When Mother Nature turns the rain up a little too much, our High Route Tour keeps the adventure going — with glowworms, limestone formations, muddy fun, and a special visit to our beautiful Lime Cave.
The High Route Tour is our alternative cave tour option for high water conditions.
Instead of walking in the river, guests follow a natural ledge high above the water in the same cave system. You still get to experience the beauty of the cave, including impressive rock formations, a real sense of adventure, and of course, the glowworms that make Waitomo cave tours so special.
Guests wear a harness attached to a safety line while moving along this section of the cave. It is important to note that this is not abseiling/rappelling, and you are not hanging off the rope. The rope is simply there as a safety precaution in case someone slips or loses their footing.
Although it is a High Route Tour, you may still get a little wet or muddy. It is still an adventurous experience, just on a different route from our standard glowworm cave tour. As with all our tours, all clothing, boots, and equipment are provided.
Because safety always comes first.
Our standard cave tours follow the river through the cave, so rainfall and water levels directly affect whether that route can operate safely. In some weather conditions, the river route is simply not an option.
Rather than cancelling every tour affected by heavy rain, we are able to offer the High Route Tour instead. This allows guests to still explore part of our private cave system and enjoy a unique Waitomo adventure tour, even in less-than-perfect weather.
Although the route is different, you still get to experience many of the things people love most about visiting our caves.
The High Route Tour includes:
• glowworms
• beautiful limestone rock formations
• a more elevated view of the cave system
• muddy, adventurous cave terrain
• the option to visit our much less visited Lime Cave
One of the special parts of the High Route Tour can be a visit to our Lime Cave.
The Lime Cave is much less visited and has a very different feel from the main cave. Because it does not have a river running through it, it is safe to visit in high water conditions. That makes it an ideal part of our alternative cave tour when the river route is unavailable.
Many guests say Lime Cave is actually their favourite part of the tour. It is peaceful, beautiful, and full of delicate cave features that make it feel quite different from the rest of the system.
The Lime Cave’s straw formations make it a particularly unique place to explore. We do not use this cave on our "everyday" tour because these formations are very fragile, and we aim to protect the area as much as possible. That is why visiting Lime Cave feels like such a special part of the High Route Tour.
No, and we think it is important to be honest about that.
The High Route Tour is a great alternative, but it is not the same as our standard river-based Waitomo glowworm tour.
In some ways, you could say it offers even more, as guests may explore two caves instead of one. So while it is not the same as our standard tour, it is still a fantastic and memorable option when conditions require it.
So far, all of our guests have been delighted to still be able to explore the cave in wet weather and have rated this tour 5 out of 5 stars!
We understand that the High Route Tour will not be for everyone, and it is not the tour route we advertise.
If your standard tour is cancelled because of high water and you decide that the High Route Tour is not the experience you were hoping for, you are very welcome to choose a full refund instead, even if it is within the usual 24-hour no-refund policy window.
To date, this has never happened, but we never want anyone to feel pressured into doing an alternative tour that is not right for them.
The High Route Tour offers a special way to experience our private cave system when weather conditions affect the main river route.
For some guests, it becomes an unexpected highlight of their trip. We are always happy to talk through the options and help you decide what suits you best.
At Down to Earth, we offer small-group, off-the-beaten-track Waitomo cave tours on private land. If you are looking for an authentic glowworm cave experience in Waitomo, we would love to welcome you.
You can check out our tours at www.glowing.co.nz.
And if the weather does not play ball, our High Route Tour may provide a safe, extremely memorable alternative. We would love to show you around, whatever the conditions.
Until next time,
The team at Down to Earth Cave Tours