Waitomo Caves

Waitomo, officially Waitomo Caves, is a rural community in the region of New Zealand's . There are several solutional cave systems in the area around the village, which are popular tourist attractions.
Tap on a place
to explore it

Places of Interest

Highlights include Waitomo Caves Hotel and Ruakuri Cave.

Hotel
is a historic hotel built in 1909 that is located in , above Waitomo Caves in . The hotel initially had only six bedrooms, and was later expanded in 1927–1928 with the addition of 24 more rooms, along with a new kitchen and dining room.

Cave
is one of the longer caves in the Waitomo area of . It was first discovered by local Māori between 400 and 500 years ago. The name Te Ruakuri, or "The Den of Dogs" was given to the surrounding area when wild dogs were discovered living in the entrance of the cave. is situated 3 km west of Waitomo Caves.

Cave
Gardner's Gut is an extensive system in the Waitomo area of New Zealand. It is located in the Ruakuri Caves & Bush Scenic Reserve, an area that also contains a number of other natural features of note. is situated 3½ km west of Waitomo Caves.

Places in the Area

Nearby places include Te Kuiti.

is a small town in the region of the of . It is known as the "Sheep Shearing Capital of the World" and hosts the famous Great New Zealand Muster and Running of the Sheep in April each year.

Waitomo Caves

Latitude
-38.26109° or 38° 15′ 40″ south
Longitude
175.11032° or 175° 6′ 37″ east
Elevation
60 metres (197 feet)
Open location code
4VHQP4Q6+H4
Open­Street­Map ID
node 293889084
Open­Street­Map feature
place=­hamlet
Geo­Names ID
6234236
Wiki­data ID
Q1071889
This page is based on OpenStreetMap, GeoNames, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikipedia.
We’d love your help improving our open data sources. Thank you for contributing.

Satellite Map

Discover Waitomo Caves from above in high-definition satellite imagery.

In Other Languages

From Catalan to Vietnamese—“Waitomo Caves” goes by many names.
  • Catalan: Waitomo Caves
  • Chinese: 怀托摩萤火虫洞
  • Chinese: 懷托摩洞穴
  • Chinese: 懷托摩螢火蟲洞
  • Dutch: Waitomo Caves
  • French: Grottes de Waitomo
  • French: Waitomo Caves
  • German: Aranui Cave
  • German: Ruakuri Cave
  • German: Waitomo Cave
  • German: Waitomo Caves
  • Italian: Grotte di Waitomo
  • Italian: Waitomo Caves
  • Japanese: ワイトモ洞窟
  • Korean: 와이토모 동굴
  • Malayalam: വൈതോമോ ഗുഹകൾ
  • Maori: Waitomo Caves
  • Portuguese: Cavernas de Waitomo
  • Spanish: Cuevas de Waitomo
  • Turkish: Waitomo Caves
  • Ukrainian: Вайтомо
  • Vietnamese: Các hang động Waitomo

Places with the Same Name

Discover other places named “Waitomo Caves”.

Localities in the Area

Explore places such as Waitomo Valley and Hangatiki.

Notable Places Nearby

Highlights include Spellbound and Waitomo Caves School.

Waikato: Must-Visit Destinations

Delve into Hamilton, Matamata, Cambridge, and Whitianga.

Curious Localities to Discover

Uncover intriguing localities from every corner of the globe.
About Mapcarta. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors and available under the Open Database License". Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikipedia page “Waitomo Caves”. Photo: Николай Максимович, CC BY 3.0.