauty of these worms....simply looks like a starry night sky....😍 So mesmerized by them.... I'd love to go once again more prepared. #marianonajourney #nzmustdo #nzdiaries #NewZealand #traveldiaries #naturelove #naturalbeauty #caves #cavesofnewzealand

R. R.

A short walk from the car park...very cool place to visit. Take note though, you need torch and be prepared to get wet to explore the cave. It's worth it though. We enjoyed our visit

V. P.

Wave pool caves an excellent adventure but be prepared bring lights you’re going to be up to your waist and water and some places and maybe charcoal string to find your way back out again

A. L.

Take ypur spare shoes/socks/pants with you LOL：）Kids over 5 yrs could easily handle it，but not sure for rainy days（may be flooded and dangerous deep inside the cave）.

P. M.

Glow in the dark cave worms! Wear shoes that can get wet, or be very nimble. Flashlight / torch a must, turn it off once beyond light range. Amazing, the ceiling looks like the stars - but green.

D. F.

Very accessible caves that have glow worms. You need a good torch and be prepared to wade through water (up to your knees or deeper). Tip: you need to switch your torch off to see the glow worms but there are heaps if you keep walking to your left until the water takes a sharp right under a very low ceiling. You're welcome :)

P. F.

Magnificent as all caves are, in such a pristine area. The walk that follows is one to definitely check off your bucket list, but just the caves in them selves are a feat of their own.

K. E.

Beautiful. If you want to go inside, plan to wade through (i think) knee deep water and bring headlamps/torches. We tramped around a bit, great rocks to climb over. Very slippery though. Will return!

C. N.

A must-do for everyone visiting the area and you wouldn't be disappointed. Make sure you bring a torch or a headlight and be ready to get your feet wet, a pair of sandals with good grip is needed to avoid slipping or gumboots would be useful as I imagine it can get quite muddy after rain. A hidden gem indeed!

S. D.

Amazing cave. Remember to take a light as it is a cave. A lot of glow worms which looked amazing. Floor is wet and muddy so quite slippery suggest barefoot or hiking boots that you don't mind getting wet.

L. M.

Very neat location. Did not explore deep into the caves, as we had a baby and a three year old. There’s a lot to explore just 2 minutes from the car park. Not stroller friendly.

M. H.

Easy access and you can see glow worms within 2 minutes of entering. During the summer months it starts at ankle deep water at the start. Cellphone will work as a torch if you dont have one and it is free also

S. S.

Amazing caves with glow worms.

D. C.

It's off the main SH1 about 15 minutes, but well worth the drive. Beautiful caves and if you are up to it, a 1.5 hour walk in the caves.

J.

Great if you don't mind getting wet! Could easily get lost so definitely take a head torch. It's dun getting on your hands and knees to crawl through some parts

曾.

It's so amazing beautiful place for teenagers. To discover how great of Creativity!! But need go there at the season of drying.

S. T.

Highly reccomend free activitie get the feet wet and navigate the cave system take a headlamp but turn it off regularly to enjoy the glowworms on the cavern ceiling

C. d. V.

Beautiful caves! The road up was terrible, but so worth it. Great walk through, or you can do more advanced caving if you want. We brought our 18 month old and he loved it. The glow worms rocked! Campsite is also 5 star, close to caves and a beautiful little place to tent/park your van for free!

B. B.

Awesome place to see glow worms! Venture further in by walking through the water. It’s about ankle deep. Go back far enough to the larger cavern to see the glow worms. Bring a light.

F. S.

Awesome caves. They go very deep, the are glow worms. Bring multiple light sources, rock shoes would be nice to have, enjoy yourself :)

R. L.

Waipu caves is one place we discovered by accident. You have to drive around 13 km on gravel road to get there from the North. Do not forget to get a torch. We went before a heavy rain and the water level was bit high so we did not go further deep into the cave. We went in and saw glow worms. There is a track on the left but we did not go much further. We had no idea what to expect so we return back.

M.

Raw caves. Muddy slippery. Stream runs through the caves, be prepared to get wet up to the knees if you want to go right through. Lots of glow worms, awesome rock formations.

C.

Love coming and seeing the glow worms. Short walk from the parking lot. Don't forget your flash light and be prepared to get wet.

J.

If you want a real adventure follow the river after it turns to the left and swim down the dark passage to a mossy grotto swimming spot. At some points it can be pitch black and over your head but it’s worth it for the adreniline

A. L.

Always an adventure that never disappoints! Take spareclothes and good flashlight. Not recommended for young children or timid types. (Children ok in 1st part but it gets very slippery and dangerous in parts)

S. L.

If you plan to explore the cave, make sure you bring a headlamp or touch and prepare to get wet and muddy! The walking track is not actually through the cave, it's about 50m on the left of the cave entrance.

J. M.

Interesting cave that has loads of glow worms! Easy to access, but do expect to get a bit wet and muddy. Best of all it's free! Good parking very close to the entrance.

R.

Pretty cool, nice walks through the trees. Tons of tourists and kids about

C. O.

Awesome hike.. Extremely slippery after rain.. steep inclines. Bring good hiking boots, trainers won't do..

Y. S.

Not expect. But so good caves is not big but beautiful. . Bring own head lamp.Go inside and turn left and go inside around 20 m And....look up at the cave Beautiful growwarm. Please keep clean and turn off light inside.

A. S.

Nice to look at though there is not that much to see. And the path to the top is not worth the walk, since it just leads to a field. But inside the cave its very nice and the most fun was actually the trip up to the caves , because u drive over the Mountains and you really have a nice view over everything.

v.

The caves had so many glow worms, very fun to explore. We also went up the track to above bushline. Highly recommend the caves, bring jandels !

K. S.

Great caves, but you need a torch and you need to do a bit of climbing while in the cave. The road there is unsealed.

D. C. Y.

Great experience without a fee. Just a few steps from the carpark. Went there during holidays so big crowd. Great to see the glowworms everywhere in the cave. Bring a headtorch and some shoes that you dont mind getting wet. A short half hour walk in the cave but some areas more than knee deep water.

D. F.

Cool cave for free. You definitely need shoes that can get wet because you have to walk through water. But it’s a cool place where you can see the glow worms. Just make Shute to take a torch or your mobile phone with you. Not crowded.

A. N.

Little bit off the main road but well worth the drive! Cave is easy to see once in the carpark, just follow the sign across the paddock. Entry into the cave is easy and then from there a walk through knee depth water. Take a torch. Not far into the cave you can turn the light off and look up to see some glow worms! Awesome free cave 👍🏻

L. C.

An incredible experience climbing deep inside these caves. If you are lucky you will have this place all to your selves as we did. Plan for an unguided adventure, take lights, shoes or sandals that you dont mind getting muddy and shorts or swimmers. The water can get above knee deep at times and the ceiling very low so I wouldn’t go to far in if you dont enjoy that kind of thing. Glow worms are a plenty and is a real sight to just sit there and watch them doing their thing!

