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RealNZ Te Anau Glowworm Caves

From nz$109 per adult.

Glow Worm Caves

  Glow Worm Caves

Lake Cruise

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A visit to the Te Anau Glowworm Caves with RealNZ on the isolated western shores of Lake Te Anau is a must-see.

Have you ever seen limestone passages sculpted by water up close?

Have you drifted in silent darkness beneath the luminous shimmer of thousands of glowworms?

On this trip you will experience the mysterious underground work of rushing water before drifting through darkness beneath the luminous shimmer of thousands of glowworms.

Te Anau Glowworm Caves Activity Options

Te anau glowworm caves.

• Explore a mysterious underground world of rushing water before drifting in silent darkness beneath the luminous shimmer of thousands of glowworms
• Your Te Anau Glowworm Cave adventure begins with a cruise across beautiful Lake Te Anau on board the catamaran Luminosa to the western side of the lake
• On arrival there is time to view the interesting displays at Cavern House before your friendly guides accompany you underground in small groups
• As you explore by path and small boat, your senses will be overwhelmed
• In this mysterious underground world discover fossils and rock formations, and view rushing waterfalls and whirlpools
• Learn how the caves are still being carved out by the incredible and relentless power of nature, before gliding through silent darkness to the glowworm grotto
• The delicate incandescence of thousands of tiny glowworms is a magical sight!

Other Information

• Suitable for all ages with exception of infants
• Some bending is required at caves entrance and steps are involved
• No film / photography permitted inside caves
• What to bring: walking shoes, waterproof jacket, woollen sweater/fleece jacket, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent and camera.
• All Year: 10.15 am, 12,45pm, 2 pm, 3.15pm, 4.30pm
• October – April: 5.45 pm, 8.15 pm
• 26 December – 28 February 8.15 pm
• 2 hours and 15 minutes

RealNZ Visitor Centre, Te Anau, New Zealand.

Book the Te Anau Glowworm Caves Tour

You can book the Te Anau Glowworm Caves Tour separately or as part of one of our  New Zealand holiday packages . We bundle  activities ,  accommodation , and  transportation  together for convenient, affordable New Zealand holidays.

These popular New Zealand holiday packages include the Te Anau Glowworm Cave Tour:

• 7 Day South Island Family Must Do Package
• 10 Day Deep South Holiday Package
• 21 Day New Zealand Wild West Package
• 21 Day South Island Explorer Package

Contact New Zealand Travel Organiser today to plan your Te Anau activities.

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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:

• 7 Places to See the Famous Glowworms in New Zealand
• Fiordland National Park – Guide for Backpackers
• 20 Places Off the Beaten Track in the South Island

We also post daily travel tips and advice on Facebook , as well as some pictorial adventures on Instagram . Join our Facebook Group to talk to other backpackers and ask us questions about your gap year in New Zealand!

See you tomorrow!

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Te Anau Glowworm Caves

RealNZ | Te Anau Glowworm Caves

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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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

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Te Anau Glowworm Caves - Real Journeys

Combine a scenic cruise of Lake Te Anau and a visit the underground limestone caves lit by hundreds of glowworms

Visit the Te Anau Glowworm Caves – an underground network of limestone caves lit by hundreds of glowworms.

In the darkness they produce a glittering display. Carved out by the force of the river, the underground world is surprisingly beautiful with whirlpools and roaring waterfalls. Begin with a scenic cruise across Lake Te Anau and then our nature guides will take you in groups through the caves and then in small boats into the grotto.

Departs Te Anau.

• Quick Quotes
• Distribution
• Wonderful and incredible.
• Nice experience but too short.
• Beautiful sky of green stars!
• Well guided tour.
• It was awesome.

Boat trip across Lake Te Anau, interesting though noisy (from the water!), cave tour and pitch black drifting under the glowworms. Tour was efficient, only negative was that the information presentation afterwards was rushed to meet timings.

Reviewed over 6 years ago

Dorothy and Graham Glen

$81 per person, booked through the tourist office. Great activity no matter the weather as you enjoy those little glowworms in the dark, very nice scenic boat trip to get to the caves.

