Lake Te Anau · Fiordland
Across Lake Te Anau, a river is still carving young limestone caves that hide a silent glowworm grotto.
Inside, the river roars. In the grotto, nobody says a word.
Worth it, and for whom?
Yes, if you are steady on your feet and happy to spend part of it in the dark. The booking gives a cruise across Lake Te Anau, a guided walk through limestone passages with whirlpools and an underground waterfall, then a small boat into a silent grotto lit by glowworms. Reviewers praise the silent boat ride and the guides; one found the group large and the organisation a little chaotic.
A guided trip of about two and a quarter hours to a cave system on the western shore of the lake. You cross by cruise boat, look at displays at the cave entrance, walk the passages with a guide, and finish by drifting in a small boat under the glowworms. The booking calls the caves about 12,000 years old, still being carved by the river.
It is not a long underground trek, and it is not a place for photographs: cameras cannot be used inside the cave. Glowworm sightings in the grotto are the point of the trip, but how many you see, and how bright they are, is not something anyone can promise. Some bending and steps are part of the route.
Most adults and older children who can bend, climb steps and stay quiet for a few minutes. It is a poor fit for wheelchair users, anyone with limited mobility, and infants, and the dark may be hard for anyone afraid of confined spaces. If that describes you, the cards below offer drier options.
The trip in four facts
From the lake to the grotto
The booking describes a cruise, a guided walk and a boat ride. These are the places that sequence passes through, drawn from encyclopaedias and the caves' own pages, not a timed route.
This site does not give a fixed route or timings. Your guide decides what to point out, and conditions on the day can change the order.
Wikipedia says Lake Te Anau covers 344 square kilometres, making it New Zealand's second-largest lake by surface area and the largest in the South Island. Three fiords form arms on its western side, and the caves lie on that shore, in the Murchison Mountains. The cruise across is the way in.
Wikipedia gives the Māori name Te Ana-au as "The cave of swirling water" for the lake and the caves. Before you go underground the booking mentions displays at the cave entrance on the geology and history. Low entrances and steps follow, and the booking says some bending is needed.
Wikipedia estimates the caves at 12,000 years old and calls them geologically young. The water running through is Tunnel Burn, the outflow of Lake Orbell. The booking describes a twisting network of sculpted rock, and the page on Wikipedia notes that the caves hold only one tiny stalactite.
The booking describes whirlpools and a roaring underground waterfall. The caves' operator describes the system as high energy, with a risk of flooding and little growth of stalactites and stalagmites. That also explains why the walk is guided and why the route can change.
Deep inside, a small boat takes the group into a grotto lit by glowworms, the larvae of a fly found only in New Zealand. Part of the tour has to be silent, and the booking calls it pitch black. Reviewers describe the silent boat ride as the part they remember.
Te Anau or Waitomo
From booking to the boat back
The trip in six steps, from booking to the boat back. Your confirmation covers whatever is particular to your date.
Pick your date in the calendar and do not leave it late, since the booking is flagged as likely to sell out. Cancelling is free until 24 hours before, and reserving lets you pay later. This page promises no clock time.
Check-in is at the visitor centre on the lakefront, 85 Lakefront Drive in Te Anau, and your confirmation gives the time. Wear non-slip shoes without heels.
A scenic cruise takes the group across Lake Te Anau to the western shore. The cruise is also the part where a camera is welcome, because cameras are only banned inside the cave.
At the entrance you see displays, then your guide leads the walk through the passages, with some bending at low entrances and a number of steps. Bring a warm layer, because a cave is cool.
A small boat carries the group into the grotto. The booking calls the dark complete, and the silence is part of the plan. Let your eyes adjust before you try to count anything.
The cruise returns across the lake. Complimentary tea and coffee come with the tour, and light refreshments are on sale at the cave-entrance building and on the cruise.
What one ticket covers
What a ticket gets you, and what you pay for separately.
The country around the caves
Lake Te Anau with the Fiordland mountains behind it, the shore near the caves, a glowworm larva with its silk threads, a Waitomo cave chamber, beech forest on the lake's western side and a pair of takahē.
More of Fiordland to book around it
The caves come first. A Waitomo cave walk, a Doubtful Sound day and a jet boat run are the nearest comparisons.
A cruise across Lake Te Anau, a guided walk through young limestone passages and a small boat into a silent glowworm grotto.
A North Island cave walk with a local guide, down a spiral entrance into a cave with glowworms, stalactites and subterranean waterfalls.
A long day crossing Lake Manapouri and Wilmot Pass to a three-hour cruise in a remote fiord.
A two-hour trip down the Waiau River to Lake Manapouri by jet boat, with a guided walk ashore.
Other bookings in Te Anau
Practical notes
Keep reading
FAQ
Yes, for most people who can manage bending and steps. The cruise, the guided walk and the silent boat ride under the glowworms are the reasons reviewers recommend it. Skip it if you want photographs, a long underground trek or step-free access.
No. Wikipedia says the New Zealand glowworm, Arachnocampa luminosa, is a fly, and the glowing creature is its larva. The species is found only in New Zealand.
No. The caves' operator says photography and video filming are not permitted inside the cave, and the booking lists cameras under what is not allowed. You can use a camera on the lake cruise and in the grounds.
The booking describes thousands of glowworms in the grotto and a glittering display. No page can promise a particular number or brightness, because the glow depends on the animals themselves.
Often, yes. The operator sets no minimum age and says children are welcome, but the silent boat ride may not suit younger guests, and the booking says the tour is not suitable for infants.
No. Low cave entrances and steps rule out wheelchair users and anyone with limited mobility, and the booking marks the tour as unsuitable for both.
The booking gives about 135 minutes, and the calendar shows the starting times for each date. That includes the lake cruise across and back.
Yes: free until 24 hours before the start, on tickets booked through GetYourGuide, and you can hold the date now and settle up later. Checkout shows the terms for your date.
Very dark and quiet. The booking describes pitch black, and one reviewer said it can feel spooky and may not suit anyone who is claustrophobic or afraid of the dark.
No. This site is a separate, independent guide, neither the caves' own website nor that of RealNZ, the company that runs them. It has no affiliation with either, and every booking is made with GetYourGuide, which sells the tickets.
The calendar shows each date's price in your chosen currency, with taxes and fees already added.