T. S.

There's only one cave I saw, but that was massive. Everytime you think you can't go any further, you see these little stepping stones in the water taking you even further into the dark abyss with a green starry sky. The walking trek (approx 2 kms) takes you up a hill boasting nice views.

C. F.

Beautiful cave with a lot of stalagtites and glow worms. You will get wet feet since you have to walk through a small river. You will need a torch.

M. G.

Worth the detour to go see these natural caves. Bring a flashlight or headlamp and if you are going to go deeper into the cave be prepared to get wet as the water flowing through the cave can get about waist deep and wear good shoes, not jandels. There's only one route through the cave so it's pretty much impossible to get yourself lost. The glow worms are also very abundant in the cave as you go deeper in.

F.

The road to reach this place is horrible but worth the spectacle.

B. T.

Take a torch, head in about 50m and enjoy the thousands of glow worms. Super nice, and easy to make it through - hiking boots not needed but theyll make life a bit easier. We went early on and had the cave to ourselves, on our way out a lot of people had started to arrive - definitely worth getting in as early as possible to experience the cave in pitch black. The campsite looks legit here too - it even has wifi, nuts. Please like this review if it helped 😁👍

P. R.

Amazing experience. Spectacular rock formations and thousands of glow worms. Good for kids. Remember to bring flashlights and wear old clothes. Sturdy footwear is advised.

S.

Don't forget your flashlights and shoes to wear in the water. Some places the water is knee deep. well worth a visit.

L. S.

Amazing place, if you want to see glow worms, visit cave in the evening/night and explore beautiful magic spaces. Dont forget good light, and water shoes.

J. H.

There should be a shotgun rental at the entrance and permit to shoot 5 People to the knee that are running around and flashing lights on glowworms all the time.. 🙄 Btw you can draw with them 😆 decent camera, night mode on, and no people with Flash lights!

N. C.

Please beware that the drive from the main highway is about 15mins and goes over a loose gravel road and the walk takes 1.5hours. We weren’t aware of this before we got there and didn’t have enough time to do the walk. We did explore the neat pocket of mossy rocks behind the toilet though. These were pretty cool as it felt like they were part of a movie set. There were people camping here for the night and wifi was available to purchase. Toilets were clean.

M. L.

Amazing natural caves with stalectites and big caverns with glow worms . A river runs through the cave and you need to walk in this, you wouldn't want to go on a rainy day!

T.

Omg you have to come to see this beautiful place!!!!

P.

Was ok nothing special , very slippery and plz wear gum boots and carry good torch ....3 feet water and extremely dark

A.

A family experience well worth seeing. Be prepared to get wet feet and have a headlight. Glow worms majestic display to see when all lights are out. Would I recommend it on the to do list. Yes!!

L. A.

If you walk through the water 3 times to be out of view from the entrance then you are rewarded with viewing the beautiful glow worms.

L. E.

Caves worthwhile. The walk however leads to no where, so reduced stars for this. Fine if you’re happy to do an up hill walk just to see farmland, but nothing special. Need appropriate lighting, wet shoe wear and sufficient time to explore the caves properly.

G.

The caves are great with lots of glow worms and limestone rock featured. To see some parts o the cave we needed to work through thigh high water and crouch down. A decent torch for each person is a must.We were at Waipu caves on Easter Sunday at 10am and it was great but felt a bit busy. I would avoid public holidays or aim to get there early.

S. P.

Really nice caves easy to walk in. Little stream running through. Lots to discover there but no guides on site

M.

One of NZ best cave in NZ, 2.45 hrs drive from Auckland.

C.

Amazing spot. Admission is free. In 5 minutes from the car you can see glow worms.

M. C.

Amazing caves! At night the roof of the cave lights up with glow worms and it looks like a beautiful star filled night sky in there. Very close walk from the parking lot. We only saw the first section of the cave but apparently there's more further on. Highly recommended!

R. K.

It's okay. Good enough to take the kids and have a wee adventure. There's also free camping for one night alongside the carpark

M. H. V.

One of my favourite spots in New Zealand! You can camp there for free for one night. There is plenty of room and some toilets. The caves are nice, with a lot of glow worms. Prepare to get your foots wets. To see the glow worms you have to go really further, to kind of a chamber where they are plenty. Also the woods surrounding the caves with the rocks are amazing for a small hike

A.

Keep this magical place clean and respect it. Only free experience that is calming, beautiful, unspoilt by human littering and disrespect. Air quality in cafe is refreshing and clean. Sound of trickling water is soothing. Need gumboots for areas you need to wade through water or non slip shoes. Very tranquil. Unspoilt and beautiful glow wotms and experience. Was tempted to take mattress in to be garunteed a beautiful comforting restful sleep listening to the tranquil sounds of soothing trickling water and the glow worm night cave lights equivalent to the night stars or milky way.

k.

Amazing experience. Campground is nice and clean. If u go into the caves, make sure u take head lamps maybe a torch too and extra batteries for sure. Also shoes that can get wet.

E. D.

Incredible, so many glowworms. Kid friendly but be prepared to get wet shoes and make sure you have at least two good flashlights/torches. Would highly having a ziplock bags for your phone and keys to go in because it can be a little slippery and a lot of the time you are walking through water.

D. S.

Very cool cave! You can explore fairly deep into the cave and see glow worms all along the way. After you get far enough in, it is completely dark. Water can get to about waist deep, so wear sandals and shorts. Overall, a very cool cave and relatively easy opportunity to see glow worms. Not sure how the water levels vary throughout seasons.

r.

Excellent! I'm glad we brought gumboots and torches with us. We walked into the caves, turned left and stepped through 2 small shallow streams and we saw a huge amount of glow worms, just a couple of minutes in. Awesome high cathedral like cave ceilings. You will need good mobility because of the dark and the sloppy rocks. Our 3 young children loved it and wanted to keep walking further and further in. Incredible that we have this free awe inspiring place in our own backyard.

M. E.

Be careful as it's very slippery. If you want to go further into the caves you will need to wade through some water. Bring a torch.

M. K.

Something worth to see, no entrance fee. Camp with shower nearby, where you can stay for free for one night.

M.

Awsome place take a light but dont forget to turn off the light to see the full view of the glow worms Yes its a bit slippery Yes there is water ... Yes you might have to crawl depending how far you wanne go BUT It wont kill you its an awsome excpiernce and if your not afraid of a little water you will have a great time 😉 Not an expert here but i'd say the cave goes from easy to more dedicated and you see glow worms straight at the beginning so go as far as comfortable...

T.

Waipu Caves is accessed on either ends along the state highway but be prepared for 40% of unpaved road. The car park area leads to the cave entrance and a 2.5hr track. The cave route inwards is quite walkable but muddy. Bring footwear that can be wet and torches. There are two good areas where you will find glow worms hanging down. Definitely a good detour.

