Auckland Day Tour: Glowworms, Geysers & Maori Culture Magic

Cheeky Kiwi conducted an excellent tour, including picking us up at a location just a short walk from our AirBnB. The driver was delightful and the transportation very comfortable. The actual tour of the glow worm caves and Rotorua are conducted by the individual destinations. The driver took great care to make sure we enjoyed the rides to and from the locations. Although we visited the glow worm caves in the colder season (August), they were still specatuclar to this newbie. (I understand the caves are even more amazing in the warmer months). I would highly recommend NOT taking any pictures (even when you're allowed to do so) inside the caves, but just buy the postcard, unless you have a professional camera. (Certainly a simple smartphone camera will not do the caves justice). Just sit back and soak it in! The experience at Rotorua was also very rewarding. The bubbling mud and hot springs are fun and the landscape is unlike many other areas of New Zealand that is frequented by tourists. The onsite guides did a nice job of showing us some cultural traditions of the Maori people and were very will to answer questions. Do be prepared the combining the Waitomo Caves and Rotorua means spending quite a bit of time in transit although I did not feel our time at the sites was too short. This tour takes a big loop from Auckland to both sites and then back so that the scenery is different on the outbound and inbound parts of the travel.

We overall had a great day. The drives to and from the sites were long, but both of these attractions were definitely worth the visit.

This was a perfect day trip out of Auckland. I only had one day where I wasn’t working and wanted to see some things I couldn’t see elsewhere. Between the caves and the geothermal fields, it was a good day. What took it over the top was the driver for the tour, Jeoff. His friendliness and knowledge of the area as a fifth generation Kiwi was unmatched. Very friendly and also a good driver. Although there is a great deal of time in the bus for this tour, it went by quickly while we learned about the Maori culture and the country of New Zealand. I would recommend this trip to anyone with limited time and wanting to see some things outside of Auckland.

Everything was awesome about this tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable. The best part to me was roturo. Learning the culture was something

It is a great experience overall the tour guide was absolutely amazing and made the trip even better.

The tour was great, our driver did an amazing job. He was very attentive to our needs. And taught us all about new zealand thank you for all the hospitality your tour ❤️ group provides

This tour turned out to be much more than I expected. Everything was perfect and something I will never forget. Info from our tour guide was excellent. My fellow tourists were kind and happy. The sites were spectacular and I would recommend this tour and Cheeky Kiwi to everybody. Thanks for a very special day

We had an incredible day touring Rotorua today, and it was all thanks to our amazing guide, John. He was hands down the best tour guide we’ve ever had — friendly, knowledgeable, and full of fun stories that brought every stop to life. John went above and beyond to make sure everyone was comfortable and enjoying themselves, adding so many personal touches that made the day feel extra special. From start to finish, the tour was well-organized, informative, and a lot of fun. We learned so much about the area, laughed plenty, and came away with some fantastic memories. If you’re thinking about doing this tour, ask for John — he truly made the experience unforgettable!

Our guides Arahia and Jeoff are professional and provided a lot of information about Maori. Glowwarm cave and geothermal geyser were amazing but its smaller than I expected. Driving time was a bit long.

It was a lovely day even though it poured with rain. The tour guide did everything in his power to make it special including last minute plans when one of our tours cancelled. Thank you Matt.