Te Anau is one of the best places to see glow worms in New Zealand, with hundreds of thousands of colourful glow worms lighting up the shadowy caves in an amazing spectacle of light. This is a sight that really needs to be seen with your own eyes, in order to fully appreciate the incredible light show on display, and there’s no better way to see the glowing caves than with a Te Anau Glowworm Caves tour. As part of our guided tours of New Zealand, you can choose to visit the Te Anau caves as an optional excursion. The Te Anau Glowworm Caves Tour is just over two hours long, meaning it can easily fit into any itinerary.
Setting off from Te Anau township, the tour begins with a scenic cruise across Lake Te Anau to the western shores, with the purpose-built cruise vessel perfect for getting the best panoramic views of the lake. While on board, you can enjoy the views alongside a tea or coffee with the unlimited hot drinks available. Arriving on the western shores, your next stop will be Cavern House, found at the entrance to the glowing caves. Here you can learn all about New Zealand’s glowworm caves and how they came about with a series of informative displays.
Your friendly tour guide will then lead you into the star attraction: the Te Anau glowworm caves themselves, sharing their knowledge of the caves’ history and how they were carved out by the river flowing through them. These caves are young by cave standards at 12,000 years old, meaning the river is still carving out the caves even today.
Along the way through the network of limestone caves, you’ll be able to admire sculpture-like rock formations, a tumbling waterfall and mesmerising whirlpools. Past the roar of the waterfall, your group will board a small boat to bring you deeper into the caves, into a silent hidden grotto. It’s here that you’ll see the hundreds of glow worms illuminate the caves, glittering and twinkling like stars in the night sky: a truly unmissable experience.
After the awe-inspiring experience of visiting the Te Anau glowworm caves, it’s time to once again soak up the stunning views of Lake Te Anau on your return cruise back across the water to Te Anau. As an optional extra, nature lovers can also take part in a short guided forest experience, with your knowledgeable guide on hand to show you the unique trees, flowers, bushes and shrubs found in the region.