K. K.

I love here. you should have boots with water proof to reach up to fantastic glowworm point easily.

T.

Great off street freedom parking, quiet, safe with kids and families, great area to explore just beside the car park. A quick walk to the caves, bring a torch and be prepared to get wet feet and great a 2 km walk to the left of the caves for the more adventurous explorer, public toilet, and wifi available. highly recommend this attraction.

C.

Nice and Fun Caves you can see the glow warms.

W.

Awesome caves, well worth a visit! Freedom camping here too. Toilets not great, very basic and could be cleaner. Caves can be entered during night and day. You need wellies/gumboots and a torch/headlamp. You can see glowworms during the day deeper inside the cave, or close to the entrance at night. You have to crouch down quite low to see them, unless you go down into the water. The water comes up to about shin level in the deepest places. Very cool inside the cave, goes in quite deep. Excellent it's possible to go in for free at anytime and explore by yourself.

H. H.

The scene of glowworms was highlight of the day. Incredible. The day we visited we were the only visitors there, so no light pollution to enjoy the miracle.

A. W.

Amazing hidden gem! Make sure you bring a torch and some sturdy shoes. Make sure those shoes are good to get wet and muddy because the most interesting points are right in deep inside up the shallow creek. It's like a constellation of galaxies in there with the lights off and the glow worms twinkling!

D. T.

Great natural attraction. Flow works were impressive. Not the easiest access, but wear the correct footwear, water resistant and good grip, and you should be fine. Try to time your entry into the cave when there are a small number of people. You will need a torch, but try to bring one which is not very bright so you don't ruin it for others, hard to see glow worms when there is a nuclear powered spot light on. Also some very nice bushwalking around the area.

F.

Amazing place, definitely can't capture in photographs 😆 just go in bare foot, you'll end up wading through the water in the end anyway. Also prepare to get muddy if you want to climb though the cave even where there aren't glow worms, very fun to explore. Recommend a head torch, climbing one handed with my phone was quite difficult

R.

A great experience. Didn't take a torch and that was needed. Reef shoes also work best as you walk through the water and duck down in a spot. But to see the gloworms was amazing. Miss 3 enjoyed herself and was very excited.

A.

I love the Waipu Caves..! Toilet and lots of space for freedom camping- the glow worms are stunning and love that this is a free activity!

A. P.

They are not too big but awesome, and free! You also have free carpark with toilet 24hs.

S.

Definitely worth going. The drive is on a gravel road and a bit difficult with a small car, but so worth it. The Caves are amazing, bring a good torch and clothes that can get dirty

T.

Quite wet at the moment so we couldn't get far into the caves, but lovely park with some great walks. Take a head torch for the caves!

A. M.

Great free activity just be prepared for a small amount of stream crossing and a torch is requied. You will need a level of fitness to do the caves and with suitable footwear. You will see heaps of glow worms. NO guided tours or staff on site. All road to the site are not sealed so slow drive up unless your not worried about your paint work.

A. O.

Beautiful place and even better for an overnight stay if you are self contained

B.

A must do, only a short walk from car park after. Shingle Road windy but in good condition

J. A.

Such a great place to visit, the views are amazing and the glow worms are beyond belief

M.

Amazing experience, got ankle deep in water, but definitely worth it. Got to go quite far in to see some glow worms, but really cool once you do. It is quite slippery as well, so be careful.

M. T. Z. K.

Super awesome. The cave is beautiful. Just a 2 min walk to the entrance of the cave. A lot of glow worms. Suggest to take head lamp and tracking / jogging light shoe which you can submerge in water so that no worries for the prickey stones or the slippery places.

S.

Amazing free spot to see the glow worms, just a short walk from the carpark (also a freedom campsite). We went during heavy rain but it was still easy to get through as there are little stone pathways over the water flow inside, the further into the cave you go the more glow worms you'll see.

p.

Brilliant cave to explore, bring a flashlight\head torch and some boots / gumboots else your going to get wet feet. Also go in pairs can be pretty slippy in there!

T.

Easy access from Auckland, free. You can see many glow worms. Recommend keeping waterproof footwear as you need to walk through water pools up to knees to reach the worms

P. D.

Waipu Caves are along a gravel road that is "single lane" in places, so drive appropriately. Their is a public camping spot with public toilets available. In case it is not obvious - it is dark inside of a cave. You can struggle along with a smart phone light but a torch is much better. The problem with a smart phone is you can really only see just in front of you where you are walking, while a torch lets you light up the whole path. The initial portion on the cave has shallow water. You will find it much easier if you bring footwear where you can walk in the water and don't mind getting wet. Otherwise you'll be needing to carefully balance on top of slippery stepping stones. And if you only have a smart phone torch the process is so much tougher. Near the caves is also a short hike. It is mostly all up hill. When you reach the end you have to turn around and come back. At the end of the hike is a scenic look out. There are lots of interesting rock formations in the area.

D.

Nice day out to too far from home Make sure u bring some wet water shoes and a bright torch . Kids will love exploring the caves just keep them close .

L. H. C.

At some point the road through the caves was not in a good condition. Toilets were not clean. If you want to get inside the cave you need to be prepared (eg. headlamp, rubbet-boots).

A.

I think it is the right place for you to see the glowworms for free. I went there in the middle of the night and I can see the beatiful glowworms. The track was not too bad and safe, but I don't recommend for children because it looks unsafe for children to go inside the cave.

A. d. (.

Make sure you venture deep into the caves to see the glow worms hiding in the roof and cracks. At a low tide the caves have ankle to knee deep water that can be traversed to get all the way into the main cavern. Side rooms can also be explored for those that are adventurous enough. Always remember to slowly check the depth of the water you are dropping into and a head torch is a great benefit for being able to navigate hands free.

H.

This Cave is fantastic; you can see the glow worms all around when you get deep inside and kill the light. You must need a torch, maybe also a pair of outdoor boots, to get yourself through the exploration. An unforgettable experience and it's within reach, and it's free! 😉

D.

Free access to anyone with the guts to brave the steep and twisted gravel road to get there. You will need a torch to find your own way around the caves with their underground stream and pools. Turn off your light in a deep cave and see the glow worms!

J.

Caves are for free... And cool. Very child friendly as long as you don't go into the slightly more difficult areas. First section of the caves is an easy walk for approximately 50M, big stallictites and lots of glow worms further in. Awesome spot. Car parking with toilet and rock formations in small nearby bush.

I. H.

Great place on a nice day. About 18km off the main road - part of the road is a gravel road. Definitely need a torch and proper shoes to explore the Caves. There's no charge for this. Amazing experience!

H.

