Kawiti Glow Worm Cave Tour & Opua Forest Walk

Overview

Available languages

English

4 hours

Mobile ticket

This tour is for Cruise Ship customers and all members of the public staying in the Bay of Islands.

We visit the Kawiti Glow Worm Caves, the Hundertwasser Toilets and take a leisurely 30-minute walk through the Opua Forest. All tours are approximately 3 hours long and leave from the Waitangi wharf at 9.30 am on Cruise Ship days. On other days the tour leaves from the Paihia I-site at 9.30am.

The price includes Cave entry, and the Maori guides are members of the family who have owned the attraction for over 400 years.

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Children must be accompanied by an adult

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

All taxes, fees and handling charges

GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Food and drinks

What To Expect

Kawiti Glow Worm Caves

Our destination is the Kawiti Glowworm Caves where a local Maori guide will lead you through underground caverns to see the glow worms and tell you how the caves came to be found. Your 30 minute guided tour will follow a wooden boardwalk (with handrails) through a 200 metre limestone cave system. Once inside, you will see thousands of glow worms spread across the ceiling surrounded by breath taking stalactites and stalagmites.

45 minutes•Admission Included

Kawakawa Public Toilets by Hundertwasser

Then, a short drive to Kawakawa, location of the world famous "Hundertwasser Toilets" one of the few public toilets seen as an international work of art, designed by the expatriate Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, features the use of recycled materials from the local community.

35 minutes•Admission Not Applicable

Options

Kawiti Glow Worm Cave Tour

Reviews

4.68

107 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Did not disappoint.
Clark B,
Apr 21, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Interesting experience. Great views of this fascinating biology. Informative talk by a Mauri Local. Some steps and only a couple of stalagmites to avoid (if you are tall). Tour operator/driver/guide was very informative, and we enjoyed both the experience and his humor. Would do this again.
Our guide was new and not...
mary v,
Apr 15, 2025
- Viator
3.00
Our guide was new and not very informative throughout the tour. We sat in the back of the van and asked several times to turn up the volume on her mike but she said she didn’t want to blast everyone. So we missed much of her commentary because we couldn’t hear her over the road noise. The two sites themselves were very interesting, especially the glow worm caves. We had an excellent guide there.
Just OK
Carol W,
Mar 12, 2025
- Viator
3.00
Glow worm caves were interesting and fun, the rainforest walk was beautiful. The 45 minute break in that very small town is a waste of time.. I am guessing it was chosen for the public toilets. Our guide tried it be informative but his heavy German accent was a barrier.
We felt this was a bit...
Marla Y,
Mar 4, 2025
- Viator
3.00
We felt this was a bit overstated in its descriotion. The glow worm caves were interesting but the washrooms are far off in the distance so be prepared and the tour was less than spectacular. If you are on a ship tour, it is very crowded. The forest walk was nice.
Places of beauty with a small group
Karen Y,
Mar 2, 2025
- Viator
5.00
Holgar shared the beauty and mystery of NZ from stalagmites to 800 year old trees. He knew so much about the natural history of this area. There was some walking that demands one's attention.