Footwhistle Glowworm Cave
Footwhistle Glowworm Cave
5
About
We are a locally owned and operated glowworm cave tour based in the heart of the Waitomo Caves Village. Footwhistle Glowworm Cave is located on our private farm and was developed over many years. Our family run tour company ensures that your experience of Waitomo's unique ennvironment is a memory to treasure. We take a maximum of 11 guests per tour and we also allow photography
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
76 reviews
Excellent
64
Very good
9
Average
2
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Linda L
San Mateo, CA58 contributions
Oct 2022 • Friends
Great way to see the glowworm caves in a small-group, personalized experience. Kyle was friendly and informative and it was wonderful to hear the history of his family founding the cave 30 years ago. Tea in the lovely tea house was the perfect ending!
Written October 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jef123456789
King's Bromley, UK164 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
This is a must do tour. You will love the personalised nature of the tour and the small numbers. Ross was excellent, just right in terms of information, humour and knowledge. We really liked the fact this is a family owned farm, cave and business and it’s been professionally built and managed. The Kowa Kowa tea at the end of the tour was fun.
In all the tour took about 2hours although normally it is less, but Ross was happy for us to take our time and enjoy the caves. There are steps down which are well made and maintained, once in the caves there are lights and Ross highlights everything to see with a small torch.
The caves themselves are amazing, the glow worms spectacular and the history and information mind blowing.
In all the tour took about 2hours although normally it is less, but Ross was happy for us to take our time and enjoy the caves. There are steps down which are well made and maintained, once in the caves there are lights and Ross highlights everything to see with a small torch.
The caves themselves are amazing, the glow worms spectacular and the history and information mind blowing.
Written February 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Henryboy78
Charmhaven, Australia21 contributions
Jan 2023 • Family
Very informative and well constructed tour. Travelling with an 8 and 4 year old, we didn’t want a long drawn out experience. Foot whistle was ideal. A very cool walk through the family owned cave and a real feel of stepping back in time. The beauty and freshness of the cave provides a real sense of the delicate nature of all that surrounds you. Topped with a refreshing kawa kawa tea in the ponga teahouse before the return trip to town.
Written January 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeannette B
Auckland Central, New Zealand87 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
‘Ross the Boss’ was our awesome guide for the Footwhistle Glowworm Cave experience. His mix of passion, knowledge and humour made this one of the best local sites to visit in Waitomo. A private family run business that is truly about making this a perfect, intimate experience. The visit is topped off with kawakawa education and tea. The caves themselves are a real delight and the family’s understanding and work towards the ecology of them is a credit to them. Highly recommended.
Written October 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rare Reviewer
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Family
Wonderful, intimate tour with Ross. Missed out on the bigger commercial outfit - couldn’t be happier that I’d not organised myself in time. Discovered a real treasure ... would go back to this one again next time. Tea tasting was a wonderful way to finish, too!
Written January 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
banana36
New Zealand106 contributions
Sep 2020 • Couples
This was an absolute amazing experience. I booked this as a surprise for my husband.
The guide Ross was very knowledgeable and friendly.
There was only 4 of us in the tour so it felt like our own private tour.
I personally enjoyed the Kawakawa tea and have ordered some products.
We loved supporting a family business. Worth every cent, recommend 100% to everyone.
The guide Ross was very knowledgeable and friendly.
There was only 4 of us in the tour so it felt like our own private tour.
I personally enjoyed the Kawakawa tea and have ordered some products.
We loved supporting a family business. Worth every cent, recommend 100% to everyone.
Written September 26, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave C
Wellington, New Zealand16 contributions
Oct 2020 • Family
Amazing to walk in the cave and seeing all the glowworms when all the lights were off, there were so many. Felt like a private tour with just us and another family. The kawakawa tea was a nice relaxing way to round off the visit. Also enjoyed the banter with our guide Ross, who was very personable quick with the humour. Nice to support a local family business.
Written October 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JW
11 contributions
Jun 2021 • Couples
We had an amazing experience at Footwhistle Cave, big thanks to our tour guide - Ross the Boss. His sense of humour made the whole tour super interesting and we learnt a lot about the cave. The tour ended with some kawakawa tea which we thought it would be bitter as but not at all! We quite liked it. Definitely worth a visit.
Written June 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hannah McGrath
Houston, TX6 contributions
Jan 2020
A fantastic tour led by the amazing Barnzy. Small groups so a very personalized tour. Lots of info about these fascinating creatures and lots of opportunities for photos. Thank you Barnzy for this amazing experience!
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fanny A
Sweden124 contributions
Dec 2018 • Family
The most amazing way to spend Christmas! We decided to do this on the 24th because it was still open and we figured it would be a nice Christmas present for us all (being Swedes, we celebrate on the 24th) and we were not disappointed! We really lucked out with the tour guide, Ross, he was super cool, very knowledgeable, amazingly friendly and really happy and fun all the time. And I must say he have to be of great fitness walking all those stairs several times a day!
The caves were awesome, it was a bit chilly (no less than 12°C though) so if you’re easily cold, bring a jacket. There’s also a lot of slippery and wet steps, so it might not be suitable for everyone!
The glow worms were super pretty, but please listen to the tour guide! When he says no pictures with flash, do not take pictures with flash! It’ll ruin the experience for everyone trying to get their eyes accustomed to the darkness enough to see the glow worms. Also taking a picture of glow worms with flash will be kinda counterproductive since they will only look like brown strings.. not the pretty blue you can see with your actual eyes!
I do recommend eating the kawakawa leaf, it’s nice haha.
The caves were awesome, it was a bit chilly (no less than 12°C though) so if you’re easily cold, bring a jacket. There’s also a lot of slippery and wet steps, so it might not be suitable for everyone!
The glow worms were super pretty, but please listen to the tour guide! When he says no pictures with flash, do not take pictures with flash! It’ll ruin the experience for everyone trying to get their eyes accustomed to the darkness enough to see the glow worms. Also taking a picture of glow worms with flash will be kinda counterproductive since they will only look like brown strings.. not the pretty blue you can see with your actual eyes!
I do recommend eating the kawakawa leaf, it’s nice haha.
Written December 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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