Really nice free access cave, you may have to get wet to see the glow worm deep into the cave, but totally worth it! If you feel like Indiana Jones for a day, take a flash light with you and have fun

J. S. G.

Wonderful experience! Make sure you bring gumboots if you have kids. You can wear boots too because you will walk in running waters and some parts are muddy. Best to go during summer.

J. T. (.

Nice area. Hardly any Glow Worms, but was expected given that it was free to view experience. The gravel road to get there was extremely difficult for small cars, but got there in the end.

L. W.

An amazing adventure if you like caves and glowworms even if you do not like caving you can just go on an amazing hike through the forest be warned thou it leads through private land if you do not stay on the marked path. If you want to explore the caves I recommend shoes that can get wet and if you can explore it all the way, it goes quit deep and has a couple of narrow paths but it is definitely worth it.

C.

Nice place, but wasn't dressed for the occasion. Be prepared to step into waters!

S.

Highly recommended. Do the optional but lovely bush walk up to the top field (45 mins) for amazing views. On the way back, visit the caves. Free gloworms easy to get deep into the cave. A bit muddy and wet, recommend you take off your shoes or bring gumboots otherwise you'll get wet. Need a torch, best if you can keep light limited. Your eyes need 20 mins to adjust to the dark.

B.

Such a great place. Free to enter. You will need sturdy closed toed shoes as it's very slippery. A head torch is a must. If you are going any further than the first chamber you should have a caving helmet. Water is 12 degrees year round and up to a waist deep on an adult in the main system and chest deep in the stream entrance. Full of Glow worms and beautiful rock formations. The chambers do flood after heavy rain. We went in with an experienced caving instructor. They are not big systems but I can imagine getting lost easily if you head down one of the side chambers. Toilets and showers outside. Free camping for one night. Long grass but flat. Please like my review if you found it helpful.

G. H.

Great experience to try as a family. Bring gumboots or old sneakers or go bare feet/jandles if you feel adventurous. Definitely don't walk with jandles at the entrance though.Too muddy. However once in the cave, footwear is best if you want to go through the river. Very rocky bottom. You can see glow worms after 5min walk. Great little spot.

O. v.

Genuinely a fantastic experience. Make sure you go with someone else as the caves are very dark and slippery. We had proper waterproof hiking boots which were extremely helpful when crossing the rivers. We also brought a head torch but we were not prepared for how dark these caves really were and this torch did not light any of it up, instead we used the torches on our phones (S8+) on max brightness which was much better, so make sure you have a powerful torch. The glowworms are amazing as well as the rock formatioms in here. You do need to be pretty competent to go in and navigate properly, its extremely slippery and you could easily fall and hurt yourself or get stuck somewhere.

T. C.

Walk was not maintained and goes to a lookout at farm land. Cave located across green from carpark, pretty cool but as we had lots of rain, we were only able to go in start of it. Not sure if worth the interesting road to get there.

J.

Amazing for somewhere that is fully open to the public and free. Nice glow worms. Only negative is that because it uncontrolled people don't necessarily turn off their torches as the right time.

L. L.

Beautiful caves to see glowworms for free. At some point you have a feeling that you are under milky way. Make sure to have good shoes as some parts are wet, muddy and if you want to see main cave, then wear shoes with good grip as rocks are slippery to climb them up.

P.

Awesome to see. Well worth the trip to the caves

A. R.

Great place to see glow worms. It is free. About 50 meters walk from the carpark to entrance of cave. You need a torch, but once inside a little turn it off for the real glow worm effect. You will walk in ankle deep water but slightly further in it is up to your knees unless you scramble over the muddy rocks. From the main highway at Waipu the road is sealed until the last 5km which is gravel. Well worth visiting!

N. G.

Beautiful scenic views around, not crowded, and yes many glow worms they so pretty! Recommend bringing a torch (not strong light please), wearing shorts andslippers, because the water is knee-level deep if you reach the very inside. Be careful walking too! Happy exploring 👍

Q.

It is a small but great cave to take children to. A nice walking track next to the cave. The road to the cave is gravel, hard on the car paint.

O.

Why? Well it’s dark and slippery good! Because of the glow worms

M. B.

Glowworms all by yourself! Make sure to check the weather, bring enough lights, and generally be safe when you head into the cave. The walk isn't very long and totally worth it. When you've arrived in the third chamber, I'd suggest to take some time to switch off your lights and just watch the glowworms and listen to the silence. Don't try to keep climbing when it starts to get difficult - you've already reached the end. Deeper parts are for experienced cavers only.

D. R.

If you are looking for a FREE spot to see glow worms, it does not get any better than this. Be sure to bring some old shoes as you will be walking in a little mud/water. There is a toilet and outdoor shower to clean up before getting back in your car. If you do a little climbing, you can enter into some pretty isolated caverns in the cave. Be sure to bring a flashlight.

r.

Awesome experience...true adventure.. Watching glow worms...

P.

The caves are amazing. Don't be afraid to get wet or muddy and follow the path on the left. You'll reach a big cave with a lot of glowworms. You will have to walk in water, on rocks or mud and you will need a lamp (headlamp if you have one). People weren't really aware of the beauty around them and were looking for glowworms with their lamps turned on... so: follow the path, reach the cave, turn off your lamp, look at the ceiling and enjoy the view! :)

B.

Beautiful scenery with an easy shirt walk to the caves. Be careful to stay on your side of the road when driving as roads are narrow and windy gravel, to avoid an accident.

A. F.

A must see if you're in the area, the drive along the gravel road is worth it. You must be prepared with a head torch and footwear to go in the water. Head left after entering the cave walk, around the corner, turn off your torch and adjust your eyes, then the glow-worms reveal their spectacle!

A. S.

Go prepared. We went in Jean's and sneakers with our iPhones as torches. If you're adventurous, go prepared to travel deeper inside the cave system with boots, actual flashlights, and maybe a helmet for the pesky stalactites that can sometimes come out of nowhere. Once you're about 100 meters in. Turn everything off and let the glow worms do their thing. Really magical

I.

Such a brilliant place! A 1 hour walk trough the caves, and little walk to get there. We went bare foot, and I advice you to wear old clothes and bring a flashlight (preferably red). But dont forget to shut it off as much as you can. We discovered this place by coincedence. It's mainly for people who like the walk. In summer in your shorts it can get a little cold inside the caves on bare feet. Thats fine for an hour if you're not a whiner though. Enjoy!

a.

Very nice caves, the 1hr 15m return walk is a good view of the area

J. H.

Easily accessible unspoiled treasure but warning it is really dark in there and there is mud/water , bring torches and footwear that you don't mind getting wet/muddy . The cave entrance is only a few meters from the edge of the carpark and from there the fun of climbing through the caves begins.

M. R.

First time experience with the glow worms! Definitely worth the gravel road drive to check out, and it's free! Parking lot also doubles as a freedom campsite with flushing toilets and cold shower

M.

