Private Waitomo Glowworm Cave Tours

I was honored to take part in the underground cave exploring experience with Down to Earth Waitomo - Glowworm Cave Tours . I have to give it a 10/10 as an experience and a 20/10 for the support and customer experience with full credit to Ash our trusted leader and guide. Without whom I could never have accomplished this physical challenge which pushed my limits and inspired me to never doubt or give up on myself. It was truly mesmerizing. A once in a lifetime experience not to miss

This was an absolutely incredible tour. Ash was a very knowledgeable and fun tour guide. I would do this tour again in a second. Thanks for making this one of the highlights of my New Zealand vacation with my brother!

We wanted to find an intimate, personalized glowworm cave tour, and were fortunate to come across Down to Earth which offered all of this and more. Ash is a member of the fourth generation family to own these caves, and took us on a relaxed and very well-informed tour. Never having explored glowworm caves before, our expectation was to enter some caves, see some glowworms and leave, but this was far from the complete picture. The family are thoughtful and sensitive stewards of their land and take the trouble to reintroduce native plants to sustain the soil and provide breeding sites for the insects consumed by the glowworms themselves. Ash explained all of this to us on a well laid out and maintained trail on our way to the caves. The glowworm displays themselves are extraordinary in their own right, but the caves are their own very beautiful natural wonder. We enjoyed wending our way through them and along the flowing river at our feet as much as we did the glowworms themselves. Ash provided a thoughtful commentary on the glowworms, their life cycle and diet which added to our enjoyment. If you’re seeking a personalized and informed exploration of a true natural wonder, offered on an intimate scale, you could do no better than booking with these wonderful people. They are highly attentive to safety and are both informed and helpful on their tours. Tea or coffee and cookies (properly speaking biscuits) finished out our time in the caves. A top-rated experience!!

An absolutely incredible experience! Ash was, without a doubt, the best tour guide we’ve ever had! The fact that this land was personal to him and his family came through with every step. The visual of the glow worms was stunning, but getting there was just as fun! Highly recommend this family owned, dedicated tour!

Absolutely wonderful! So much more than the typical Glowworm tour. Truly unique, fun, and memorable. Highly recommend for anyone fun and adventurous! Thanks Ash, you were a perfect guide.

This was a fun and unique experience. Getting all dressed up in their clothes and galoshes and then wading into the tunnels at night was such a treat. Ash was a great guide. He put up with our American humor and helped us navigate through the caves on his families land! I would totally recommend this tour over any where you sit in a boat for 20 minutes. We spent 3+ hours in god's magnificent wonderland, full of glow worms and other critters!

So much fun. Ash was both entertaining and accommodating to make sure we had fun and were safe the entire way. The cave were beautiful and the experience is like no other.

Down To Earth was an excellent stop on our tour of showing family and friends around NZ. The tour guide, Ash, made the experience unforgettable with a great dose of kiwi humour and extensive knowledge of the caves to go along with it. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great experience off the beaten track. Family owned and operated.

Choose this Glow Worm tour. Unique Hidden Gem. Been on others and this is so Much more, with personal touch, small group.TONS of time in cave - no rush Pics w glow worms no charge. Experienced guide, Ash, knows SO much about the caves and glow worms because he lives there. He’s fun, personable interesting. Beautiful countryside farm and scenery. Lovely short stroll through beautiful woods and hills into and out of caves. Its tops notch with a family touch.

It is very hard to imagine that there is any other tour that can match this one! 100% custom to your group’s ability and confidence level. If you are interested in exploring caves, experiencing the glowworms and going on an adventure, this is the tour for you! Well worth the time and money.

Without a doubt one of the bestest, funest, most uniquest things we did during our month Down Under (and we crammed lots of terrific things into this trip)! The cave alone with its subterranean features, river, and eels was a spectacular adventure. But wait, there’s more: the Glowworms! Simply extraordinary. Like looking at the night sky on a pitch-black night. And I have to mention Ash, tour guide extraordinaire. He was knowledgeable, engaging, and funny and made sure we had an enjoyable and safe experience. Well worth the drive we made from Auckland for the day.

