real journeys te anau glow worms

Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Experience a mysterious underground world with a guided cave tour past the rushing water of an underground stream before drifting in silent darkness beneath the luminous shimmer of hundreds of glowworms.

Your trip to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves begins with a cruise to the western shores of Lake Te Anau on one of our purpose-built scenic cruise vessels.

At the entry to the caves at Cavern House, view the informative displays and learn about this geological wonder before you join your guide underground. On the tour of the caves, our friendly guides will point out the highlights and share their knowledge of the caves and its history.

This underground world is astonishingly beautiful. By geological standards, the caves are very young (12,000 years) and are still being carved out by the force of the river that flows through them. The result is a twisting network of limestone passages filled with sculpted rock, whirlpools and a roaring underground waterfall.

Deep inside the caves, beyond the roar of the water, you will be taken by small boat into a silent hidden grotto inhabited by hundreds of glowworms, unique to New Zealand. In the subterranean darkness, they produce a glittering display that is nothing short of extraordinary.

Cruise across picturesque lake Te Anau.

Enjoy a personalised experience with a maximum of 14 guests per guide.

Learn about the unique flora of the region.

A great family trip, suitable for all ages with the exception of infants.

More information

What’s included.

• Scenic cruise across Lake Te Anau
• Guided tour of the caves by path and by small boat
• Complimentary tea and coffee

Departure Location

Trips to the Glowworm Caves depart from the RealNZ Visitor Centre, 85 Lakefront Drive, Te Anau.

Getting to Te Anau

Self-drive - Te Anau is about a 2.5 hour drive from Queenstown and around 5 hours from Dunedin.

What to bring

Non-slip shoes/boots, waterproof jacket, warm sweater/fleece jacket (It’s always cold in the cave 8 - 12ºC), sunscreen/ sunglasses, insect repellent, camera and personal medication (including for asthma and allergies).

Please Note: Photography and video filming are NOT permitted inside the cave.  Some bending is required at the cave entrance and steps are involved.

In case you haven't found the information you were looking for, we've put together some of the most common questions our customers ask about our trips. If you need more specific answers, please contact us directly.

From Queenstown to Te Anau by car or coach takes around 2 hrs 45 mins and from Manapouri around 30 minutes.  For more information refer to our Driving Times webpage.

Photography and video cameras are not permitted in the  Glowworm Caves  because flash lights affect the glowworms and visitor acclimatisation to the dark.

What is the best time of day to visit the Glowworm Caves?

It’s always dark inside the caves, so you’ll be able to see the glowworms on any departure. Daylight hours do vary significantly in NZ so for evening tours it may be dark for the cruise across Lake Te Anau to reach the caves, or on your return. Just choose a departure which fits best with your itinerary.

What are conditions like in the caves ?

Inside the caves the temperature is a fairly constant 8 - 12ºCelsius, so bring a warm sweater/fleece jacket. At the entrance to the caves there is a large rock overhang and bending is required to pass this section. There are steps and often the walkways are wet, so care is required in the subdued light.

Online transactions/prices are conducted in what currency?

All prices and transactions on the RealNZ website are in New Zealand dollars (NZD).  This is specified on the Terms & Conditions page.

What happens if there is an emergency?

Our staff are trained to deal with incidents and in case of an emergency you should listen to their instructions. We have a portable defibrillator on each of our overnight cruise vessels (Milford Mariner, Milford Wanderer and Fiordland Navigator). In addition to this we also have portable defibrillators at the following locations: •    Milford Sound Visitor Terminal •    RealNZ Visitor Centre, Manapouri •    Cavern House (Te Anau Glowworm Caves) •    Colonel’s Homestead Restaurant, Walter Peak •    TSS Earnslaw Vintage Steamship •    Stewart Island Ferry (Bluff - Oban - Bluff)

Our people. Our places. Te Anau Glowworm Caves, New Zealand

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Venture deep into the magical world of the glowworms. Departing from Te Anau, take a half hour boat cruise on Lake Te Anau to start your glowworm cave tour, giving you access to a unique cave system sculpted by water and home to hundreds of glittering glowworms.