Geared with rainboots and head light, we managed to see some beautiful glow and got out nice and dry. Turn off the light and look up! If going deeper, getting wet would be unavoidable. Be very careful and enjoy.

G. N.

Fantastic place, the cave is really easy to find (It's close to a car park and you don't need to walk kilometres, really comfy for visiting with little ones) , you will need your gumboots (in cold months to pass a river) and flash light. Glowworms make amazing starry night effect! And it's free to visit)

S.

A little bit of walking in water and mud but it's so beautiful!

K.

Nice place ,love it

C. F.

A truly incredible experience. Highlight of the north island so far. Road is a bit bumpy on the way down, however there's toilets available, a cold shower to wash off the mud, and even wifi (paid) if you're desperate. We only went to the second main cavern, turned off our torches and behold, beautiful glowworms dotting the ceiling in intricate patterns. An experience we're not likely to forget. No one's joking when they say it's slippery in the caves, it's truly dangerous. Take heavy-duty grip boots or go with someone else. Ensure you bring a bright headtorch or if you're taking your phone, have it in a ziplock bag. If using your hands to hold onto rocks, they will get very muddy so only wear clothes you're fine with getting filthy. The sparkling ice cold stream running through the caves may get knee-deep if it hasn't rained for a few days so be prepared for harsher conditions if its raining. It's free. It's nature. Do the right thing and leave these beautiful caves untouched. Truly worth the experience. Not child friendly.

G. C.

A experience you need to do! Such an amazing place. Remember not to take expensive shoes as water can go knee deep in certain places. Also if you have a bad back I wouldn't do it as there is a point where you have to bend over. But other than that it's great 😍

R.

Such a nice cave and place! The caves are filled with stalagmites and stalactites with lots of beautiful glow worms. Bring a torch and some shorts or togs because it is dark and wet. Remember where you came in from as it is a bit confusing once your in the cave.

T.

Great way to spend a couple of hours checking out the amazing caves and glowworms as well a hike through the forest. There is no cost at all and can even camp onsite with basic toilets and showers available.

Z.

Amazing cave with thousands glow worms!!! Free entry next to camp ground.

H.

It's a beautiful place, however my kids 5 and 6 years old have difficulty walking in the cave. If you don't wear gumboots, your shoes will get wet for sure! We went during sunny day, so the water js very shallow inside the cave. I would definitely go again but will bring my gumboots for sure. Elderly with bad knee will also find it difficult or cannot walk into the cave to see the beautiful glowowrm. Toilet is also very clean. Cave is just next to the carpark.

S.

A great way to spend a few hours. The main attraction is a cave that takes an hour or so to explore, even longer if you are ready to wade through the river inside. Several of the chambers have a great display of glow worms, in some areas just inches from your head. The outside area has a walking track and climbable rocks.

H.

First time being in to caves, which is amazing inside

J.

Do you want to see a lot and lot of Glow worms, small cave lakes and spend like two hours of speleology? All for free and no limits? Yep, that's the place. Absolute gem PS: you will get vet 😉

S.

Great experience, exciting glow worms colony there, just get deeper into it and have fun. There is a river, so be ready to be wet.

D.

Very interesting experience! Don't be afraid to walk in water - it is much much easier. Your shoes will dry at the sun, but you will save yourself from slipping stones

J.

Great experience, bring wet shoes, short trousers and a headlight!

C. B.

A must visit! Be careful when trying to find these caves, as it is right in front of you as you enter the forest (you'll see a tree fallen over the river, with a small shallow cave to the left and a larger cave which is the entrance to Waipu on the right). Don't make our mistake and walk 2kms to the left along the track only to find a lovely farmers field and a 'turn back' sign... Ha! The caves really are magical - you can either go barefoot or wear walking/caving boots, but be warned that you'll be ankle deep in water many times along the way. The star of the show is of course the glow worms - sit for a few minutes and pray that no-one uses a flashlight and you will be spoiled with the starriest night sky you've ever seen, better the deeper you go! So beautiful!!

C.

Beautiful glowworm cave. We didn't go all the way through but we went far enough in to see a ton of glowworms. It looked like the night sky. The most glowworms we have ever seen at once. There was also a few easy short rock climbing routes nearby.

B.

Very cool. The water was not too cold, rocks werent that sharp. The mud was slippery, but with a group it was easily traversable. Glow worms were cool

F. a. W.

Beautiful cave.Not as big as waitomo caves,but its still stunning. And most importantly u can stay as long as u want. Very close to car park. Water usually up to knees high, so u definitely need shorts or gumboots.

D.

Good fun for the kids. You can see a few glow worms. Very wet, muddy and has some low hanging rock. Recommend helmets and multiple light sources.

W. S.

Amazing! I can't believe this is free. Got pretty busy in the afternoon so I'd recommend heading there in the morning with torches and shoes you don't mind getting wet

J.

Cool caves at the beginning of the hike. The hike was nice, it leads up to a good viewpoint looking over farm land

D. E. E.

Defiantly worth the visit. 10/10 its free fun and you can take the kids 4+. There are lots of caves to explore and the view when you enter at the top of the hill is breath taking. Will defiantly be visiting again.

J. A.

Caves are awesome, any day, any cave. Even better if you don't have an entrance fee or need a tour guide! Be smart and bring two torches, pay attention to where you're going and respect and don't deface anything!

c.

Amazing free camping place, on the morning you go to the caves, you can enjoy the free glowworm cave for yourself, very nice but be careful not to get lost in the caves as there is no official track. I enjoyed it very much!

E.

Nice walk into the caves and really beautiful glowworms. Make sure you get deep enough to see a nice set up of blue worms. Also wear waterproof shoes or flip flops. There's a cold shower for your feet afterwards. It's quit muddy inside the cave and can be slippery. Water is about ankledeep. You can also freedom camp over here

A.

Make sure you come prepared - bring strong trekking shoes and a headtorch if you want any chance of seeing anything inside the caves. The walk around the outside is neat. There's free WiFi but it doesn't work.

D.

A great alternative to the Waitomo caves if your on a budget and don’t wanna spend, these are free to enter and camp grounds near by, go inside until there isn’t any light interference and you’ll see the cave light up with the glow worms!

G.

Can't get over how amazing this place is. We rocked up in gumboots and head torches and it was all good until the third cavern! The hike is fun... All up hill. And pls don't touch the electric fence up the top.... You will feel like a cow.

N.

Beautiful glow worms but not particularly easy to get to. Be sure to bring head torches and waterproof or fast drying clothes. You will get very wet.

C.

wonderful spot to spend a day and a night. ideal place for camping. Glowworm caves are stunning just like galaxy up there and its free. Make sute bring a pair of boots and light.