Reviewed over 6 years ago and experienced in March 2017

Very well done.

Reviewed about 7 years ago and experienced in February 2017

Beautiful sky of green stars! Amazing!

Reviewed about 7 years ago and experienced in December 2016

Manu Liberta

It was a guided tour to the glowworm cave with a lot of interesting information concerning the life cycle of glowworms, staff were very friendly.

Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in December 2016

Barbara Knops

The whole experience and the caves was wonderful - the boat ride over Lake Te Anau was beautiful, arriving at the caves with the sound of gushing water was exciting: the final part in the dark with the glowworms twinkling above was surreal and magical. Our guide was knowledgeable and informative. Fantastic!!

Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

Kirsty Smith

Was really good and worth the money.

Sophia Satter

Too expensive. Less time, busy at the cave, then back again.

OK, but not a highlight.

Reviewed about 8 years ago and experienced in March 2016

Alexander Mattea

Impressive and really worth it even if expensive. Cruise and cave tour. It was a magical experience. Very nice staff. Good for kids.

Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

This tour is slightly expensive but well worth it. A boat takes you to the cave where you walk through the forest, into the cave, enter a small chain/pulley controlled boat and then deep into the glowworm grotto - it is like the night sky - amazing!! And you learn all about their life cycle.

A very nice place, incredibly nice when the darkness reveals the glowing worms in silence. Maybe a little too short and too expensive.

Reviewed about 8 years ago and experienced in February 2016

Benoit Leclerc

Starts with a cruise on Lake Te Anau. We have seen a lot of worms in a small boat in the dark. Nice staff.

Nice cave, but the tour was a little bit too short and it was a little bit too hectic. Lots of visitors.

Johannes Eisel

Awesome boat trip and great staff. Many glowworms in the cave and it is fun to walk in there and ride another smaller boat.

It was awesome. The cave is dark, so you can see the Glowworms really well. And the staff were really friendly.

Reviewed about 8 years ago and experienced in January 2016

Anna Stoehr

Very expensive and unfortunately very less glowworms. However, the boat transfer to the caves is nice.

Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in December 2015

Kai Krchmar

Got a cheaper price together with the Milford sound trip. (±150) Go in the early or late afternoon hours so the price is cheaper. Staff on boats very friendly and funny, explaining everything along the way.

Reviewed over 8 years ago

Timea Bagosi

Nice, but way too overpriced.

Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in February 2015

Kristina Farkas

AMAZING experience that was great for the whole family. Beautiful boat ride across Lake Te Anau, informative talk, small tour groups through the actual caves, tea and coffee. A very tightly run operation!

Reviewed over 9 years ago and experienced in January 2015

Good explanation, amazing trip on the boat, too short a time in the cave to see the glowworms, free coffee and tea.

Laura and Marie

Nice tour, sad that there are no photos of the cave.

Sophia Kadel

Nice tour, but you can see glowworms for free at other places!

Reviewed about 10 years ago and experienced in February 2014

Hubertus Thost

Cruise in the Te Anau Lake to the glowworm caves. Really nice, good guide. A bit expensive and quite a short time in the caves.

Joris Giullemot

Good performance and well organised (very) expensive. Good information during the three trips.

Reviewed about 10 years ago and experienced in January 2014

Maya Bakker-deDreu

Too much money for the 5 minutes boat ride inside the cave with the glow worms. Most of the trip is getting across the lake.

Good tour but I was expecting to see more glowworms.

Great experience!

Reviewed over 10 years ago

Glow worm caves Te Anau-great.

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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Save 30% on Doubtful Sound overnight cruises this September. Learn more .

• Cruise-for-a-Cause

Once a year, at the start of each of our Milford and Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruises seasons, RealNZ dedicates its final training cruise as a fundraiser for a charitable or not-for-profit community organisation. RealNZ provides the vessels, crew, delicious dinner, breakfast and water activities - all at no cost.  All the organisation has to do is sell the tickets to its members and keep 100% of the proceeds. Cruise-for-a-Cause has raised almost $300,000 for conservation and community causes since it began in 2015.

