31 cents Posted June 29, 2022 #1 Share Posted June 29, 2022 I will be on HAL Westerdam and in Waitangi (Bay of Island) port on Nov. 20, 2022. I would love to go the the Glow worm Caves, but so far I haven't had any luck. I was told by one company in Waitangi that it was too far away since we are only in port from 7:00-2:00. ANy suggestions? Penny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belmont Babe Posted June 29, 2022 #2 Share Posted June 29, 2022 (edited) Yes, it is too far away. About 10hrs round trip. 494 kms so 5 hours at the legal speed limit of 100km/h. Edited June 29, 2022 by Belmont Babe Additional info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belmont Babe Posted June 29, 2022 #3 Share Posted June 29, 2022 57 minutes ago, Belmont Babe said: Yes, it is too far away. About 10hrs round trip. 494 kms so 5 hours at the legal speed limit of 100km/h. The trip is do-able of you're docking in Tauranga, about 2 hrs each way, or Auckland about 2.5 each way. But you'd really want to be in port all day to allow time to visit the caves ( about 2 hours). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted June 29, 2022 #4 Share Posted June 29, 2022 Did the caves many years ago on a driving tour of NZ. Well worth seeing, but as you would realise you can only see certain things from the ship. Land based tour is the way to go. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jean C Posted June 29, 2022 #5 Share Posted June 29, 2022 If you stop at Auckland ships normally have a tour to the caves - absolutely well worth seeing, so good the glow worm ceiling looks fake at first glance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare arxcards Posted June 30, 2022 #6 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 hours ago, Belmont Babe said: The trip is do-able of you're docking in Tauranga, about 2 hrs each way, or Auckland about 2.5 each way. But you'd really want to be in port all day to allow time to visit the caves ( about 2 hours). I would agree. The previous 2 days have you in Tauranga and Auckland, each for a full port day. Tauranga would be the easier of the two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sallyandtex Posted June 30, 2022 #7 Share Posted June 30, 2022 11 hours ago, 31 cents said: I will be on HAL Westerdam and in Waitangi (Bay of Island) port on Nov. 20, 2022. I would love to go the the Glow worm Caves, but so far I haven't had any luck. I was told by one company in Waitangi that it was too far away since we are only in port from 7:00-2:00. ANy suggestions? Penny We did a tour to Kawati caves from Bay of Islands a few years ago. They met us at the ship dock. Maybe look on web for travel times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare OzKiwiJJ Posted June 30, 2022 #8 Share Posted June 30, 2022 The Waiomio (Kawiti) glowworm caves are quite close to Paihia but with the Bay of Islands being a tender port plus such an early departure time it could be tricky. The guided tours are every 30 minutes, and take 45-60 minutes. However that doesn't include transfer time from the Waitangi wharf and back, about 25 minutes each way. The place doesn't open until 9am. I suggest contacting them directly to see if they can help. https://www.kawiticaves.co.nz/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31 cents Posted June 30, 2022 Author #9 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Thank you all that replied. It looks like my best bet would be with the cruisse ship from Auckland, but so far there is nothing scheduled. I'll just wait and see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted July 3, 2022 #10 Share Posted July 3, 2022 We went on a Princess tour to the Waitomo glow-worm grotto from Tauranga. It was a very long drive - 3 hours each way (going from memory). The grotto was lovely, but the people on the tour felt that the highlight was lunch at a local farmhouse. I wouldn't recommend this tour because of the time that has to be spent travelling. We had visited Waitomo many years ago when we were driving on a land tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duck Creek Posted July 3, 2022 #11 Share Posted July 3, 2022 (edited) Hi did a HAL cruise just before lock down We were also in this port from 7am to 2pm Did the this cruise ship tour GLOW-WORM CAVE & PUKETI KAURI FOREST Went to the Kauri Forest and then the caves There was only one cave but it was a good to just be able to see the glow worms. This was the Kawiti Cavern that wasnt far away I think HAL had another one that just did the Glow worm cave. See if either of these are offered for your cruise Edited July 3, 2022 by Babsjo add Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aus Traveller Posted July 3, 2022 #12 Share Posted July 3, 2022 The Waitomo glow-worm grotto is filled with water and visitors go through on a boat propelled by poles similar to a gondola in Venice (although the boat isn't like a gondola 😁). The glow worms look lovely in the dark grotto. However, I still doubt that it is worth six hours' driving time to see (three hours each way). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
31 cents Posted July 4, 2022 Author #13 Share Posted July 4, 2022 On 7/3/2022 at 1:34 AM, Aus Traveller said: The Waitomo glow-worm grotto is filled with water and visitors go through on a boat propelled by poles similar to a gondola in Venice (although the boat isn't like a gondola 😁). The glow worms look lovely in the dark grotto. However, I still doubt that it is worth six hours' driving time to see (three hours each way). yes, I think you are correct. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now