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - RealNZ

Experience Te Anau’s mysterious underground world with a guided Glowworm Cave Tour. Venture through a unique cave system sculpted by water before drif...

• Web realnz.com/en/experiences/glowworm-caves/te-anau-glowworm-caves

Te Anau Glowworm Caves

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Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Stare up at constellations of glowworms on an underground boat ride. First described in Māori stories, this 200m-long cave system was lost in time until it was 'rediscovered' in 1948. Its sculpted rocks, waterfalls and whirlpools are impressive by themselves, but the bluish sparkle of glowworms, peculiar territorial larvae who lure prey with their come-hither lights, is the main draw. The caves can only be reached by a 2¼-hour guided tour with Real Journeys , departing from its office on Lakefront Dr.

Get In Touch

0800 656 501

https://​www​.realjourneys​.co​.nz​​/

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Te Anau Glowworm Caves

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Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - Glowworm Grotto

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - Guided Nature Tour

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - Nature Walk

Te Anau Glowworm Caves - Walk among giants - RealNZ

85 Lakefront Drive, Te Anau , Te Anau , New Zealand .

Cruise across beautiful Lake Te Anau and join a guided caves adventure underground by path and small punt through limestone caverns to the glowworm grotto.

Pricing and Conditions

Prices valid until 30 September 2024, and are per person based on a Te Anau Glowworm Caves trip departing Te Anau. Complimentary tea & coffee provided. Suitable for all ages with the exception of infants. Photography & video filming are not permitted in the caves. Some bending is required at caves entrance and steps are involved.

If cancelling or amending a retail booking, a refund will only be granted when RealNZ receives notification 24 hours prior to departure.

The fascinating caves system on the western shore of Lake Te Anau offers an underground adventure that charms visitors of all ages.Following a scenic cruise across beautiful Lake Te Anau, informative and friendly guides take you on an exploration of the caves by path and small punt. Observe how the rushing water sculpts the rock formations, before gliding through silent darkness to the glowworm grotto. The delicate incandescence of hundreds of tiny glowworms is a magical sight.

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Getting Up-Close to the Glowworms of Te Anau

142 days on the road.

Adrenaline city, see you some other time… 100% pure New Zealand wilderness, here we come ! Yes, today we are finally leaving Queenstown and the not too distant memories of a bungy jump , white water rafting , jet boating , hiking a New Zealand Great Walk , go-karting , ziplining , luging , canyoning and 4×4 driving . We are swapping it for Te Anau, the gateway to one of the world’s largest World Heritage Sites , Fiordland National Park . We have lots of wilderness exploring planned, from cruising in Doubtful Sound to scuba diving in Milford Sound.

To start off this next leg of awesomeness, we are diving straight into Te Anau Glowworm Caves , so we leave Nomads Queenstown bright and early to make the two-hour trip to Te Anau .

Following the edges of Lake Wakatipu

This might come as no surprise to you but the drive, again, is pretty damn stunning. Leaving Queenstown, we have the rest of New Zealand’s longest lake , Lake Wakatipu, to marvel at as we drive along the mountainsides. The mountains are still hanging onto the snowfall from y esterday .

Kia ora, Southland!

Once we leave the lakeside of Lake Wakatipu, it is official: we are now in the region of Southland . To mark the occasion the scenery changes to flat farmland, straight roads and mountains all too far in the distance. Without really noticing, we drive up to higher land surrounded by red tussock. It’s a bizarre scene we’ve not seen yet on this 365-day road trip – the colour is that of a wasteland, yet there is still vegetation thriving here.

As we approach the mountains and a huge lake again, it is clear that we’ve made it! We’ve made it to Te Anau!

Te Anau Glowworm Caves

We check-in for a powered site at the Te Anau Kiwi Holiday Park, then we have no time to lose to catch a boat with Real Journeys out to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves .

Te Anau Glowworm Caves are right on the other side of Lake Te Anau (the western side) and actually gave the name to the lake and settlement, meaning: “the cave of the swirling water current” in te reo Maori .

Cruising across Lake Te Anau

About 40-50 people join us on the boat/ferry across the lake to the caves. Despite the weather being pretty miserable, we still make our way to the top deck to capture some awesome views across the lake . Forested islands and mountains can be seen between scattered clouds. We brave out the wind for as long as we can, trying to keep our balance on the lake that feels more like the ocean right now, until we head downstairs to claw at the windows and the magnificent views for the rest of the journey.