Previous successful recipients of the RealNZ Cruise-for-a-Cause fundraising initiative are:

• Outdoor Education, Fiordland (2021): More info
• Fiordland Trails Trust (2020): More info
• Wildlife Hospital, Dunedin (2019): More info
• Baskets of Blessing (2019): More info
• Wanaka Search and Rescue (2018): More info
• KidsCan Charitable Trust (2018)
• Cancer Society Southland and Otago Region (2017): More info
• Forest & Bird (2016 & 2017): More info
• Wakatipu High School Foundation (2016): More info
• Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust (2015): More info
• Queenstown Lakes Family Centre (2015): More info

Real Journeys 2019 Cruise-for-a-Cause raises funds for the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital

Why Cruise-for-a-Cause is an awesome way to raise funds

• Sell in your sleep: our Milford & Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruises are internationally recognised, award-winning, iconic Fiordland experiences that are easy to sell.
• Keep it all: all proceeds from your fundraising efforts are yours.
• Bring your supporters together: Share this amazing experience and socialise with your supporters.
• We can help: we know a fundraiser like this can sound daunting. So if you'd like us to, we can help collect the money for you, make reservations and give you advice on how to sell/price them.
• Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise – approx. $53,000.
• Milford Sound Overnight Cruise – approx. $27,000.

Wanaka Search and Rescue enjoying Cruise-for-a-Cause in Doubtful Sound

About the vessels

Fiordland navigator, doubtful sound overnight cruise.

The Fiordland Navigator has 18 twin/double cabins with ensuite bathrooms and 9 quad-share bunk-style compartments with shared bathrooms.  Visit our Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruises page.

Milford Mariner, Milford Sound Overnight Cruise

The Milford Mariner has 28 private twin/double cabins with ensuite bathrooms and 2 ensuite family rooms with four bunk beds.  Visit our Milford Sound Overnight Cruises page. 

How Cruise-for-a-Cause works

Community based not-for-profit/charitable organisations are invited to apply for the Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise or Milford Sound Overnight Cruise for a fundraiser.

Stage 1: Application form

• You will need to describe how this fundraiser will make a difference to your organisation - including the extent to which your organisation shows its ‘cause’ will enhance the areas of conservation, education, health or rescue.
• Outline the ‘good cause’ or what the funds will be used for (this should be clearly explained). The funds are not intended for routine operational purposes.
• Evidence that the organisation can market the event and make it a successful fundraiser.
• Please note that you will need to have a plan to mitigate the possibility that your organisation may be selling tickets at the same time as RealNZ are running promotions.
• Remember the purpose is to raise the maximum amount of money for your organisation, for a valuable purpose, using a unique entertainment idea that cannot be experienced on any other cruise.

Stage 2: Shortlisted applicants

If shortlisted, successful applicants  must:

• Provide a detailed marketing plan that demonstrates they have the organisational ability to market and sell the trips through their own channels

Stage 3: Successful applicants

• You will be required to attend a briefing to discuss your marketing plan (which must be approved by RealNZ) and set an agreed price for the tickets.
• Designate an event manager as the main contact for RealNZ
• Your job is to publicise your fundraiser, contact people on your databases and sell your cruise as quickly as possible.  You must sell all your tickets 8 weeks prior to the sailing date.
• RealNZ is happy to assist you by making the bookings, collecting payments, providing confirmations for the bookings and allocating the rooms.
• RealNZ may do some publicity around the event and will also publicise the amount that was raised by your organisation. We may also help raise awareness of your charity and the cruises through our marketing and social media channels.
• The marketing of the fundraiser and selling the tickets is the organisation's sole responsibility.
• Once you have sold all your tickets you can relax, and RealNZ will do the rest. Just turn up at our Visitor Centre in either Milford Sound or Manapouri (for Doubtful Sound) and prepare to enjoy the largest untouched wilderness in New Zealand with a group of your favourite people!

Questions? Contact us:

For more information contact our media team by email on [email protected]  

Application form

Applications have now closed for the 2023 Cruise-for-a-Cause. The next round of applications for 2024 will open soon. 

Terms & Conditions

1.     eligibility.

