Waitomo Caves With Kids
Children are welcome in the Waitomo caves, and a couple of operators set an age limit. The things that actually decide it are stairs, complete darkness and a chamber that carries every sound.
Can children go into the caves at all?
Yes. The show cave takes children and most tours here welcome them, with the usual condition that they are accompanied. A couple of operators set limits. One small-group day trip is for ages five and up and says it is not suitable for infants. One long transfer is not recommended for children under two because of the hours in the vehicle, which is a fair warning rather than a rule.
Everywhere else the constraint is not a rule at all. It is stairs, dark and acoustics.
The stairs
The show cave has stairs throughout, on the way in and again down to the jetty, on made paths. If your child walks confidently they will be fine; if yours needs carrying, you will carry them the whole way. There is no pushchair route: several tours are flagged pushchair friendly, and that refers to the vehicle rather than the cave. The access page sets out what each cave asks of you.
Ruakuri is the flatter option. It is entered by a man-made spiral ramp rather than a stairway, and it runs 90 minutes on foot. It has no boat, which for some children is the deciding factor in the other direction.
The dark, and the silence
The last stretch of the boat ride is done with the lamp off, in silence, and that is the part to prepare your child for before you go. It is complete darkness apart from the ceiling. Most children find it thrilling; some find it a lot.
The chamber also carries every sound. One family reported a crying infant audible through the whole grotto, which is a fair warning in both directions — for the family it happened to, and for everyone else in the boat. If your baby is having a difficult day, a later departure is free to move up to 24 hours before.
Ages, seats and what each tour allows
| Tour | Minimum age | Infant seats | Pushchair flagged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small-group Hobbiton and Waitomo day tour | 5 | Not stated | Not stated |
| Rotorua to Auckland transfer | Under 2 not recommended | Yes | Not stated |
| Hobbiton & Waitomo day trip from Auckland | Accompanied children | Yes | Yes |
| Waitomo, Kiwi House & Blue Springs | Accompanied children | Yes | Yes |
| Waitomo Glowworm Caves guided tour | Infants on laps | Not stated | Not stated |
Minimum ages and seat availability as each operator publishes them. A blank means that operator publishes nothing either way.
Which tour suits which age
- Under five: the show cave tour on its own, driving yourself. Forty-five minutes is a length a small child can hold, and a twelve-hour coach day is not.
- Five to ten: a combination day trip. The Hobbiton Movie Set does a lot of the work, and the cave is short enough to stay novel.
- Ten and up: the twin-cave day trip, if they are interested in caves rather than tolerating one. Ruakuri Cave is the half most families remember.
- Mixed ages: the day that adds the Otorohanga Kiwi House and Blue Spring, which gives everyone something.
Nobody gets a photograph. Cameras are banned in the show cave, which for a child expecting to film it is worth saying before you arrive rather than at the door — the reason is on the glowworms.
The drive, and what to do with it
On a day trip from Auckland the cave is 45 minutes and the road is five or six hours. That ratio is the thing you plan around with children, and it is not a criticism of the tours — Waitomo is simply a long way from where you are staying.
The small-group operators break the drive with a stop, and several carry Wi-Fi. The coach option has an on-board restroom, which on a twelve-hour day with a young child is worth more than it sounds. If you have a car, driving yourself and buying the cave tour alone turns the same visit into a half day and costs a quarter as much — the route is straightforward.
What children notice that adults do not
Two things, consistently. The first is the boat: not the glowworms but the fact that a guide is pulling a boat through a cave by hand along a wire, in the dark, which is a more concrete kind of impressive than a ceiling. The second is the silk lines, once someone explains that the lights are bait and the threads are the trap. The glowworms has the detail, and it is a better briefing than anything the tour has time for.
What they mind less than adults expect is the dark. What they mind more is the standing about at the visitor centre before it starts.
Where to sit, and other small things
On the boat everyone sits and the guide takes the back, so there is no good seat and no bad one. What does help is being near the front of the walking group rather than the back: the guide talks while walking, and a child at the rear of twenty people hears none of it.
The other small thing is the visitor centre. Arrive at the 30-minute mark rather than an hour early, because there is not a great deal to do there and a restless start makes the cave harder work than it needs to be.
The practical list
- A warm layer each. The cave is cool all year and children feel it first.
- Shoes with a grip. The paths are made but damp.
- Food. Only some tours include a meal, and the ones that do not say so plainly in their exclusions.
- Request an infant seat at booking. One operator charges extra and asks for 24 hours' notice.
- Check the day length before you commit — the drive from Auckland is two and a half to three hours each way.
The short version for families
A twelve-hour day trip with a young child is a twelve-hour day trip. The cave will be forty-five minutes of it and the rest is a minibus. If you have a car, the rotorua to waitomo caves tour option that is just the cave is the kinder plan, and it costs a quarter as much. If you do not, book the shortest combination day you can find and treat the Movie Set as the main event.
Read next: stairs, ramps and every tour · what happens underground · every question answered · Waitomo Caves Tours.
Tours this post is about
The family-friendly days: both admissions handled, a meal included, and one that swaps a hobbit hole for a kiwi.
