Waitomo#Caves and tourism activities

Māori lived in the Waitomo Caves area in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Opapaka Pā to the east of the village was occupied by Ngāti Hia in the 1700s.{{Cite web |title=Opapaka Pā Walk |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/waikato/places/waitomo-area/tracks/opapaka-pa-walk/ |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=www.doc.govt.nz |language=en-nz}} One of the first two explorers of the Waitomo Glowworm Cave in 1887 was Tane Tinorau, who lived nearby and knew the entrance to the cave as a good spot for catching eels.{{Cite book |last=Bain |first=Brydie Walker |title=New Zealand's Waitomo Caves: Time, water, light |publisher=A Great Backyard |year=2013 |isbn=9780473227746 |location=Waitomo Caves, New Zealand}} Naturalist William Smith described seeing an abandoned Māori village or 'kāinga' of raupō huts across the valley near a lake, while he was travelling between the accommodation at Waitomo Caves and the Ruakuri Cave in 1906.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=W. W. |date=27 September 1912 |title=Ruakura and Waitomo Caves |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TH19120927.2.58 |work=Taranaki Herald}}

The village of 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. The Waitomo Glowworm Cave near Waitomo Caves was 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 tourism attraction from 1904 onwards.[https://teara.govt.nz/en/caving/page-2 Caving tourism] (from Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand) At this time tourists would set out for the Waitomo Glowworm Cave from Otorohanga or Hangatiki railway stations which had been opened in the 1880s. A 1915 guide said, "[The cave] 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. There was tourist accommodation at Hangatiki in the early 1900s,{{Cite news |date=14 July 1905 |title=Local and general news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19050714.2.23 |work=New Zealand Herald}} and by 1904 accommodation and a store had been built at Waitomo Caves.{{Cite news |date=25 July 1904 |title=In the King Country |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19040725.2.16 |work=Waikato Times}}{{Cite news |title=Local and general |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19041118.2.10 |work=Waikato Times |quote=[...] there is an excellent accommodation house, quite near the caves, kept by Mrs de Bourbel.}} In 1909 the government built a hotel, and the village gradually developed to support increasing tourism to the 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

There are many caves in the Waitomo Caves area, but some are on private land or only accessible to cavers rather than tourists.{{Cite journal |last=Hobson |first=Daphne |title=Waitomo Caves |url=https://bugz.ento.org.nz/viewer/bcbf17d5-1c9c-4608-8dda-6a856e433947#1 |journal=[New Zealand Speleological Bulletin] |issue=100 |pages=585-602}} One example is Gardner's Gut at the Ruakuri Scenic Reserve. This is the largest cave system in the North Island, and it is used by caving clubs for beginner caving experience.

Companies specialise in leading tourists through some of the limestone caves of the area, which are noted for their stalactite and stalagmite displays and for the presence of glowworms (the fungus gnat Arachnocampa luminosa) in caves with streams running through them. Cave tours range from easily accessible areas with hundreds of tourists per hour in the peak season, to activities such as blackwater rafting and 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}} Tourist caves include:

• Waitomo Glowworm Cave: first explored in 1887, and famous for its Glowworm Grotto, where tourists glide through the dark on a boat under a canopy of glowworms.
• Ruakuri Cave: opened to the public from 1904 until 1988, when it was closed due to a legal and financial dispute. It reopened in 2005.{{cite press release |title=Prime Minister to re-open spectacular Ruakuri Cave |date=26 July 2005 |url=http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0507/S00330.htm}} Ruakuri Cave is accessed via a spiral ramp and is wheelchair-accessible. It also has glowworms. Blackwater rafting, abseiling and other adventure activities also take place in Ruakuri Cave.
• Aranui Cave: found by accident in 1910 when Te Ruruku Aranui was out hunting and his dog fell down a hole.{{Cite news |date=11 February 1911 |title=Aranui Cave |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/KCC19110211.2.18 |work=KIng Country Chronicle}} Aranui Cave has no stream through it and no glowworms, but it is notable for its delicate stalactites and stalagmites in many colours.
• Mangawhitikau Cave and Spirit Cave (Te Ana o te Atua): a few kilometres south of Waitomo Caves. Both caves were opened to tourists in 1994, but access to Spirit Cave was temporarily lost around 1999 when the land it was on was sold. After negotiations and installation of lighting and paths, Spirit Cave reopened to the public in 2006.{{Cite journal |last=Chandler |first=Peter |last2=Chandler |first2=Libby |date=October 2012 |title=Spellbound Glowworm and Cave Tours |url=https://ackma.org/journal/88/Spellbound%20Glowworm%20And%20Cave%20Tours%20-%20Libby%20and%20Peter%20Chandler.pdf |journal=ACKMA Journal |issue=88 |pages=8-11}} Mangawhitikau Cave is noted for its glowworms, while the Spirit Cave has interesting speleothems and fossil moa bones.{{Cite web |title=Spellbound Glowworm Cave |url=https://www.glowworm.co.nz/cave/mangawhitikau-glowworm-cave |access-date=2025-07-03 |website=Spellbound Glowworm Cave Tours |language=en}} Spirit Cave was visited in 1849 by military surgeon Arthur Thomson, who wrote a report about the cave and its moa bones in 1854 for the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal.{{Cite book |last=Thomson |first=Arthur S. |url=https://www.google.co.nz/books/edition/The_Edinburgh_New_Philosophical_Journal/ShQAAAAAMAAJ |title=The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal |date= |publisher=A. and C. Black |year=1854 |location=Edinburgh, Scotland |pages=272-275 |language=en |chapter=Description of two caves in the North Island of New Zealand, in which were found bones of the large extinct wingless bird, called by the Natives, Moa,and by Naturalists, Diornis; with some general observations on this genus of birds. |chapter-url=https://www.google.co.nz/books/edition/The_Edinburgh_New_Philosophical_Journal/ShQAAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA272&printsec=frontcover}}  
• Piripiri Cave: a publicly accessible cave 29 km west of Waitomo Caves in a Department of Conservation Scenic Reserve, that is free to visit.{{Cite book |url=https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/64f515db910e9870db8d575f/66a49d902df668c1dd64d6bd_Public%20Caves.pdf |title=Public caves of New Zealand: A guide to New Zealand's publicly-accessible caves |date=November 2023 |publisher=New Zealand Speleological Society |location=Waitomo Caves, New Zealand |pages=13-15 |issn=2357-2213}}

In 2004, around 400,000 visitors entered caves in the area, and a visit to Waitomo Caves made number 14 on a list of 101 "Kiwi must-do's" in a New Zealand Automobile Association poll of over 20,000 motorists published in 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}}

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}} The Opapaka Pā walk to the east of the village was a short track through native forest and up to the site of a former pā, but it closed due to a large slip.

The Mangapohue Natural Bridge is located 26 km to the west of Waitomo Caves. A short track lets visitors explore the area around the double arch, a remnant of a cave system that has disintegrated.

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 the setllement of Waitomo, 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 Cave

{{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