The name 'Waitomo' comes from the Maori words wai, water and tomo, hole or shaft. So Waitomo is naturally home to many awe-inspiring subterranean sights. Huge underground caverns that you can abseil into, or Ruakuri the only wheelchair-accessible cave in the southern hemisphere, serene boat rides along ancient watercourses and, of course the glow worms. World-renowned, the glow worm caves are a magical experience, with the lights from thousands of exclusively NZ glow worms illuminating the otherwise pitch black cave system full of ancient stalagmites and stalagtites (when the mites go up, the tites come down!).
Tours in the region (click on a photo to get a tour details):