J. W.

Obviously phone photos cannot do this justice. The camp ground looked suitable, as this is a tenting destination there are toilets and running water. Slippery entrance into the cave, take a flash light. Stalactites and stalagmites. After about 2 mins you'll be in the main chamber where it looks like you can't go any further. This is where the glow worms are, turn off all your lights! You can duck under the shelf and explore the rest of the cave(it opens up again) and can venture to the end where there is an underground river. All for free! This was a fantastic stop

J.

Stunning caves that you get to explore on your own. The best thing is you can see glowworms for free! Much better experience than Waitomo since it is not overrun with tourists.

W. H.

To be fair, I didn’t go inside the cave because I had a 1 year old with me and it’s impossible to go inside with small kids. You kind of need to make small jump and then walk in a stream to go inside. I heard from the other tourists there that you need to go inside the cave and walk for about 10 minutes which most of it you will be inside water and the water will reach up to your chest to get to the beautiful glowing part of the cave. So make sure you dressed accordingly if you’re planning on going inside. There’s a trail near the cave that most people will mistakenly think they will need to walk in to get to the caves (not great signs there), but that’s not the case. The caves are right near the carpark. One day I will go back to go inside the cave and get soaked.

S.

A bit muddy and sadly no restrictions, so people destroy a lot walking and crawling through it. A really beautyful place with glowworms a bit further inside the cave. Take on watershoes, a good torch with you and follow the inside river it will lead you the way...

A.

Great spot to see yourself around caves. Be a bit adventurous and be willing to get your feet wet. There are really good glow worms which get brighter if you shout. You may also get to see a Weta in the caves. Bring a tourch and ideally water shoes. NB the cave can be slippery. There is a really nice tree lined area around the caves to have lunch. Travelling to the caves is well sign posted and there is some gravel road to travel.

P.

Such an amazing place definitely recommend! Make sure to go right into the caves till your almost at the end to see the most of the glow worms. Like looking at the stars

F.

Great opportunity to see glow worms without need to pay huge amount of money. The cave is for for free with car park and toilet. Bring your torch, take case and enjoy.

R.

I loved the glow worms, the cave is a short walk, bring torchlights and gumboots, you also can go barefoot but is really muddy

B.

What a find! This place is a bit off the beaten track but well worth visiting. Besides, it's free! You can try and get through the caves without getting your feet wet or clothes dirty but it's much more enjoyable just taking the plunge and enjoying the experience. Just make sure you have a dry set of clothes for when you come out. Highly recommended.

H.

The caves are really good. Best part is glow worms. Do take torch or search light with you. Turn off your lights inside the cave and mesmerising view of glow worms all around.

Y.

Went during evening, before the sun set, need head torch to go in, be ready to get the shoes wet! Water was below my knees at that time (I'm 160cm). The amount of glowworms was okay.

t.

Omg glowworm cave at it's best! And you can camp here for one night for free!!

J. R.

Really cool cave but take sandles or water socks! Most of the cave has water in it so unless you're okay going barefoot through the darkness then take shoes. Also take a head torch or something. Also be careful of how slippery it is!

B.

One of the absolute coolest places I’ve been to in New Zealand! I went at night and had an incredible time. Only brought one torch, which made it more difficult at first, but it became a fun challenge. No bats, very cool glow worms, which made it more than bright enough to see my partner with the light off. The stars out here at night are incredible as well

J.

Love the place great for young explores. You need torch and good nonslip shoes as most is under water . Glow worms are little treat to see as well...

E.

Don't forget your torchlight and get ready to walk in a shallow water

S. W.

First time experience and found we were very underprepared! Essential to have beach shoes, or grippy shoes. They will get very muddy. Best to have a head torch so you have both hands to help you. High likelihood that you will slip. Great experience though.

A. F.

Really cool glow worm caves! Best free glow worm caves we saw... You will get wet or at least we did as it rained the night before. Had to wade through knee high water to get in the cave where it was dark enough to see the glow worms. The cave goes back quite far and the cave itself is quite cool then to make it better are all the glow worms on the ceiling and walls of the cave! Make sure you have water shoes, flip flops or some footwear you don't mind getting soaked. Also good to take a little torch or headlight... Enjoy!!

G.

Great place to see glowworms in New Zealand. Bring a torch to find your way into the cave and a pair of gum boots is recommended as well.

T. H.

Just great! -for free -parking lot with toilet and option for overnight stay - wifi is 10$ A big cave with thousands of glow worms on the ceiling. Looks absolutely amazing. Best thing in Northland I have witnessed so far.

B. B.

Want to experience the classic Kiwi glowworms experience without paying a dime? This is the place to check out. Nice drive (although the gravel road is a bit bumpy and steep in places) and the car park is useful as a freedom camping spot (although it is limited at one night per vehicle). Also, free toilets! Save this spot on your maps if you're coming to the area - this location is a must see.

M. L.

must do.... take gum boots if you don t like to get wet. amazing free place. turn off the lights and wait your eyes get use to the darknes. if is not raining don t be sacared, after a heavy rain, be aware.

s.

A cave that you can enter for free by yourself. Very slippery and muddy but the glow worms where worth it. Bring your own light source.

F.

Not too busy! Great way to spend an afternoon! You'll definitely see some glowworms! Just bring a head torch and shoes you're not afraid of getting wet!

C.

Hands down the best cave to see glow worms for free!

A.

Awesome! Lots of glow worms

M.

Go when there is no one else there. It's spectacular but ruined by people waving their torches around trying to see the glow worms with them. Turn off the torch, stand still in the dark and wait for your eyes to adjust and then be wowed.

R. I.

Classic Kiwi Adventureism.. There is nothing commercial about this place, bring your own torch and clothes you don't mind getting muddy and wet. You can get as deep into the cave system as you feel comfortable doing, loads of fun!

F.

It will ruin your new sneakers. Expect to get wet and mud. Its hard to see the glow worms with other people shining their flashlights but you can see the glow worms inside for sure.

J.

Don't miss this place ! Wonderful, we've spent a magic moment into: the lights of the glows are unbelievable! You wonder if you're not in another world! Muddy, there's a shower outside (and toilets).

N.

Kids loved checking out the caves. Heaps of glow worms. Bit muddy and wet but lots of fun and worth the effort

C.

Nice place for a walk...Need headlamp and boots to walk in the water to see the glow worms

G.

Easy excess,free But you should wear some gum boots if you’d like to walk through the water to get deeper in the cave

T.

Brilliant! Wear old runners or rock shoes and take a torch or headlamp, don't rely on your phone light, too slippy to risk!

D.

Amazing view of Glow worm inside. Must see things. Bit slippery but wonderful view inside the cave and bit of an adventure if you go more inside the cave

S. v. S.

Waipu caves are free of charge. Nice walk through the cave. There is water so take boots or so. No light so a flashlight is needed. But the glow wurms are fun to see and easy to find.

G.

Amazing experience to see so many glowing worms, the cave is wet and need to be careful some place need to bend to through. Most important its for free!!

V.

