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
This is a once in a life-time experience and different from any other Glowworm Tour you'll go on!
Our adventure begins late afternoon / early evening at Riverside Adventures' base in South Waikato. Paddle along the southern edge of Lake Karapiro, over the old submerged Horahora Dam that produced electricity for the early Waihi goldfields.
Learn the history of the Horahora village and enjoy the twilight & silence of being on the water as the day draws to an end.
As night arrives over the lake , paddle slowly up the Pokaiwhenua Stream and through the canyon carved out by water over many hundreds of years. Native ferns & trees drape over you, bird life is all around.
When darkness falls we float silently back downstream, being guided by the glow worms on either side sparkling like Christmas lights.
See more
Kayak, PFD, Splash Pants/Jackets, Wetshoes
Departure Point
396 Horahora Road, Waikato 3484, New Zealand
396 Horahora Road, Piarere 3484, New Zealand Come along on a daytime canyon kayak tour, a glowworm tour, bike tour or more. 180 minutes
Wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
You need to have a moderate level of fitness and be able paddle yourself for 1 hour at a time.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
Moeava_T
10 Jun 2025
To see the glowworms, I tried the Waitomo tour, with the caves. I much preferred seeing them through this kayak tour. We go up the river before nightfall, on the way, we meet wild geese and the guide tells us a little about the history of the Waikato River. We cross a breathtaking canyon then we stop for a snack accompanied by a hot drink, before leaving again when night falls. There, we let ourselves glide with the current, crossing the canyon again, in complete darkness, little by little the glowworms appear, a magnificent spectacle.
Zoe_Z
10 Jun 2025
Never done a kayak before and the first time was both tiring and fun. The lake view was so beautiful and I saw many glowworns glowing like stars. In the night there was also silver river in the sky and kayaking under the silver river was unforgettable. Our guide was very interesting and knowledgeable, I learned a lot from this tour. I highly recommend this!
owen_fee
08 Jun 2025
The Twilight Kayak Glow worm tour was part of our Hauraki Cycle Trail package & what a way to start our trip. Lake Karapiro was as flat as a pancake. All suited up and in our kayaks for a leisurely paddle with great Autumn colours. Mack lead us providing local history and pointing out the local wildlife. Loved the wee cheese & chocolate picnic with hot drink before we turned around for the main event. Such fun to be kayaking in the twilight surrounded by glow worms in the gorge. All finished with a bit of star gazing on a clear and stary night.
This tour in
North Island
is organized by
Riverside Adventures Waikato
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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