Auckland to Rotorua including the Waitomo Glowworm Caves

The views and scenic beauty throughout the journey from Auckland to Rotorua was no doubt excellent. The bus was comfortable with free Wi-Fi. But signal strength varies on the way depending on availability of tower. Boat journey inside the cave was amazing. But it could have been organised in a better way. Try to be with the group while riding on the boat. I couldn't ride on the boat in which most of our group people boarded as it became full just before me. So I had to board on the next boat. After completing the boat ride, I could find out the bus with great difficulty. However it is worthwhile to avail this journey. I was picked up from my hotel on time.

Great way to get from Auckland to Rotarua and see some countryside if NZ. Glowworm tour was amazing.

Really enjoyed this tour. The driver/guide was very good. He gave us local information on the way to the caves and was very funny and entertaining. I would recommend this tour.

Bus Tour guide was amazing- BUT were told that we were VIP at Waitomo Glowworm Caves, that we go ahead of the line and are our group taken separately- WELL that is not the case- they put us with another group and there were over 45 of us, instead of 25. Cave guide made comments several times that group was much larger then normal. The icing on the cake was crying babies that ruined the experience. They were not asked to leave, could not hear the guide, nor had the quiet experience that we expected to have. Very disappointing!

The bus driver failed to pick up myself and two others at our hotel. The bus depot told us to get a cab which we did. The driver told us he had screamed at us to board the bus but why would he need to scream since the bus stop was only 20 feet from us??? The driver failed to load some people's luggage onto the bus. He made weird and strange remarks, especially about Asians. He insisted that trades people in NZ need a University Degree to work in their field. NOT TRUE! The Glowworm caves consisted of 45 minutes looking at stalagmites and stalactites and about 5 minutes actually seeing the glowworms in the boat. The bus driver was rude, crude and socially inept. Save your money, there are plenty of other good tours and good tour operators out there!!!!!!!!

I felt as the tour was a little unorganised. We left 15 minutes late because people didn't know where to check-in and which bus to board there was more than one. If you only want to get a small glimpse of Waitomo and get to Rotorua as fast as possible this is the tour for you. If you're like me and always want to see as much as possible, it isn't. The 30-45 min guided tour in the cave was good. However, I've visited a few caves around Australia and it didn't impress me the that much anymore. The very best bit of the tour were the glow worms. They are stunning! The boat ride lasts about 5 minutes and it felt like the shortest five minutes of my life because it was soo spectacular seeing the glow worms. I would definitely go back to Waitomo but I would rather book a tour where I get to see more.

The driver was very knowledgeable and helpful. The cave with glowworms was also amazing but I wish they would have given more time for boating and looking for some souvenirs from the shop.