Booking fee
The booking fee includes the costs of booking your tickets such as charges for payment processing. It also covers the provision of our customer care center for processing your order, and all charges imposed by our suppliers.
* This tour requires at least one of the following per booking: Adult, Senior
Glide on a journey from Auckland to Waitomo in a private luxurious vehicle to explore the Ruakuri Cave on an exhilarating underground adventure that involves climbing, black water tubing, floating, and leaping over cascading underground waterfalls including a delicious BBQ buffet lunch and get close and personal to New Zealand’s iconic national bird at Kiwi house and native bird park.
Private transportation
Fully guided private return transfers from Auckland
Admission to BBQ buffet lunch at Waitomo Homestead
Float down the underground river in rubber tubes while admiring the glowworm displays above
Admission to Kiwi House Native Bird Park
Air-conditioned vehicle
Marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites that decorate the cavern walls
Complimentary pick up and drop off from Auckland
Complimentary refreshments and water onboard
Enjoy climbing, black water tubing, leaping, and floating through Ruakuri Cave
WiFi on board
All the necessary safety equipment provided including footwear, tubes, wetsuits, and helmets
A local English-speaking tour escort throughout the tour
Luxurious temperature-controlled private transportation in a minibus
Jump into cascading underground waterfalls, reflecting the glowworms above
Complimentary High Speed Internet onboard the minibus
BBQ Buffet Lunch
All Fees and Taxes
Admission to 3-hour Black Labyrinth black water rafting guided experience
Breakfast
Dinner
Departure Point
8 Customs Street East, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Traveler pickup
137-147 Quay Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
107 Quay Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Auckland Intl Airport, Auckland Central, New Zealand
Auckland Central, Auckland Central, New Zealand We pickup travellers from most locations in the Auckland CBD location. If your pickup location is not available on the list, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our very best to accommodate your request. 15 minutes
Bombay Hills, Waikato 2472, New Zealand The Bombay Hills are a range of hills to the south of Auckland, New Zealand. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland region, and serve as a divide between Auckland and the Waikato region. directly named after the ship Bombay, The ship itself was named after the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Bombay Means: a breed of black short-haired medium-sized cat.
2189 Gordonton Road, Taupiri 3791, New Zealand We stop to get some great coffee at your own expense and a comfort break before we continue our journey into the Waikato region. 15 minutes
Te Awamutu, Te Awamutu, New Zealand Te Awamutu calls itself the ‘Rose Capital of New Zealand’. During the blooming season, November to April, the garden next to the visitor centre is a technicolour dream as 2000 rose bushes turn on the charm.
584 State Highway 3, Waitomo Caves 3977, New Zealand The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co’s original & most popular tour is the Black Labyrinth tour. This popular activity takes approximately three hours with one hour underground and involves a combination of walking and floating on an inner tube through a unique underground river system. Equipped with all the caving gear you need – wetsuit, helmet, footwear, and most important of all, meeting your friendly and passionate guides, it’s time to gear up and test out your tubing skills. Once you’re comfortable in your tube you’ll enter the cave through a hole in the rock & be straight into the underground waters. Spend the next 3 hours weaving around and climbing over rocks, jumping off not-too-high waterfalls, floating beneath a sky of glow worms, and most importantly, having the most fun you’ve ever had in the dark. Your guides will share stories of local Maori legends, how these limestone caves & their features have formed, as well as telling you the unusual life cycle of the glowworms. 180 minutes
584 State Highway 3, Waitomo Caves 3977, Neuseeland After three magical hours you’ll emerge into native bush in the Waitomo Forest, refresh with a hot shower, then enjoy a delicious BBQ buffet lunch at the homestead of Waitomo. 30 minutes
Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park, Otorohanga, New Zealand Visit the Kiwi house native bird park to get close and personal to New Zealand’s iconic national bird. Best place in NZ to see a Kiwi, close viewing of our national bird in moonlit nocturnal enclosure. It’s a truly authentic New Zealand nature experience in the heart of the North Island. 60 minutes
Auckland Central, Auckland Central, New Zealand After an exhilarating fun-filled adventure experience at Waitomo, it is now time to head back to Auckland to conclude your evening and drop-off at your hotel in Auckland. 15 minutes
Specialized infant seats are available
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Public transportation options are available nearby
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Minimum weight restriction of 45kg+ apply
Guides at Waitomo reserve the right to refuse to take anyone into the cave that they consider to be unsuited for the tour (e.g. physically incapable or too small).
