Waitomo Caves & Rotorua including Te Puia Small Group Tour from Auckland
Overview
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Waitomo Caves & Rotorua Tour, this small group, fully guided day trip combines Nature, Maori culture and two of the top attractions in the North Island together to form the ultimate day trip from Auckland. Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety.
Description
Please be aware that while lunch is not provided on this tour, there will be several opportunities for you to purchase food along the way.
Highlights:
· Waitomo Glowworm Caves
· Te Puia Geothermal Park & Pohutu
· Maori Cultural Village and Arts School
· Rotorua City Highlights
Itinerary:
1. Auckland - Your tour starts in New Zealand’s largest city. As we drive out of the city, your guide will not only set the scene for your adventure today, but also point out and guide you past some of the city’s top highlights.
2. Waikato – Exiting Auckland we drive south through the stunning Waikato countryside, the most extensive farming area in the world. Encounter stunning scenery, mighty rivers, great photo opportunities, beautiful mountains and several farm animals along the way. During this journey we pass through Taupiri which has many interesting sites of
cultural significance including local Maori burial grounds & cultural totem poles.
3. Pirongia - After passing through rich countryside and learning about some local history and the New Zealand Land Wars we stop in this idyllic little town for a quick coffee break.
4. Otorohanga - Continuing our adventure we enter Otorohanga “The Kiwiana capital of New Zealand”. See all things Kiwi as you pass through this unique and charming town.
5. Waitomo Caves – Arriving at our first feature attraction you will be guided through the ancient and amazing caves seeing many different cave formations including Stalactites, Stalagmites and Lime Columns before descending even further underground for your Glowworm experience. Board your glow-worm boat for a cruise on the grotto river with thousands of Glowworms sparkling above you. Unique to New Zealand for over 120 years, Waitomo Glowworm Caves are a must-see for any traveller.
6. Big Bird – On our way to our next destination, Rotorua, we stop outside Big Bird to see and meet some of our local friendly animals. These guys know our guides well and even though we do not have time to go inside the park, the friendly animals will often come to the fences for a photo or two, thrilling guests.
7. Te Puia Geothermal Park – Arriving at our second feature destination, Te Puia, you will receive a fully guided tour to best experience the geothermal and cultural wonders including: Pōhutu Geyser, Māori Architecture, The National Māori Arts School, geothermal craters, geothermal events and even the chance to view a Kiwi bird in the Kiwi viewing house.
8. Rotorua City Highlights – To finish off our Rotorua experience we do a guided driving tour seeing the most famous sites in Rotorua city including: Lake Rotorua, Rotorua Museum, Government Gardens, Whangapipiro (Rachel Spring) & the Blue Baths.
9. Auckland – Sadly we must start to head north again but your day is not over with a fully guided return trip to Auckland.
Optional Extras:
- One-way option from Auckland to Rotorua
What‘s Included
Fully Guided Small Group Tour
Entry Tickets
Water available & snacks provided
Meeting points
Select a meeting point
Cancellation Policy
Terms: Tours will only run if at least 5 people have booked on the tour, we reserves the right to alter the tour due to weather or operational needs.
A full refund will be issued for cancellations made a minimum of 10 days prior to the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
736 reviews
Engaging experience
michalism670,Jul 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The tour was exceptionally well organized and offered a great balance of nature, cultural, and educational experiences. Everything was comfortable and ran according to the full-day-long schedule, while Grant enriched the journey with interesting insights, additional information, and excellent time management.
Rotorua
ruthh916,Jul 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great tour, definitely worthwhile. Tour guide, Grant, was very helpful and informative.
Grand slam tour with Timmy
Nora A,Jul 5, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The time flew by with Timmy who gave us so much information during the tour and took us to some great spots for food and snacks. He was also quite the DJ and a very entertaining host. Waitomo is truly something that is unique and was great to learn about and we also were able to see some kiwis, see the geothermal activity and learn a lot about the Māori culture.
Great family day trip with Tim.
BostonHotrods,Jul 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great trip with Tim. Well organized, comfortable, fun, professional, and safe. Family had a great day out.
amazing
Karen G,Jun 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was an amazing experience. Grant was a great tour guide, happy to help!
wonderful
Road30423046635,Jun 25, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00great expericience with a perfect guide
Perfect!
Trip36272148340,Jun 22, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide, John, was incredibly kind and thoughtful. Even though our group was small, he created a lively and enjoyable atmosphere throughout the tour. In addition to the scheduled itinerary, he also shared recommendations for local food, culture and charming hidden spots, which made the experience even more memorable.
The tour was excellent. The visit to Waitomo Cave and Rotorua was wonderful experience. Highly recommended.
Freedom46161292426,Jun 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The tour arrangements are excellent. We arrived the Waitomo cave at 9 am. Well ahead of crowd. We travelled in small group.
Great tour and amazing...
Brian P,May 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great tour and amazing experience! It was an early day as there is quite a bit of driving but our guide stopped a couple of times and was attentive to what the group wanted. The Waitomo caves were so cool and a fun story and local guide. Te Puie was a great demonstration, geyser viewing and even got to see some kiwi birds. A long day but well worth it!!
Excellent Experience
Danielle J,May 25, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00I had a great time during this tour! Our guide was knowledgeable, kind, and prioritised our comfort throughout the day. Depending on the time of year, your small group tour could end up being fairly close to a private tour, so even better value for money! The Waitomo caves were a dream, and learning more about Maori culture at Te Puia was exactly what I hoped for and more. We even had a chance to see a kiwi bird during our visit to the Kiwi Conservation Centre on site! I'd highly recommend this experience for anyone looking to make the most of their time in New Zealand.
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