After passing islands and beaches, the boat approaches a jetty. From there, we unload and make our way through some ancient mossy forest to the Cavern House. While some of our group are being taken into the caves now, the rest of us are staying in the warm Cavern House for hot drinks and a presentation about the glowworm’s life cycle.

This is why they call it “The Cave of the Swirling Waters”

Glowworms up close.

We see some close-up footage of what glowworms actually look like, how they make their sticky lines, both in real time and lapsed time, there’s even footage of a glowworm eating another glowworm ! The stuff they have managed to capture is amazing! We start to understand more about the glowworm than we have had the chance to anywhere else.

In fact, the footage gets so much for one lady that when asked if we have any questions, she cries out: “ Why are they here?! “, “What do they want from us?!” and “Are our children safe?!” Ok, we may have made up the last two questions…

Entering the Te Anau Glowworm Caves

We are now going to see the aliens that are going to take our children with our own eyes in the Te Anau Glowworm Caves. Our group of 14 are being lead by the guide who gave the wonderful presentation, Vedant. A photographer takes our photo (to buy later, of course) as we squeeze down a layered limestone corridor and crouch through a low-lying ceiling into the caves.

The cave opens up with a powerful stream flowing underneath the metal walking platform and a cave with the maximum height only being about 20-30m above our heads. As you can imagine, it’s going to be a pretty intimate experience in this cave .

Drinking from the tomo

We all gather close to Vedant at the first stop in order to hear him over the roar of the water. An almost perfect cylinder tomo is lit up above us with water dripping vigorously from the middle of the huge cave hole. We are invited to drink the clean and fresh water, then move onto the next section.

Glowworm gardens

Lights show us interesting cave formations, such as the tiniest stalactites we have ever seen! What’s more, the bits of hanging limestone about half and inch long have taken 400 years to form! Poor guys. Alongside the stalactites are the lines of the glowworms looking like thin beaded jewelry hanging from the ceiling. They even have a nice little garden of moss surrounding them.

Underground waterfall and whirlpools

As we wait for the group ahead of us to pass so we can move on, Vedant shines a light in the river to reveal a couple of trout swimming against the current. Then we are heading up to higher cave ground to reveal a tumultuous waterfall fed by a swirling whirlpool , which in turn is fed by streams coming from all directions. Now we understand where the Te Anau (the cave of the swirling water current) gets it name from.

A galaxy of glowworms

Now for the grand finale, floating underneath a galaxy of glowworms. We load onto a small boat, Vedant turns the lights off, and off we go slowly floating underneath blue lights, some like a distant stars in a much higher part of the cave, while others are inches away from our face ! We are incredibly close and seeing the glowworms like we have never seen before , as they shine at their brightest just above us. No one says a word as we drift away from the roars of the underground river and move into a quiet pool section.

Back on the metal walking platforms we make our way back through the caves, stopping at a different viewpoint of that tumultuous waterfall along the way.

Fiordland forest

It’s back out into daylight once again where Vedant leads us through some magnificent forest to talk about one of it’s residents: the takahe. Instead of having a real takahe knocking about, he holds up a huge stuffed toy takahe for people in the group to hug and pose for photos with. (Which they are extremely happy about, by the way). From there, it’s back on the boat to Te Anau.

The Te Anau Glowworm Caves is a taste of the beauty held within Fiordland National Park – a taste which is about to get a whole lot sweeter in the next few days. Tomorrow, we are going off the beaten track for a full-day experience in Doubtful Sound – that other fiord that is forever in the shadow of its brother, Milford. Join us then!

Whirlpools and glowworms in Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Well, that’s just awesome! How about checking out these articles:

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Glowworm Caves, New Zealand – a Dazzling Display of Light

Written By: The Planet D

New Zealand

Updated On: February 8, 2024

Visiting the Glowworm Caves in New Zealand is a magical experience.

“I wish I was a Glow Worm A glow worm’s never glum. ‘Cus how can you be grumpy when the sun shines out  your bum!”