We had a wonderfull time on the tour. Ash is a Great Guide. We did mess up the rebooking and appeared on the wrong day. They were really concerned about us Not turning up. Us showing up on the next day was no Problem what so ever.

We loved our private cave tour! Unique experience & certainly not like the 'normal' cave tour. Ash was a fantastic guide - fun, competent & encouraging. Loved all the pics he took for us & his personal knowledge of the caves. Thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Amazing experience. Ash was an awesome guide- knowledgeable, encouraging, interesting and just what the group needed. I would give it six stars if I could!

Fantastic experience! Very knowledgeable and friendly guide. Safe experience throughout. I would highly recommend the trip to anyone looking for a more adventurous glowworm experience.

The most incredible experience. The walk down the gorge was breathtaking enough let alone the tour through the caves. Our guide Ash was so knowledgeable &, as you would expect, safety conscious. I highly recommend this tour to those wanting a unique adventure. An adventure you will never forget.

Our tour with Ash exceeded all our expectations. The location was beautiful, the tour was well paced and gave us plenty of views of the glow worms. We were well kitted out for the trip with clothing provided by the tour. Ash was thoughtful about the ability level of each member of our party and had options for the more adventurous of us. It’s clear the family appreciates the treasure on their property and want to share it with those of us lucky enough to be guests.

We had an excellent tour of the cave. Ash was great! He very informative and funny! Thank you for an amazing experience! Definitely sharing Down to Earth to friends.

We booked this tour when we were unable to book some of the other glow worm cave tours. This was hands down one of the best vacation tours we've ever experienced. Our guide, Ash, was phenomenal! He was kind, funny and met all of our special accommodation needs. Our daughter is hearing and visually impaired, which we notified them of ahead of time, and they were so kind and accommodating throughout the experience. This is a private tour and a walk in and walk out tour, but Ash gave us all the time we needed so our daughter, 25 years old, could experience it with the family. Would highly recommend this for a more personal experience.

This adventure was really cool. Ash, our guide, was excellent and taught us a lot about the cave and glow worms. He was funny, and super patient and helpful with some of us who needed a bit of assistance scrabbling over some of the rocks. Taking pictures for us was a great bonus. Highly recommend!

We loved this off the beaten path experience (with Ash) so much - it was a highlight of our trip! A great cave, some scrambling around, and of course glow worms. Ash was a great guide and full of interesting info. We're really glad we chose this vs. one of the larger more commercial caves/tours.

An unbelievable experience! Ash was an amazing tour guide. I highly recommend this to any one interested in exploring the caves . climbing involved so make sure your knees are ok

It was an AMAZING experience!! Our guide Ash was so knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. He made it even better. The clothing...caves...glowworms...stalagmites...stalagtites...fossils were just amazing!!

I would highly recommended for the beautiful cave but also the amazing guide!! Best Guide ever. The cave is beautiful and splendide, especially the glowing worms!!

This is was a wonderful experience without the commercial hype. Very professionally run. We shared the experience with family and small group of friends it was challenging, adventurous and truly beautiful. The guide was fun and friendly I would highly recommend this experience.

This is the best cave tour we have ever been on. True spelunking led by an expert guide; not a young kid leading you on a groomed path giving you rehearsed lines. Ashe was a wonderful guide who quickly got to know us and tailored the experience to us. We climbed over rocks and through narrow places but always felt safe. We went in the coldest part of the year and even though our feet got wet in the streams the constant moderate temperature inside the cave kept us plenty warm enough. This would be a realistic place for Gollum's cave and the Glow Worms make it even more special. We definitely recommend this tour service for anyone wanting to go on an adventure.

