2 minute read
What to do in Waitomo
Ōtorohanga
Proudly celebrates and displays everything Kiwi. Don’t miss the Ōtorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park for a close-up look at our national icon – and see other native species including dinosaur-like tuatara.
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Te Kuiti
This is the shearing capital of New Zealand and hosts the annual New Zealand Shearing Championships and The Great New Zealand Muster. See the magnificent statue of All Blacks legend Sir Colin Meads.
Piopio
Known as ‘the little jewel on the highway’. This small community is set in rolling farmland and native forests. Take a Hairy Feet tour and walk around the farm where the troll and camp fire scenes in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey were filmed. In the township there are cafés, antique shops and a small museum. A rainforest, waterfalls and impressive limestone bluffs are close by.
Kāwhia
The coastal settlement of Kāwhia is steeped in Māori history and its hills and valleys hold many ancient secrets. Set on a beautiful harbour with glistening water and incredibly beautiful sunsets, Kāwhia has a definite laid-back lifestyle. Go swimming, surfing, fishing or sailing.
Ocean Beach
This is where hot springs bubble beneath the sand. For a few hours either side of low tide, visitors can dig their very own hot spa pool.
Marokopa Falls
About 31km west of Waitomo on Te Anga Rd, a 10-minute bush walk will take you to a viewing platform of the Marokopa Falls – described as one of the most beautiful waterfalls in New Zealand.
Te Kuiti country road
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NATURALLY FASCINATING Glowworm Caves
WAITOMO CAVES HAVE BEEN ENTERTAINING GUESTS FOR OVER 100 YEARS AND UNSURPRISINGLY THEY’RE AMONG THE MOST-VISITED TOURIST ATTRACTION IN THE COUNTRY. START AT THE WAITOMO CAVES DISCOVERY CENTRE.
Hobbits aside, one of the best ways to experience Waitomo is to go underground. Take an abseiling tour into the Lost World cave. This 100-metre-drop is the highest commercial abseil in New Zealand. Once you’re in, squeeze, jump and slide your way to ground level.
Waitomo Caves
Waitomo Adventures
The caves you see today have been 30 million years in the making, formed by underground streams carving out apertures through the limestone rock. The caves include deep caverns, luminescent glowworms and dark waterways, as well as amazing limestone formations.
This fabulous subterranean world is both eerie and captivating. Leaving daylight behind, you will enter an underground network of caverns and passages with pristine crystal formations. Don’t worry, it’s entirely safe and you won’t be alone. Tour guides deliver an informative commentary, sharing natural history and cultural legends.
For a little more adventure, there’s the option of black-water rafting on a tube beneath ceilings of sparkling glowworms, abseiling or ziplining within the caves.
ABOVE MAIN IMAGE: Kiwiana in Otorohanga © Peter Burchell
