Waipu Caves

Waipu Caves are the unusual case of a substantial glowworm cave that is completely free and completely unmanaged - no ticket, no guide, no handrail and no lighting of any kind. You walk in from a paddock, and within about a hundred metres the daylight is gone and the ceiling of the main chamber is covered in glowworms, in numbers that stand comparison with the commercial caves further south. What that costs is that everything is on you: a stream runs through the floor so your feet get wet, the rock is slippery, a headtorch each is essential and a spare is sensible, and the cave floods in heavy rain, which has trapped people. Do not go in if rain is falling or forecast, and do not go alone. Turning your torches off in the main chamber, standing still and letting your eyes adjust is the whole experience, and it is worth doing properly.

What you actually see

• The glowworm ceiling - the main chamber, lights off.
• The stream floor - waded, ankle to shin deep.
• The formations - stalactites in the unlit passages.
• The paddock walk - the short approach from the car park.

When to go

Any season, but only in settled weather. The cave floods in heavy rain and people have been trapped - if rain is falling or forecast, do not enter.

Honest expectations

There is no lighting, no guide and no supervision. Take a headtorch each plus a spare, wear shoes you can soak, and go with someone. It is muddy, cold and genuinely dark. Do not touch the formations or the glowworms.

Nearby

Waipu village and Waipu Cove are east; Whangarei is north.