Great experience. Our guide Ash was very personable and very knowledgeable . Be prepared to exert some physical activity but well worth it. This a walking tour through a cave which requires you to navigate some narrow passages Ash was there to assist any of us that needed help

Great little family business. Ash was a very experienced guide, we had an amazing time and enjoyed the tour a lot. Thanks a lot!

We were a group of 7 ages from 25 to 60. Our guide Ash was the best, he was very funny but serious about safety at all times. The whole walk was beautiful with some challenging steps and water to our knees.

We went on the 3 hour private cave tour with our 10 and 12 year old girls and everyone loved it! The countryside is absolutely stunning, Ash was a phenomenal host and guide and looked out for our 10 year old the entire time because she was a bit uneasy at times. The topography is just breathtaking. The private tour is an expensive trip but for us it's worth it to get one on one time and a more personal experience. The best part was that Ash took photos of us along the way and emailed the copies FOR FREE after we returned. Many of these commercial operations will take photos of you but will charge you for the photos.

Was a tour experience for a class I was taking. Tour guide, Ash was extremely knowledgeable about the caves and the land history. He and the business are very eco friendly and actively helping New Zealand Predatory Free 2050 which is awesome. He knows his stuff and cares about each member of his group. Smaller groups are better for them as it makes the experience more personable.

It was a great experience. All gears are provided. Such fun to walk in the stream in the cave. Glowworms can be seen close up too. If you like a bit of adventure and lots and lotsof fun it is a good fit 😊

Did the Gloworm cave tour with Down to Earth with Ash as a guide. The cave experience is unique and beautiful. Ash was amazing, took lots of pictures for us inside the cave, was very friendly throughout - plus we got cookies, coffee and tea afterwards! Very much recommended.

This was an absolutely fantastic experience and I highly recommend it. The entire family enjoyed it and will remember it as an absolute highlight of our New Zealand trip. The host was wonderful, the caves spectacular, everything was perfect. Fantastic company- at every stage they were so easy to deal with. I really cannot speak highly enough of this experience.

The private tour was the highlight of this particular activity - our family was able to enjoy this amazing place as a group, with Ash as our very knowledgeable and patient guide through the caves. It has all sorts of scenery and is enough of a physical challenge to get the heart-rate up! We learned heaps along the way, and the glowworm cavern was a unique quiet experience. Ash took photos along the way and these were later emailed to us free of charge - great memories. We were able to take our own photos as well, but getting everyone in the group photos was appreciated. Highly recommend as a family/group activity.

Our personalised tour was one of the highlights of NZ! Learned a lot about the biology of the caves and the glow worms themselves - nature is amazing! Ash was very friendly, hilarious and informative and made it an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended!

I was fortunate to go on this truely awesome adventure. It had everything- fast flowing water (filling up your gumboots). Glow worms, tight spots, stalagmites, stalactites, and amazing scenery. All this with Ash who guided and entertained us throughout the 3 hours. The tour; with all clothing provided; ended with a hot drink and biscuit. This tour is a must and worth every penny. Ross

The most fun I've had in ages. Our tour was basically the "off the beaten track tour". Whole family loved it. Great guide. Really memorable experience.

We had a fantastic afternoon visiting Glowing Adventures. The group was small (only 4 of us) and the trip about 3 hours long. Heath our guide was great and had the right balance of humour and reassurance to encourage us through the smallest holes and gaps and tunnels to get from one cavern to the next. It felt like a proper adventure! The big glow worm cavern at the end was wonderful and it was lovely just to switch off our lights and let our eyes adjust to see the spectacle above us. Thank you Heath for a great afternoon!

Exploring the natural glow worm cave with our tour guide and family of five ranks as one of our top experiences while traveling New Zealand for a month. On this adventure, you get up close with the glow worms, are the only ones in the caves, are properly outfitted and are led by a knowledgeable guide who adds much to the day. We have wonderful memories of our time in Waitomo and some great pictures they sent us afterward. Thanks, Glowing Adventures!

