Waitomo Caves are limestone caves near Te Kuiti, in the North Island of New Zealand. Waitomo includes the Cathedral Cave, which has acoustics like a concert hall. A grotto, which tourists can reach by boat along an underground stream, features glowworms hanging from the ceiling. Two other cave systems, Ruakuri and Aranui, complete the complex.
English surveyor Fred Mace and Māori Chief Tāne Tinorau first explored the caves in 1887. Local Māori people had long known of the caves, but had not explored them. Chief Tāne began guiding groups of visitors to the glowworm cave in the 1890’s. Ruakuri opened to tourists in 1904. In 1906, New Zealand’s government began to administer the caves. In 1989, the government returned the land to Chief Tāne’s descendants. Ruakuri was closed to tourists for 18 years because of a land dispute. It reopened to visitors in 2005, following extensive work to improve access to the cave.