If you stay at the Campinggrund near by, go as early as you can! You'll have the cave all your own. Later on other people might interrupt the beauty of the cave with their torches! :)

L.

What an amazing experience! I would recommend this to anyone. Just make sure you wear good shoes you don't mind getting wet, because it's a bit muddy and slippery.

F.

Careful at the beginning cause is quite slippery and muddy. After that just walk in the water, it's easier. Bring a stick and avoid flip-flops. It's a very short walk for such a womderful view. Extra careful with kids. The road to get here is unsealed.

P.

The gravel road is bumpy, but good to see the caves. I used my phone-torch and got my shoes wet. Others were in bare feet or jandals. I would choose jandals next time.

G.

Cleithrophobia, the fear of being trapped, is often confused with claustrophobia, the fear of enclosed spaces. If you have claustrophobia I never recommend this place to come and explore inside the cave .Heavy chance yu will get lost ( Use powerfull lights not mobile lights and use good grip shoes no sandals)

B.

Can see glowworms without having to go too deep into the cave, but if you venture deeper you'll be rewarded with a memorable experience!

J.

Great cave to see gloworms. Torch and sandals is a must due to you'll have to walk through the water.

S.

Great little hike, bring headlamp and water shoes! Good view from top of hike on other side of caves too

C.

Its natural beauty is breath taking and an absolutely amazing experience for free... if you turn your torches off and allow your eyes to focus naturally it's even more magical...

E.

A place I've driven past for years. Well worth the detour over the main route. Take a torch, good boots and a change of clothes if you really want to explore the cave.

H.

Wild caves! Make sure you take flashlight with you - otherwise hard to orientate in these caves! Definitely would go back and definitely would recommend to a friend!

T.

This cave was amazing, and free (hope it stays that way) fun for kids. Light required. Needed better walk info (times and if track was loop). Well worth a look.

V.

A place worth to visit. Going early or when it's less crowded would be better.

M.

Wish I’d have planned better with proper footwear and gear. Though, we didn’t have to go far in order to view the glow worms. Beautiful.

M.

Beautiful cave with glow worms inside. Gummy shoes, proper lights and head protection would be good for more fun.

B.

50 meters into the cave with wet feet you will see your first glow-worms... Just dont forget a light... And to turn it off in time.

M.

Easy to access , you need gumboots and head torch for more enjoyable visit . Walking track by the cave.

A.

Nice walk, would've liked more cave, and more of an ending at the walk. Particularly liked primitive rocks and native forrest.

D.

Awesome place to escape for the day

V.

Tons of glowworms to be seen! Best to go in barefoot as its quite muddy / hou walk in water. The campingspot is quite nice as well.

S.

A great experience to get close to glow worms and explore caves. Wear sensible old shoes and old clothes. Take a torch.

R.

Smaller than Waitomo but less touristy and you can take pictures unlike the others. It's free, requires a wee bit of crouching and getting muddy but we'll worth it.

H.

So much fun! Could only get so far with little ones (2, 2, 5 and adults) but would go back in a heartbeat. Real natural untouched feel... especially the mud in the paddock!

L. C.

Super experience Best prepare Aqua shoes Torch headlight

T.

Amazing, extensive caves, vibrant glow worms throughout. Some parts slightly challenging and wet but well worth the effort

K.

It was great experience. It took us around 1 hour to walk around caves. Be prepared to have your shoes wet:)

N.

Awesome place! Best place in nzd to see glow worms by far. Really easy access and you don't have to go that far to see tons of them. Better then waitomo Imogen.

B. S.

Went to see the glow worms but ended up just doing a bush walk... walk was awesome

m.

Neat cave, didn't go too far in as I was on own, but enjoyed what I saw.

E.

Need a head lamp and good shoes. Very slippery inside, but it is very beautiful inside the cave.

A.

It was awesome, it would have been unbelievable if only some of the Muppets would turn off the light and sit in silence long enough to let the glow worms do their thing

C.

Beautiful Cave, accessible to public for free, just need rock shoes of some sort. Lovely trails all around cave.

g.

Good experience to see beauty of natural caves. However, these spots need regular maintenance.

K.

Natural beauty all around outside the caves but be prepared to get wet if you want to see the gloworms inside the crave.

D. C.

Caves is really beautiful and the glow worms are awesome. Be prepared to get wet and muddy, and try and remember the way you came from

E.

Loved it. Very cool cave system to explore. Make sure to bring a headlamp and a swim suit

K.

Free. Take a torch as it's epic and pitch black. Turn off the torch to see 1000s of glow worms. Better than Waitomo Caves which cost a fortune... And this is 100% free

J.

Eerie and Very Slippery! You have been warned!🥴

A.

Didn't realise it was a real cavers cave. So didn't get to experience it at its best. Will have to take a head torch and boots next time.

A.

amazing place to spend a day. Heaps of hiking and glow worms in the caves. Take a good torch and gumboots

r.

Definitely worth the stop to see the glowworms

M.

This is a must see people, don't skip it and make plans to travel on that direction. Great place to stay over for the night and the cave is nothing but magical.

H.

Nice place, many glow worms and free

G.

Nice small wet caves. Nice cliffs about 12-15 m. Great introduction area. A bit of rubbish lying around was disappointing.

s.

Remember to bring few powerful torchlights or lanterns ...go in groups .. camping site... no phone reception but wifi available $10 per day...

J.

Fantastic cave, we didn't know what to expect and were very surprised when we found our way through the dark to see that many glow worms

T.

amazing place, camping right next to caves.... lots of glow worms. Amazed its free unlike most NZ glowworm caves.

M.

Bit crowded so will return on a quiet day not long weekend. Looked great and take a torch.

C.

Went for a road trip with the family and the kids absolutely loved this place they could have explored for hours definitely worth the visit

A.

Amazing, go with waterproof shoes if you care about it 😊

N.

Bit confusing without signage or info on were to go or how far etc for the walk.. Caves looked cool.

U.

Cool caves and bush walks. Love the ancient feel of the area. Free camping for 1 night. Well worth the visit.

N.

Excellent, mini glow worms caves, good experience walking thru the caves.

D.

Nice place with small picnic area and lof of parking space.

T.

Wicked walking track if you trust your instincts 😂 the cave is Amazing and definitely ticked off my to do list 😍

M.

One experince to not forget, pretty dark inside the cave so don't forget to bring flashlight, extra clothes, extra shoes

M.

Very nice to see! A little slippery but otherwise easily accessible. With Flipflops or go bare foot is fine.

A.

It was a curious stop for us. We didn't make it to far past the entrance as we were unequipped (proper footwear and lighting), really amazing place though

M.

You don't have to walk too much to see the glowworms. A nice experience for summer trips

F.

Awesome adventure for no price. Glow worms and low ceilings with stalagmites and stalactities. Great for kids.

R.

Awesome.

M.