It was perfect ! Ash was the best guid we ever know and the cave was magnificient ! Real pleasure !!!!

We just had our glowing adventure yesterday and I must say it’s been one of the best family tours ever!!! What captured me most to make the booking was the fact that it’s private and you can really get up close and personal with the glow worms. The guide has been superb! Ash was so hilarious during the 3-hr eco tour. Worth the trip and price with all the gears provided and a delicious cookie treat at the end of the tour. Lying down on the rocks, with the sound gushing water, watching thousands of glow worms - ahh just magical! Highly recommended!

This tour was so easy to book. The tour was like no other tour we've done before! We didn't have to wait for any lines or any groups before ours. We had a big group and Ash and Heath did a good job entertaining us and checking up on everybody while we were climbing the boulders and trying to squeeze through the rocks . The caves and glow worms were amazing! We got to spend a good 10 minutes looking at the glow worms in the dark. It's as if we were watching stars in the night sky! They also got good photos of us going through the caves. If you want to do a more challenging tour that involves glow worms, I would highly recommend this tour!

We visited them with our 9 year old . This is as authentic a cave exploration you can have in a guided tour . We landed up in the month of October when it had rained quite a bit and as our luck would have it was raining the day of our booking as well . Our guide was Heath and after waiting out for it to thin out a bit we started our tour . It’s a short walk and then a climb down toward the mouth of the cave . Our guide was very well versed with every corner of the cave and despite the fact that there was waist deep gushing waters while we traversed we were able to keep pace and explore quite a bit of the cave . People who have claustrophobia or aren’t comfortable squeezing through narrow crevices might want to avoid it . It’s completely dark down there and the only light is coming from the bulb on our helmets . We had a great view of the stalactites and stalagmites. And towards the end , the beautiful glow worms as well . Heath was quite adept at taking some really great pictures . We took a private tour so it was just the three of us and we covered the whole portion of the cave in about 2 hours . We were wet , cold and exhausted but we had a great experience . Ps: they provide you with a set of clothes , boots and helmet . You also have an option of taking a shower later on and they offer you warm beverages and cookies at the end . Pps : phones , camera , car keys passports and wallets aren’t allowed on the trip . The guide carries a camera phone and clicks pictures so he can send the link to your email id.

It was a really great tour and was very interesting. The caves are really beautiful and interesting. The glow worms are awesome.

Top notch operation, prefer small groups and they put in a lot of effort to ensure high quality, safety and an incredible visual experience. This is not the usual run of the mill touristy experience that some of the other companies in Waitomo offer. The experience is a proper caving exploration, with knowledgeable guides who know the area for the last few decades. Incredibly patient with my 10 yr old daughter and guided us through rocky caves, gushing underground streams and finally to a majestic underground cave that slowly lit up with glow worms as we switched off our electric helmet lights with nothing else but the sound of rushing water in the darkness. Spectacular! This is a family run business and they are absolutely wonderful human beings, too. Our camper van broke down while we were in their parking lot and they were very kind and helpful with us.

We really enjoyed the caving experience with Heath. He was fun and the route had just the right level of adventure. Our 10 year old loved it and wanted me to say that it’s a great place to learn about glow worms and chemistry. After we finished the tour we found our campervan would not start. Michelle was a gracious host through out long wait for help, going so far as to offer her own home when we struggled to find an alternative place to stay as it was the Easter weekend. It was a brilliant experience made even better by how they went out of their way to be helpful.

This was a fantastic experience! Such striking limestone formations within the cave. The glow worms that stick to the roof of the cave are amazing to view. It is cool, damp and very dark and very quiet inside the cave. A must see while in this area of New Zealand.

Just Wow. Our 10 year old wants to do more caving. It's terrible that this has been on our doorstep this long and it took international visitors to get us there. Incredible Kiwi experience. Ash a brilliant guide, Michelle a gracious host. Thank you!!!