kawiti caves

If you are in Bay of Islands, NZ these glow worm caves are well worth the short drive. The caves are privately owned and they are open to the public as an attraction. The caves are not set up with electricity so lantern are used to light the way. You walk on a boardwalk throughout. There are some places that demand extra attention so you don't slip but it is all quite easy. The glow worms are amazing and beautiful to see. There is plenty of time spent with all the lights off while you stand still and gaze at the myriad tiny glowing specks on the cave ceiling. At the far end of the cave you can trek up a fairly strenuous path through beautiful forest with large rocks along the way. If you are not up to the hike the guides will escort you back to the entrance which is much easier.

Although we have passed the turnoff to these caves many times driving north this was our first visit. It was fascinating and well worth a visit. We took visiting family and everyone enjoyed it. The walk back over the hill from the far end of the cave was interesting but be warned don't wear flip flops. You will have sore calves the next day. It might also be too steep for people with health issues. We would strongly recommend visiting the caves and seeing the awesome glow worms.

$20 pp entry fee made it much more affordable for us than other larger caves. Highly recommend this tour through the cave with more than enough glowworms and stalagmites etc. take a light jacket. It's chilly in the cave.

The caves are about 5 minutes south of Kawakawa down a metal road, well sign posted. We visited on a hot afternoon and waited a few minutes whilst the guide was out on another tour. There was a sign letting us know what time the next tour would be, and the guide returned within a couple of minutes of this. A couple of people turned up during this period then left when they found no one around - their loss I think, as it was clear that someone would be back soon.You cannot walk through the caves on your own, you must join a tour group, where you will tour the cave with a guide and whoever else has turned up at the same time.After paying our entry fee, our tour group (about 10 of us) entered the caves. The trip through the caves took about 20 minutes, and you had to stay with the tour guide. Lanterns were provided and several times these were turned off allowing us to view the spectacular glow worms above us. The walkway was all on a raised boardwalk, with some stairs involved (no wheel chair or buggy access that I could see). The rock formations were amazing - huge stalagmites and stalagtites, thousands of years old. And the rock was white - from limestone deposits. It was a stunning environment.The guide told us about the history of the cave - and the cycle of the glow worm. We got the chance to see the glow worms up close, including their threads.Once finished, we made our own way back to the start via a bushwalk. This was fairly steep and for NZ'ers probably not that exciting. There were several very elderly people in our group who were slow in the cave - I'm not sure how they would have managed the bush walk back (100 steps up, and 100 down). They may have had to return escorted through the cave. Check if you are concerned about this, you certainly couldn't take a baby buggy.The tour was a great way to see NZ glow worms in an easy environment. The only negative I felt was the entry fee $20 an adult and $10 a child, with no family pass. I thought this was a little expensive for a 20 minute tour. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

We visited on January 25 2015, and took a tour through the caves. We were welcomed by a lovely lady who allayed my fears of my 4 year old being too little to enjoy the tour. The guide we had through the caves was very knowledgeable and my children and I throughly enjoyed the tour. Saw loads of glow-worms and learn heap about them.Highly recommend the tour for the mobile. Those with walking issues, claustrophobia and issues with dark spots, don't do it as you will have issues.

For glow worm value, totally beats our Waitomo cattle-car experience. Guided tour led by some guys with lanterns, the glow worm viewing is truly excellent. Very small business, have to walk a good bit to get to the loos.Tour feels short for the steep price, and there's no unattended dawdling allowed inside the dampish (January, after unusually wet season) cavern. But the overland track on the self-paced return journey is magical, tho probably would be hard on those with creaky joints or mobility problems.

Kawiti Caves are a definite must-see. Glowworms at Kawiti are easily visible and quite spectacular!The walk-through is pleasant and not too taxing for those not up for a big trek!The guides are very friendly and informative.

We took our visiting European relatives to the caves as "seeing glow worms" was high up on their "must-do" list. As we hadn't visited this attraction before, we were anxious that the experience met their expectations. Thankfully we were all delighted with all aspects of our visit. The boardwalk was well constructed, our friendly and considerate guide gave us interesting anecdotes and clear information, and the attraction (stalactites & "mites", plus the busy little glow worms) more than lived upto our expectations.

Really fascinating and awesome glow worm caves. A short walk but possibly one of the most remarkable little excursion in whangarei. Worth a visit.

The Kawiti Glow Worm Caves are situated about five kms south of Kawakawa and only one km off the main road. They are well maintained and well worth the $20.00 entry fee as everyone is escorted through the Caves by knowledgeable guides who explain details of Maori history and give detailed information about the glow Worms and the Stalactites . This is a small local family operation but well organised and well worth the time it takes to view the caves. The exit through the bush is pleasant but if the weather is rough it is better to return back through the caves as the track is a little steep in places.

The Kawiti glow worm caves were a lovely stop on the way from Whangarei to Cape Reinga. Price was reasonable. The caves were pretty and could be even better if you let your imaginary fly. Sometimes you could get so close to the glowing worms you just wanted to grab them, put them in a jar and bring them home (but nah, you shouldn't do that haha). A guide was a very friendly and informative lady, who would share with you a great story of their family-owned business. You can tell from her stories the genuine love for the caves. The 15-min walk through the caves was impressive. The bush walk following it to get back to the reception was relaxing but wasn't very special. Anyhow, it was a satisfying visit and I would recommend you to check it out!

This place is BEAUTIFUL, not just inside the caves but the surrounding areas too.It is a small family run business and the tour was short but we found it to be the perfect length, it really did not need to go on longer. The amount of glow worms were imcredible, we really were speechless. Our guide, Te, was knowledgeable, funny and kind and we felt comfortable asking him questions and joking with him.My only warning is that the short walk through the bush at the end of the trip is pretty steep! There are places to rest though and it is a lovely walk. I recommend this place to everyone!

My wife and I stopped here on our way from Paihia to Auckland and were not disappointed. On our way up, we saw signs for this place and when leaving Paihia, we asked a local what they thought of the Kawiti Caves, and they said it was an even better experience than the more prominent Waitomo Glowworm Caves. While we did not visit Waitomo personally, I can say that we were very satisfied by the Kawiti Caves. The glow worms were absolutely amazing and the kind of thing you can't just see anywhere. I would highly recommend this place.From what I gather, this is a small operation ran by a single family, and they do a great job at it. One thing of note, when we arrived, there was an ongoing tour and thus, no one manning the booth while you pay. There was a little clock saying that they would return for there next tour. Some people left when they saw this, but we waited, and sure enough, they were there around the time the clock said they would.

Not a glamorous tourist spot by any stretch of the imagination, just a dirt road off the highway between Whangarei and Kawakawa, but so worth the detour. The caves are sensational and have been part of the same Maori family for generations. Our guide was a member of this family and incredibly relaxed and informative and able to answer all questions. The walk is not strenuous at all and the glow worms are extremely close once the lights have been extinguished. There is a beautiful forest walk at end of cave walk back to carpark.One not to be missed.

This cave would be as good as any other gloworm cave in Unzud. Not huge, but well looked after. One of the best gloworm displays I have seen. Very informative and friendly guide. Not expensive.