Really nice caves with tausands of glowwarms

F.

Entrance are in the campground Worth to visit! Plenty of glowworm!

P.

Great little adventure for the Kids. Easy to get to. A torch would be helpful but managed easily with the light on a cell phone

s.

Make sure you visit them at night, the caves are beautiful with loads of glow worms!

G.

It's amazing to see all the glowworms shining, looks like a starry night sky, definitely worth visiting, and it's free.

P.

Amazing cave with glow worms. Bring a torch and watch out it can be slippery and wet but definitely worth it!

B.

perfect place too see free glow worms. Wonderfull. (during autumn and winter, bring yours gumboots)

L.

Fabulous and raw. No lights, no guides, no markers. Go when its dry, because the mud shows how high the water gets. Be prepared to crawl.

J.

Very cool, adventure starts at the beginning. Bring waterproof gear to go in further.

W.

Simply beautiful. And free which is nice when you are on a low budget

A.

Hopefully you can see all see whats the beautiful experience i have

W.

Beautiful nature scenes, toilet facilities, large picnic area, ample parking space

F.

Great over night camping !

F.

If you love stars and new exciting adventure do visit this place, the place would actually have you thinking that stars are on the earth that too under it..Beautiful, breathtaking experience..Loved it.

G.

Perfect place for a weekend visit..... Free of cost.....

J.

A brautiful place to see' and a place to bring the childten to introduce what is a cave look likev.

J.

Amazing place to explore! Take a head lamp or a torch!! And if anyone finds a pair of black sunglasses - they’re mine!

C. O.

Took me ages to actually find the worms. U have to go left after the entrance and Wade through the water until you can go no further. It's about 60m in.

a.

Glow worms! You can see them really clearly. Just take shoes with you that can get wet. And take a headlight with you, you will need it.

K.

An awesome way to spent a rainy afternoon. The water is not too deep, and we saw tons of glow worms

n.

Very busy. Very muddy. Well worth the slippery caving to see the glowworms

H.

Amazing caves but come with loads of glow worms! But come prepared and never in rain!

W.

Awesome caves, but prepare yourself to get wet to your waist and take a flashlight.

H.

Great place to visit. Just remember to wear your gumboots unless it's the middle of summer!

C.

Bring your jandals and flashlight....then turn them off, and watch the glowworms glow!! So fun!

R.

Awesome place - don’t forgot to take your headlamps with you. Jandals instead of shoes will be better.

Z.

Very nice place, glowworms are awesome! You walk through knee deep water.

C.

Awesome caves but come prepared with warm gear shoes and torches!!

M.

Great place. Free camping for 1 night. Exciting caves to explore.

D.

So beautiful, the cave is nice but the best is about the way you'll walk through.. funny and emotional

M.

free spot. glow worms. really nice spot. overnight allowed self contained

A.

A bit muddy and slippery but still great to explore. Your feet will get wet.

S.

Wow - big cave to be explored. Make sure you have sturdy boots and a powerful torch.

T.

Easy short walk to see glow worms, a bit muddy ankle deep water! Well worth detour

m.

Have been through and to Waipu so many, many times but never stopped here. Is a must see well worth the little drive off the main highway.

M.

Great experience. 2 min walk from the gravel road. Many glowing worms.

S.

Natural glow warm caves , safety gear is must when visiting

D.

Interesting cave, with a walk if you’re interested.

Y.

Very good experience.

G.

Caves are impressive, the walk to the top is good exercise and the views are brilliant.

P.

Nice undeveloped caves. We were unprepared. You need shoes to get wet in and a good torch.

M.

A must do if in the area. Can get very slippery.

O.

Underrated, better than Waitomo. One of the real treasures of Waipu. WRC used for have a circuit around these parts too.

A.

Interesting place, water was cold because of winter.

K.

Great little adventure for kids.

A.

Great cave , got to se heeps of glow worms. Free and easy access 😊

L.

Self guided walk to see abundant glowworms. Bring red light.

D.

Cool even with kids

C.

Free entry...glow worms ok..pleasant trip on gravel road in the countryside

c.

Great, if you don't mind getting your feet wet, the glow worms are amazing.

이.

Please Turn off the lantern when you see the Glowworm

I.

Great for little adventure with kids, stimulating the young explorers minds.

R.

Fest spot to check out glow worms for free, very muddy and slippery in the cave, prepare accordingly.

N.

You need to have a experienced local or guided tour to explore the cave.

G.

Great set of non commercial caves. Fun glowworm display especially at night.

V. G.

Amazing caves and view of Glow worms. Most of all, it's free.

D.

Nice caves, easy access. Bring head lights, walking shoes etc

J.

Very nice walk in the cave don't forget your head light !!!

P.

Amazing, fun exploring, way bigger than expected

C.

Well sign posted, easy to access. Not very dangerous but check the weather first

V.

One of the best holiday park in Northland. Especially for families with children.

r.

Amazing caves, just be prepared to get your feet wet

M.

Easy to walk before a pond . So many glowworms. Fantastic.

B.

Bring your own Rubber Boots, there are many water crossings!

M.

Definitely worth the trip. Recommend decent shoes and a good torch

M.

The best experience!

J.

Make sure to take good wet weather gear and a good torch

G.

Nice local attraction with reasonable facilities. Saw heaps of bird life on the way

A.

Great caves, glo-worms , bring torch or phone.

C.

It was muddy but we didn't care ! stunning part of New Zealand.

m.

Amazing glow worms...and it's free!

S.

Great caves and walk around the caves xx

D.

Kids loved this even though we were not prepared, we ventured in with cellphone cameras and had a great time.

p.

Awesome caves easy access but no good for push cars or infirm

J.

Very good. Free. Toilet s were out of order.

S.

Short walk through water to see the glow worms well worth it

E.

What a amazing experience! Millions of glow worms at their best

C.

Awesome. And great to be able to just wander in yourself. Bring a headtorch and wet shoes.

E.

Nice exploration site for caves.. the caves mouth is just near the parking

J.

Free to camp area with clean toilets. Beautiful nature.

H.

Awesome free experience. Need your own flash light.

C.

A small cabe full of glow worms.

c.

Free cave, awesome experience to see glow worms

A.

Wonderful experience. Perfect for camping and watching glowworms !

B.

You can explore by yourself, great even when getting went feet.

A.

Not as exciting as the name may suggest. there are descent hiking trails near by,

G.

Muddy after the rain. Really need to be prepared to do some swimming to do justice to the visit

舞.

Just amazing!! We found a milky way of glow worms!

C.

Nice spot to explore

M.

This was amazing! Go untill the end and take torches and good shoes. Amazing gloworms in there

J.

Great experience for kids and adults. Worth the drive

V.

Best ever place to indulge in Nature .. first time darkness was so glitter to watch.

R.

Pretty natural setting - in the sense of not having been developed, but good to go and look at

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