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North Island
ROTORUA - WAITOMO CAVES
(166km/103miles, 2hours 45mins)
Continue the journey on the Thermal Explorer Highway touring
route through to the quaint country town of Cambridge.
This area is home to New Zealand's horse racing and breeding stud
farms. Tours are available to some of these farms, including the
Cambridge Thoroughbred Lodge, home of the New Zealand Horse Magic
Show, an entertaining and educational presentation involving a
variety of horse breeds.
Detour off the Thermal Explorer Highway to get to the Waitomo
area. Options include travelling to Hamilton and taking State
Highway 3 south to Waitomo village, or the more adventurous may
want to navigate through back roads to Te Awamutu and then travel
south on State Highway 3 to get to Waitomo.
Other activities and attractions in the Waitomo area
include:
- Waitomo Caves: visit
these water-sculpted limestone caves and grottoes.
Visitors can travel on a waterborne barge to view the
myriad of glow-worms overhead, or just admire the beauty
of the cathedral-like caverns. www.waitomocaves.co.nz
- Woodlyn Park: visitors
can gain an insight into New Zealand's pioneer farming
heritage and drive jet boats
- The Shearing Shed: see
angora rabbit shearing demonstrations and buy products
made from angora fibre
Spend the remainder of the day in
the Waitomo area and overnight here. Accommodation options in the
area include a farmstay to experience the rural way of life.
For those visitors able to stay in the Waitomo area for
additional days, activities include:
- Cave tubing: float on
an inflated inner tube past incredible limestone
formations and under glow-worms
- The Lost World Cave:
take an all-day adventure trip to the Lost World. Abseil
100 metres/62 feet down into the cave (accompanied by a
guide) then, through a combination of walking, rock
climbing, spider walking, inching along narrow rock
ledges and wading and swimming through a subterranean
river, there is a three-hour journey through a 30
metre/98 foot high cave to get back out
- Haggis Honking Holes:
this four-hour cave trip includes professional abseiling
instruction followed by a caving trip with four abseils,
rock climbing, and going along a subterranean river with
waterfalls
For more information on the
Waitomo area visit www.waitomo.govt.nz
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