Black Water Rafting Experience Waitomo Caves Tour

The tour was a lot of fun for my wife and I. It was just the right amount of excitement for the both of us. It was a short rapel and zipline. Most of the time was spent exploring the caves. Be prepared to be cold - they do provide wetsuits and booties.

We did not expect to be walking on uneven rocks to and in the caves, however the glow worms were worth it. Guides were helpful. Especially Kit. For those how are weak in the heart take the boat tour. Great time if you are going for it.

Our family of 8 had the best time ever on this experience! We did the Black Abyss Tour and we are so forever grateful we did. You get to abseil into the cave, then go on a zip line through the dark, all while seeing hundreds of glowworms! It was very cool. You get a few snacks along the way as well to keep you going. The rafting part was very cold, but all of us enjoyed our overall experience. I 100% recommend doing this tour!

You can see glow worms on another tour, but THIS is the way to do it! We did the Black Abyss Tour, and it was pricey but so worth it. I loved it! The guides do spend a lot of time getting you suited up and explaining things, but I tend to get nervous about physical activities like this, so I'll take all the safety briefing I can get. Our guides were wonderful. We had Jackson, and I feel terrible I can't remember our other guide's name, because he was the BEST! Shorter with nearly buzzed hair and glasses. He was hilarious as well. You don't have to do anything you're uncomfortable with on this trip, but it was challenging and fun. Learning to rappel (abseil) was super cool. I was a little surprised I had to feed the rope to start my descent though; guess my 135 pounds aren't enough. I was nervous about jumping into the water because I'm not a strong swimmer, but I was totally fine. You have an innertube for part of it. Your wetsuit keeps you buoyant, and I had no problem on the short stretch where you have to swim. I won't give away all the parts of the tour, but there is a lot of physical activity. There is another way around for almost everything though if you're uncomfortable with any activity. We had a smaller group, which made it more enjoyable too. I did not do the waterfall climb out, because I was too nervous, but I regret that, because Jackson was there and would pretty much push you up if you had any trouble at all. Absolutely book this tour! It was probably my favorite thing we did in New Zealand. The one and only complaint I have is you're not allowed to bring a camera or Go Pro, which would have been awesome. I do kind of understand, because it would be distracting and slow things down if everyone was trying to get their own photos. The only way you can get pictures is to buy the ones the guides take. The price wasn't bad, and we bought our group's package, but there weren't very many pictures of my husband and me, which was disappointing.

The staff was beyond amazing. They were very helpful and knowledgeable. The experience was amazing. While it was cold, it was worth it. They prepare your for that and your determination will warm you up. Pay extra for the 5 hour. You will not regret it.

This experience was amazing! We were a little hesitant since we were doing it in the winter, but it was still totally worth it. If you do it in the winter be prepared to be super cold. They give you everything you need to stay as warm as possible. At the end they even give you the chance to take a much needed hot shower.

Amazing!! The guides were wonderful and it was really a spectacular tour. The caves were incredible and the glowworms seemed 'otherwordly'. Just a fantastic experience!

Lots of fun. Really cool way to explore the caves and see the gloworms!

Simple and easy to register. Dale and Mikayla were fun guide a but also ensured safety, even advising where to put our feet! Wonderful floating and seeing the gloworm. VERY COLD, even by my standards. Hot shower and warm soup was a nice touch at the end.

This tour was so much fun that we are still talking about it 5 years later! Two thumbs up from us!