Table of Contents

Glowworm Caves, New Zealand

That was the cute sign that we saw during our glowworm tour with Real Journeys in Te Anau, New Zealand .

We wanted to see the glowworm phenomenon while we were traveling New Zealand and Te Anau seemed like the perfect place to do it.

We booked with Real Journeys, a very large corporation that leads many different trips in the area. They run a slick and well-tuned operation with very reasonable prices.

We hopped on our boat for a scenic cruise across the beautiful Lake Te Anau from the downtown waterfront office in Te Anau town.

The cruise was a pleasant scenic trip taking in the views of the Fiord Land National Park surrounding us.

After about 20 minutes we were on the opposite side of New Zealand’s second largest lake where we were met by our guide and learned about the glowworms.

Glowworms spend their lives in caves

Glowworms never leave the cave and they spend their lives in there feeding on insects that make their way into the deep caverns.

Their bioluminescent lights attract the bugs where they are trapped in their gooey string to await their slow death.

One glowworm hangs hundreds of threads to catch their prey and then makes its way down through the tube to feat upon their dinner.

We are split into small groups and we only have 7 people on our tour of the caves. Read 14 Cool and Fun Facts About New Zealand

We started the tour with a walk through the most phenomenal underground caves system we have ever witnessed.

Rushing water has carved a beautiful labyrinth of passageways creating whirlpools, waterfalls, impressive rock formations and a strong underground river.

I would hate to fall into that water; you would never be seen or heard from again.

We weren’t allowed to take photographs once we entered the glowworm caves so as to not disrupt the worms and we had to be very silent.

No Photographs and Complete Silence

Any noise or light will make the worms “turn off” and we would, therefore, be stuck sitting in a pitch-dark cavern rather than a recreation of a starlit night.

I didn’t know what to expect but was dazzled by the sparkling display taking place over our heads.

It looked as if we were sitting under a very clear starry night.

Millions of glowworms clung to the ceiling creating a twinkling in the darkness above.

Photo Credit – My new life in New Zealand – we borrowed this photo because we didn’t’ take any. We’re a stickler for the rules especially if it means turning off the glowworms.

We couldn’t see anything but the glow from the worms and had to keep our arms and legs in the boat at all times.

You never know when you may bump into a rock or the jagged wall of the cave.

Our guide pulled the boat along a rope while we looked up to the ceiling of the cave to watch the glowworms do their thing.

We spent about 20 minutes in the cave and felt completely satisfied with our glowworm experience.

The Glowworm Tour

The tour began with a 15-minute walk through the cave system to the final stop where we boarded our boats just above a small waterfall.

We climbed carefully in and received our instructions once again to not take photographs or speak.

The glowworms will turn off their lights if they feel threatened at all.  We were then pulled along a rope by our guide into the darkness.

Inside the Cave was Dead Quiet

There was no motor or paddle on this boat. Our guide stood at the front of our vessel and pulled us silently through the cave.

Here the water was still and silent and all I could hear was our breathing.  It wasn’t long until we came across the cavern filled with glowworms.

It had been raining hard for a few days here in Southern New Zealand bringing in many insects for the glowworms to feast upon. Because of this, the glowworms were shining brightly for us. Little did they know they were entertaining a group of people, they were simply trying to attract their meal for the evening.

Photo Credit – Jolanta Sketch – There are some great photos of glowworms and slime on this site.

Glowworms have a very short lifespan of about 6 months. Once they have lived out their purpose, the larvae transform into a fly. As a fly, it only lives for a few short days and spends it’s time reproducing.

The fully grown fly does not have a mouth as it is meant to live for only a short time.

Once it lays its eggs, the glowworm lifespan starts all over again and continues to will continue to satisfy New Zealand tourists for years to come.

About the Glowworm Cave tour

• Bookings can be made in Te Anau at Real Journeys located on the waterfront.
• Glowworm Tour and Scenic Cruise costs $67
• 1 NZD = .7 CAD and .7 USD
• 1NZD = .5 Euro and .5 British Pound

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Te Anau Caves tour is courtesy of New Zealand Tourism and Real Journeys. Our trip to New Zealand is sponsored by Flying Kiwi.