Participants must be 12 years old or over (proof of age may be required)
Good and moderate fitness level is required
Just bring yourself, your swimwear, a towel, shower gel and a thirst for adventure.
No caving experience is needed!
The water temperature is 10-14C / 50-57F year-round so doing the activity in winter will feel almost the same as doing the activity in summer
Photos are taken for you throughout the experience where you’ll get to view and purchase your photos at the end of the tour
Cameras, including GoPros, can’t be taken on the tour
Tours only run if it is safe, which is the vast majority of the time. However, prolonged heavy rain can result in rising water levels in the caves, in which case the tours would be cancelled.
Each participant requested to complete a disclosure document and provide information relation to health, physicality, impairments, and water preparedness.
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
barbaraf835
27 Apr 2024
My husband and I, both in our 60’s, had an amazing adventure. I’m a little afraid of heights but it wasn’t a problem. The training in how to use the rappelling gear made a big impact. The hardest part for me was walking up the hill after getting out of the cave. Shout out to Teddy for helping me during the last part of the caving experience. Cannot recommend it enough!!
Scruffalugs
18 Jan 2024
This was an incredible experience, and I am so glad we did it. My kids (12 and 16) rate it as one of the top experiences of their trip.
There was actually a problem with our booking (entirely my fault - I booked it for the wrong day), and the staff at reception were kind and helpful getting us rebooked onto a tour with short notice, and then gave us some great advice on what to do and see whilst waiting the next few hours.
Our guides, Hannah and Leah (and our excellent driver Pippin) were incredibly professional, relaxed and heaps of fun - they brought energy and excitement to our experience with a wonderful sense of humour. I was so immensely impressed with how they handled the impulsive energy of my 12 year old son, making sure he was having fun whilst always prioritising safety. They were exceptional and made our experience a really special adventure.
713gavins
01 Jan 2024
This review is twofold-- one for the Blackwater Rafting Co, and one for ExperienceKart.
EXPERIENCE KART:
Firstly-- the drive from Auckland and back was gorgeous! Secondly, we were the only three people who had booked the tour, so we got a pretty personalized experience. Karthik was really nice-- he even took us back to the hotel a few minutes after departure when I realized I'd forgotten something. We learned a lot about the places we passed along the way, we got snacks, and had a chance to eat lunch before heading off back to Auckland. Karthik even dropped us off at Mount Eden, to help us make it in time before sunset! I couldn't recommend this company enough. Especially our guide Karthik, who was super cool and made the experience 10 times better!
BLACKWATER RAFTING CO:
Booking this experience, I was a little scared, being a weak swimmer and, like most people(?), am afraid of dark and narrow spaces. But blackwater rafting was amazing! Everyone was right-- this IS the best way to see the glow worms. I'd visited and done a regular tour a few years ago, but the blackwater experience blows it out of the water. Just walking through the caves was already awesome. Sprinkle in a few waterfall jumps and the glide under the glowworms at the end and you've got an unforgettable experience. The blackwater rafting co folks were really kind and great guides! I always felt safe in the water and they took good care of us. The caves themselves actually felt quite roomy. I'm also not the most athletic person out there, but this was pretty breezy. A good metric would be; can you climb stairs, stand in the tides on a beach without falling over, and are okay stepping walking for thirty minutes straight? Anyways-- next time, I'm coming back for the black abyss experience.
TL;DR super worth it! you won't regret it!
This tour in
North Island
is organized by
ExperienceKart
We always double-check the availability with our local partners for each booking. Even though this is usually a swift process, it can take up to 24 hours. Once this process is completed you will receive your voucher or ticket by email. If our local partner is not able to confirm your booking we will offer you the best possible alternative. If the new date and/or time doesn’t fit your itinerary, we will reimburse the full amount paid.
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