Waitomo

The village Waitomo Caves is named for the hundreds of caves present in the spectacular karst landscape.

The limestone landscape of the Waitomo District area has been the centre of increasingly popular commercial caving tourism since before 1900. Initially mostly consisting of impromptu trips guided by local Māori, a large cave system near Waitomo Caves were nationalised by the Crown{{cite web|url=https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/rock-stars/|title=Rock Stars|first=Kate|last=Evans|publisher=New Zealand Geographic|date=May–June 2017|quote=The Scenery Preservation Act of 1903 gave the government far-reaching powers to forcibly purchase land, and in 1904 the Waitomo Glowworm Cave was the first place to be nationalised. The landowners were awarded £625 in compensation}} and managed as a (relatively genteel) tourism attraction from 1904 onwards.[http://www.teara.govt.nz/TheBush/BushAndMountainRecreation/Caving/2/en Caving tourism] (from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand) A 1915 guide said, "It is reached by railway to Hangatiki, thence 6 miles by coach along a good road".Bradbury, E E (1915). The Raglan and Kawhia Districts. Waikato University library: Bradbury. p. 85.

A visit to Waitomo Caves made number 14 amongst a list of 101 "Kiwi must-do's" in a New Zealand Automobile Association poll of over 20,000 motorists published 2007,{{cite news |url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10423289 |title=Peaks, sounds, parks and islands tops in Kiwi eyes |author=Dye, Stuart |date=10 February 2007 |work=The New Zealand Herald |access-date=1 December 2011}} and in 2004, around 400,000 visitors entered caves in the area.

The Waitomo Caves Museum provides information about the karst landscape, caves and caving and the history of the area.

File:Waitomo Stream.jpg

Companies specialise in leading tourists through the caves of the area, from easily accessible areas with hundreds of tourists per hour in the peak season, to extreme sports, like crawls into cave systems, which are only seen by a few tourists each day.{{cite web|url=https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Attractions-g616349-Activities-c42-Waitomo_Caves_Waitomo_District_Waikato_Region_North_Island.html|title=Waitomo Caves Tours|publisher=Trip Advisor|access-date=5 May 2025}}

The caves are noted for their stalactite and stalagmite displays, and (in the caves with streams running through) for the presence of glowworms (the fungus gnat Arachnocampa luminosa).

The Waitomo Walkway runs through the valley of the Waitomo Stream (a tributary of the Waipā River) for {{Convert|3.3|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the village to the Ruakuri Scenic Reserve.{{Cite web|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/waikato/places/waitomo-area/tracks/waitomo-walkway/|title=Waitomo Walkway|website=www.doc.govt.nz|publisher=Department of Conservation|language=en|access-date=4 February 2017}} At the reserve the Ruakuri Walk leads through short caves to the Ruakuri Natural Bridge.{{Cite web|url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/waikato/places/waitomo-area/tracks/ruakuri-walk/|title=Ruakuri Walk|website=www.doc.govt.nz|publisher=Department of Conservation|language=en|access-date=4 February 2017}}

Te Araroa, a national long distance walkway, passes through Waitomo. The section from Mt Pirongia joins the Waitomo Walkway to enter the village.{{Cite web|url=https://www.teararoa.org.nz/waikato/pirongia-waitomo/|title=Pirongia to Waitomo:Te Araroa – New Zealand's Trail – Waikato / King Country|website=www.teararoa.org.nz|language=en|access-date=4 February 2017}} The {{Convert|17.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} section to Te Kūiti goes over Mangapu River suspension bridge and through Pehitawa kahikatea forest.{{Cite web|url=https://www.teararoa.org.nz/waikato/pehitawa-track/|title=Pehitawa Track:Te Araroa – New Zealand's Trail – Waikato / King Country|website=www.teararoa.org.nz|language=en|access-date=4 February 2017}}

Hangatiki statistical area, which includes Waitomo settlement, covers {{Convert|326.46|km2||abbr=on}}.{{Cite web|title=Stats NZ Geographic Data Service|url=https://datafinder.stats.govt.nz/data/|at=Statistical Area 2 2023 (generalised)|access-date=5 May 2025}} It had an estimated population of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Hangatiki|y}} as of {{NZ population data 2023 SA2|||y|y||,}} with a population density of {{Decimals|{{formatnum:{{NZ population data 2023 SA2|Hangatiki|y}}|R}}/326.46|1}} people per km².

{{Historical populations|2006|1,059|2013|1,101|2018|1,185|2023|1,254|percentages=pagr|align=left|title=Historical population for Hangatiki statistical area|source={{NZ census 2018|Hangatiki (187100)|hangatiki|Hangatiki}}}}

Hangatiki had a population of 1,254 in the 2023 New Zealand census, an increase of 69 people (5.8%) since the 2018 census, and an increase of 153 people (13.9%) since the 2013 census. There were 642 males, 609 females, and 3 people of other genders in 477 dwellings.{{cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_005&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=doTotal%2Bdo1.187100.2023&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_DWD_003|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for dwellings, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses}} 2.4% of people identified as LGBTIQ+. The median age was 44.4 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 204 people (16.3%) aged under 15 years, 237 (18.9%) aged 15 to 29, 573 (45.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 240 (19.1%) aged 65 or older.