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About The Planet D

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18 thoughts on “Glowworm Caves, New Zealand – a Dazzling Display of Light”

I had no idea that glow worms only lived 6 months- that’s really interesting. Sounds like a fun tour, I’d totally be into this!

That looks like a great experience. Never heard of glow worms before

This is totally cool! I want to add this to my list of underwater adventures. I went snorkeling on a coral reef in the Florida Keys 2 years ago and still consider it one of my best adventures. We were blessed with a tour by locals…my cousin and her husband live on a boat at Marathon Key.

I really enjoyed doing it also. I had heard some mixed reviews, but I was a fan. Really interesting afternoon.

When I was in high school someone gave me that gloworm quote and I had it on my fridge for years – it always made me smile! This sounds like such an awesome (and unique) experience.

amazing!!! its like a miniature galaxy… they look like stars…

SO cool! Like stars. I love that little rhyme as well, hehe.

Hey, I don’t even know they have glowworm caves in Te Anau! We did cave tubing in Waitomo glowworm caves, and I totally love the serene feeling just floating on the underground river, facing up looking at these blue stars.

I would have loved to do the Black Water Rafting in Waitomo. We wanted to do the absielling into the cavern but we didn’t have enough time. We only stopped in Waitomo for a few hours:(

How fascinating! I love caves and I think this just made my night. 🙂

Aw, so glad that we could make your night. If you like caves, New Zealand certainly has a lot of them.

I went to waitomo, and saw the same thing. Aren’t they amazing? If I saw them in just daylight, I would not really like it. But they have some kind of superpower! Amazing.

Very true Juno, seeing the worms in broad daylight wouldn’t be very interesting, but seeing them with their glows on is quite cool. Did you Black Water Raft in Waitomo?

Must have been such an incredible site!

Fascinating. Will definitely put it on my list should I ever make it to NZ. I’ve always been especially drawn to such natural phenomenon – like the “River of Fire” (amazing luminescence!), solar eclipses, etc.

Me too Dyanne. We have been lucky this year we saw the luminscence in the water in Thailand this year when we were kayaking and then to see this in New Zealand has checked off two things on my list that I have wanted to see for some time.

Davendeb – Which of the two did you enjoy more? The luminescence in Thailand or the glow worm caves in New Zealand? I’m thinking of going to the glow worm caves in New Zealand but would like some perspective. Thanks!

They were both completely different experiences. The glow worm caves were definitely impressive. But paddling in the dark in the middle of a Hong in Thailand was pretty spectacular.

Te Anau Glowworm Caves

Top ways to experience Te Anau Glowworm Caves and nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Also popular with travellers

TE ANAU GLOWWORM CAVES: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

• (0.17 km) Distinction Te Anau Hotel and Villas
• (0.19 km) Distinction Luxmore Hotel Lake Te Anau
• (0.35 km) Radfords on the Lake
• (0.31 km) Lakefront Lodge
• (0.33 km) Bella Vista Motel Te Anau
• (0.09 km) Miles Better Pies
• (0.11 km) MacKinnon Room
• (0.19 km) Redcliff Restaurant & Bar
• (0.14 km) Bailiez Cafe
• (0.06 km) The Moose Bar & Restaurant

Is Te Anau the best place to see glow worms in New Zealand?

At the Te Anau glowworm caves in Fiordland, experience young (by earth’s standards – 12,000 years) caves that are still being shaped by the water of the river that flows through them. There are others , but Te Anau’s glowworm caves are one of a kind.

The tour with Real Journeys starts with a boat trip across Lake Te Anau, on the south west of the South Island, to the western shore of the lake. This is followed by a short walk in past a roaring underground waterfall, along man-made walkways and through natural limestone passages filled with alien-like rock formations.

You’ll then transfer to a smaller boat and gliding through the inside of the underground labyrinth of glow worm caves – a silent hidden grotto inhabited by creatures of magic.

After the noise of the scenic cruise across Lake Te Anau and the waterfall, the quiet in the cave is spectacular, as are the worms themselves, arrayed above you like hundreds of galaxies made up of nearby stars.

The Te Anau glowworm caves are truly a mysterious underground world.

What even are glow worms?

