As I shared a couple weeks ago, we wanted to figure out a way to get to the Waitomo Glowworm Caves while we’re in New Zealand. Yesterday, we locked in our plans, which for us, is the best way to get to the caves from Auckland. Here’s what we did to make it happen:
- Secured childcare. Our son is well traveled enough to warrant his own Global Entry status, but he’s still only one, and we had a difficult time finding a cave tour that was toddler-friendly. Ultimately, we were able to coordinate a day with my in-laws, who also jumped on the cheap flights to AKL, when they could take him, so we could scope out the caves. This opened up our options significantly, as we were no longer limited by age restrictions.
- Determined transport. Since we will no longer have our rental car by the time we’re going to the caves, we determined that the best way to get to the caves was via a day tour from Auckland. We have done day tours in Ireland, Greece, Scotland, and Canada, and while I wouldn’t always opt for one, they do make figuring out the logistics easier. And since we knew a tour was the option that worked best – at least, for us – we just had to narrow down which tour we wanted to go with.
- Booked a tour. We had a lot of success with Viator when we booked our Niagara Falls tour earlier this year, and they’re currently running 10% cashback on Rakuten, so it was an easy decision to look at the options there. We debated between a tour that included a stop in Rotorua against a tour that included a Hobbiton Movie Set visit, but we ultimately decided that Rotorua was more aligned with what we wanted to do, which is enjoy some of the natural beauties of New Zealand.
With all that set, in a couple weeks, we’ll find ourselves on a small group tour out of Auckland, with stops in Pirongia, the Waitomo Big Bird & Miniature Animal Petting Farm, Te Puia, and of course, the Waitomo Glowworm Caves. We can’t wait to get over there and see all New Zealand has to offer.
Side note: if you’re looking for other NZ tour options, our tour provider is Cheeky Kiwi Travel, and they have a lot of different options based on what you’d like to do. I’ll report back after the tour to share how everything was!
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