People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 73.7% European (Pākehā); 37.8% Māori; 1.4% Pasifika; 2.6% Asian; 0.7% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.8% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English was spoken by 96.9%, Māori by 10.3%, Samoan by 0.2%, and other languages by 4.3%. No language could be spoken by 1.9% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.5%. The percentage of people born overseas was 11.7, compared with 28.8% nationally.

Religious affiliations were 28.5% Christian, 0.2% Islam, 3.6% Māori religious beliefs, 0.5% New Age, and 0.5% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 59.6%, and 6.9% of people did not answer the census question.

Of those at least 15 years old, 174 (16.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 603 (57.4%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 285 (27.1%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $39,900, compared with $41,500 nationally. 81 people (7.7%) earned over $100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was 558 (53.1%) full-time, 144 (13.7%) part-time, and 21 (2.0%) unemployed.{{Cite web|url=https://explore.data.stats.govt.nz/vis?fs[0]=2023%20Census%2C0%7CTotals%20by%20topic%23CAT_TOTALS_BY_TOPIC%23&pg=0&fc=Variable%20codes&bp=true&snb=9&df[ds]=ds-nsiws-disseminate&df[id]=CEN23_TBT_008&df[ag]=STATSNZ&df[vs]=1.0&dq=hq011%2Bhq010%2Bhq009%2Bhq008%2Bhq007%2Bhq006%2Bhq005%2Bhq004%2Bhq003%2Bhq002%2Bhq001%2Bhq000%2Bws1%2Bsp99%2Bra80%2Bra08%2Bra07%2Bra06%2Bra05%2Bra01%2Bra04%2Bra03%2Bra02%2Bra00%2Brb1%2Bls66%2Bls03%2Bls02%2Bls05%2Bls04%2Bls01%2Beg6%2Beg5%2Beg4%2Beg3%2Beg2%2Beg1%2BbiTotal%2Bbi0%2Bbi1%2BasTotalLG%2Bas4%2Bas3%2Bas2%2Bas1%2Bws4%2Bws3%2Bws2%2Bge3%2Bge2%2Bge1%2Brc%2BasMed%2BegTotal%2BlsTotal%2BgeTotal%2BrbTotal%2BraTotal%2BhqTotal%2BibTotal%2Bib7%2Bibmed%2BwsTotal.187100.2013%2B2018%2B2023&to[TIME]=false&ly[rw]=CEN23_TBT_IND_003&ly[cl]=CEN23_YEAR_001|publisher=Stats NZ – Tatauranga Aotearoa – Aotearoa Data Explorer|access-date=3 October 2024|title=Totals by topic for individuals, (RC, TALB, UR, SA3, SA2, Ward, Health), 2013, 2018, and 2023 Censuses|at=Hangatiki (187100)}}

The community has a number of marae, affiliated with Ngāti Maniapoto hapū:{{cite web|title=Te Kāhui Māngai directory|url= http://www.tkm.govt.nz/ |website=tkm.govt.nz|publisher=Te Puni Kōkiri}}{{cite web |title=Māori Maps |url=https://maorimaps.com/map |website=maorimaps.com |publisher=Te Potiki National Trust}}

• Kaputuhi Marae is affiliated with the hapū of Ngāti Matakore, Pare te Kawa, Ngāti Peehi and Rōrā.
• Te Kauae Marae and Te Kauae o Niu Tereni meeting house are affiliated with the hapū of Huiao, Ngāti Kinohaku, Ngāti Peehi and Ngāti Te Kanawa.
• Te Korapatu Marae is affiliated with the hapū of Peehi and Te Kanawa.
• Pohatuiri Marae is affiliated with the hapū of Uekaha.
• Tokikapu Marae and Matua {{Not a typo|a}} Iwi meeting house are affiliated with the hapū of Ruapuha, Te Kanawa and Uekaha.{{cite web|url=http://www.tkm.govt.nz/iwi/ngati-maniapoto/#|title=Tainui Maniapoto - Hapū and Marae|publisher=Te Puni Kōkiri|access-date=9 December 2019}}

Waitomo Caves School is a co-educational state primary school,{{cite web |title=Waitomo Caves School Official School Website |url=http://www.waitomocaves.school.nz |website=waitomocaves.school.nz}}{{cite web |title=Waitomo Caves School Ministry of Education School Profile |url=https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/find-school/school/profile?district=28®ion=5&school=2073 |website=educationcounts.govt.nz |publisher=Ministry of Education}} with a roll of {{NZ school roll data|2073|y}} as of {{NZ school roll data|||y|y||.}}{{cite web |title=Waitomo Caves School Education Review Office Report |url=http://www.ero.govt.nz/report-view?id=2073 |website=ero.govt.nz |publisher=Education Review Office}} It opened in 1910.{{cite web|url=https://natlib.govt.nz/records/31188283|title=Waitomo Caves schools golden jubilee: history of Waitomo Caves School and district, 1910-1960|author=Waitomo Caves School|year=1960}}

• List of caves in New Zealand
• Waitomo Glowworm Caves

{{Reflist}}

{{Wikivoyage|Waitomo}}

• Waitomo Caves area in Episode 4 "Caves" of BBC's Planet Earth.
• [http://www.waitomocaves.com/ Waitomo Caves Museum & Discovery Centre]

{{Waitomo District}}

Category:Waitomo District

Category:Populated places in Waikato

Category:Caves of New Zealand