Well, Fun Fact Number 1, glowworms are actually not even worms. They might even be offended at the name, seeing as their real name is Arachnocampa luminosa – a fungus gnat, or flying insect.

But we’ll call them glowworms for now. While there are other glow worms found in Australia, the Arachnocampa Luminosa glow worm is unique to New Zealand.

The glow worm, or Titiwai in te reo Maori, lives a short but eventful life. Their larval stage is when all the action happens: they build a nest, make hanging, glowing lines, eat and glow. This stage last about nine months, and the sticky lines, which hang down from the roof of the cave and look like glorious chandeliers, are mucus-covered prey traps.

The hungrier they get, the more they emit a luminous shimmer to attract insects to the location of their nest in their underground world.

How big is a glow worm?

They’re just small creatures, with the females about 13mm long and the males about 11mm long. However, they can create as many as 70 hanging prey lines, which are usually around 20-150mm long.

How much does is cost to see the Te Anau glow worm caves?

The Real Journeys tour of the Te Anau glowworm caves can be done night or day, and you can choose to take a guided forest tour, too.

The whole thing takes just over two hours, starting from Te Anau, and costs $99 per adult, $35 per kid.

Do you need a vaccine pass to see the Te Anau glow worm caves?

You’ll need to present your My Vaccine Pass at check-in for the Te Anau glow worm caves.

Do the worms at Te Anau glow all year round?

While in some places, glow worms have a distinct season, New Zealand glow worms don’t, including the resident ones near Lake Te Anau.

They shine brighter in their laval phase, but this isn’t in accordance with any external weather factors, which don’t impact their underground world.

How do you photograph glow worms?

Like a full moon in all its glory, glow worms are notoriously hard to photograph, with every picture often turning out with underwhelming blurred dots.

After you’ve found yourself in the right dark location, you’ll want to use a fast lens, and preferably wide angle. Unlike black water rafting, in Te Anau you boat will be drifting slowly, which helps with keeping the lens steady.

Where else can you see glow worms in New Zealand?

There are only a few places you can experience the incredible natural phenomenon that are glow worms, 30 million years in the making, and New Zealand is one of them. As well in Te Anau, there are caves all around the country, where travelers can find glowing galaxies of these tiny creatures.

Some other delightful (har!) glow worm spots:

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are the most well-known and popular spot for finding glowworms in New Zealand, and are found smack bang in the middle of the North Island. If you decide to go for a guided cave tour, there are three different caves to choose from.

Two of the them, because they don’t have water, can be explored by foot, one of these being Ruakuri Cave, which is the only wheelchair accessible cave in the southern hemisphere.

The classic and aptly named ‘Waitomo Glowworm Caves’ tour takes visitors through the biggest cave, the astonishingly beautiful Cathedral, before taking a dark, silent (glowworms aren’t into noise) boat ride through the grotto.

Waipu Caves

Waipu Caves, also in the North Island, are a brilliant way to see glowworms for free – for those who travel on a budget or prefer to get off the well-beaten tourist track of the popular Waitomo glowworm caves.

If you’re willing to wade waist-deep through water and clamber up slick mud banks, you’ll be rewarded with a light show like no other, and they’re not actually difficult to find once you’re in there. For most people, the rogue-ness adds to the experience.

 Lake Rotoiti Caves

If you thought rafting into a glow worm cave was a unique experience, try glow worm kayaking. The tours depart just before sunset so travelers get the opportunity to see the worms in full glory as the night becomes black. If glow worm tours had a glamping option, this would be it.

Paddle across Lake Rotoiti at sunset to the Manupirua Hot Pools, share a gourmet barbeque dinner, before heading inside the secret cave, drifting in silent darkness, and getting up close and personal with some glow worms.

So is Te Anau the best?

The location of the Te Anau glowworm caves is a huge drawcard – in fact, glow worms or no glow worms, if you’re planning to travel to the South Island, Fiordland is an absolute must. And Real Journeys makes the whole thing so easy.

One of New Zealand’s finest natural wonders, Fiordland National Park is a Jurassic world of dense native bush, deep, dark fiords, and thunderous waterfalls.

Te Anau is relatively close to Queenstown, too, and many people make it into a day trip.

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