This post is part of my New Zealand trip series. To learn more about the trip as a whole, check out my previous post: How we Planned a Three Week Trip to New Zealand with a Five Month Old.
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Accommodations (Waitomo Village Chalets)
As we were looking at accommodations in Waitomo, we came to the realization that (aside from the Glowworm Caves) there is not a lot to do in Waitomo. As a result, our options for accommodations were very slim. If you are looking for an accommodation that resembles something similar to that of an American hotel. I highly suggest you stay in an Airbnb or in a different village then make a day trip to the Waitomo caves. Hamilton (Map) is about one hour north of Waitomo.
We chose to stay at Waitomo Village Chalets. In the words of Matt, we found the accommodation to be “rather spartan.” In spite of this, we found that our stay here was easily justified for several reasons. First, we were only staying here for one night. If we were staying here any longer then we would have tried to find accommodations that had a few more amenities. Second, our intent for the next day were to do touristy things early in the day. Then it the road immediately after our tours had completed. The Chalets were right around the corner from the caves. Even though it did not offer breakfast, it was within walking distance from The General Store (who does serve breakfast and lunch). Considering the more rustic nature of the rooms, we still found them to be very clean. The mirror in the bathroom was heated. The water gets really hot really fast. Finally, the water pressure was better than many hotels it have visited in the United States.
Alternative accommodations in Waitomo:
Accommodations in Hamilton:
What We Did
Due to the time change, our day started long before many of the businesses opened for the day. After eating breakfast, we drove over to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. We were pleasantly surprised to find that there were a few hiking trails next to the caves complex. So we took about 45 minutes and hiked on some of the Waitomo hiking trails. Admittedly the fog was rather dense so we were not able to see much. But it was nice to be able to taking this hike before starting our day.
Four cave tours, the three of us started out with the Waitomo Glowworm Caves tour. This was a relatively short walking cave tour that ended in a majestic boat ride. This tour was perfect for the entire family. Even our baby did just fine with this tour as the length was perfect.
For the second half of the day, my husband and I separated and we each went on two different tours. I went to the Raukuri Cave tour and he went on the Black Labyrinth – Black Water Rafting tour. The Black Labyrinth tour is not baby friendly. which is ultimately why we chose to separate (otherwise, I would have joined my husband on this tour). The Raukuri Cave was a 1.5 hour long tour. In hind site, the amount of time the baby spent working in caves was a little too long. Our little one spent the last 15 minutes of the Raukuri Cave tour screaming. So my recommendation to parents of very little ones who are looking to spend a day in Waitomo with their family; go on the Waitomo Glowworm Caves tour then spend the rest of the day hiking. I believe my baby was just tired of the dark.
While I did not go on the Black Labyrinth tour. I did discuss with Matt about his thoughts on this tour. He reports that: “Even with wet suit it was cooold…(during this tour) you (are) either walking and carrying your tube or riding in your inner tube. There were a couple times when your had to jump backwards holding the tube to your butt off a couple 3-4 ft waterfalls. As a whole it was worth doing. It was definitely a unique experience.”
Food
Because Waitomo is a relatively remote village, restaurants and grocery stores are hard to find. However, it is worth mentioning that the Waitomo Glowworm Caves has a very nice eat-in cafe. The Black Labyrinth – Black Water Rafting location had a cafe as well. However, the Raukuri Cave did not have a cafe. Although, we did not eat at any of these locations.
We had both breakfast and lunch at The General Store. At first we chose this location because it was within walking distance from our accommodation. However, we enjoyed our breakfast here so much that we chose to come back for lunch and as a hang out spot between cave tours.
There was a point in the day where Matt and I separated to do separate activities. During this time I did some exploring and found another place to eat just 15 minutes away: Waitomo Homestead. The Homestead is part cafe/restaurant and gardens, part event space, and part hostel all attached to Waitomo Orchard- Farmers’ Market. This was another cafe we did not eat at (as I believe it was closed). However, I did get a few items from the gift shop and farmers market (I.e Manuka honey, fresh fruit/vegetables, and other finger food). These items ended up being great choices. They lasted us for several days and gave us many options for lunch/dinner when we did not want to go out or food was scarce.
Vacation Like a Local 
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