To be eligible to apply for this fantastic opportunity you must be a NZ-based not-for-profit/charitable organisation.

2.     Selling/promotion

a.  The selected organisations must promote the Cruise-for-a-Cause directly to their members and friends.  The selected organisations cannot advertise their special cruise in any way that competes with RealNZ new season’s overnight cruises.

b.  Either the organisation OR RealNZ will collect all payments for passengers travelling on the Cruise-for-a-Cause and provide merchant services.  All payments made for the cruise directly to Real NZ will be provided to the organisation either within 20 working days of the cruise departure and/or from the date all documentation is submitted by the organisation. c.  If the organisation raises any additional funds on the cruise, (e.g. via a silent auction) it agrees to notify RealNZ of the total amount raised for publicity purposes.

d. Successful applicants agree to cooperate with RealNZ management and marketing team in the publicity and promotion of their cruise. Any promotion must:

• Carry the Cruise-for-a-Cause logo
• Meet our standards
• Be reviewed and approved by RealNZ before being published. 

e. Successful applicants agree to publish a minimum of one post per month on the organisation's social media accounts to promote the event and must tag RealNZ social media accounts in the posts @real.newzealand #realnz

f. The organisation agrees to write about their experience, provide at least 3 quotes from participants (provide full names), fill out a questionnaire and provide at least 5 photographs within 24 hours of the cruise. These may be used for a media release and marketing on the RealNZ website and social media platforms. The organisation also agrees to share the media release on their website and social media. 

g. Successful applicants must provide an event manager to be a point of contact for any enquiries about their cruise. 

h. All those taking part in the cruise will be required to agree to their images (photographed or filmed) being used for the publicity and promotion of the Cruise-for-a-Cause.

i. RealNZ reserves the right to hold one cabin on each overnight cruise for media and/or staff to assist with publicity about the event. If cabins are still available, after the organisation's ticket sale deadline, RealNZ reserve the right to use additional cabins.

j. The organisation is entitled to ONE cabin on its overnight cruise to use for promotional purposes and/or its staff. All other cabins must be paid for.

k. RealNZ cannot provide passenger email addresses to the organisation for the purposes of, or in connection with, the Cruise-for-a-Cause event, in alignment with the RealNZ Privacy Policy.

l. The RealNZ "Travel for Free" competition does not apply to the Cruise-for-a-Cause.

m. Please note, transport to/from the cruise is not included.

3.     Judging criteria

The criteria on which entries will be judged are:

a. The ‘good cause’ or what the funds will be used for (this should be clearly explained), and the proven ability of the organisation to reach its particular goal as a result of the Cruise-for-a-Cause funds raised. Please note the funds are not intended for routine operational purposes. b. The extent to which the organisation shows its ‘cause’ will enhance the areas of conservation, education, health or rescue. c. The marketing plan – how the organisation intends to maximise the opportunity to raise as much as it can. d. Evidence that the organisation is able to market the event and make it a successful fundraiser.

NB. This is a fun, social occasion that will allow your organisation to come together and to get to know your supporters better. We have found that involving the Head of Organisation and having them reach out directly to key supporters leads to fantastic results. Applicants should be prepared to involve the whole team in promoting and selling the fundraiser. 

4.     Decision

RealNZ leadership team will review all applications, and in their absolute discretion, will decide on the two organisations that will be awarded the Cruise-for-a-Cause and the destination they will be offered. Once the successful applicants have been notified, there will be a media release posted on the RealNZ website. The decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.  

5.     Dates/cancellations 

The dates allocated by RealNZ are not able to be altered. In the event that a Cruise-for-a-Cause is unable to go ahead, RealNZ will provide a refund of any funds it has collected (excluding any credit card surcharges) and will request that participants make a donation to the organisation.

In the event that a supporter wishes to cancel or amend their booking, refunds will only be granted when RealNZ receives notifications prior to the ticket sales deadline (8 weeks prior to each departure). We strongly recommend travel insurance for participants for this event as we have no control over disruptive weather conditions or road closures.

6.     Vessel

We want you to raise as much money as you can but if you do not sell all your spaces in the time allocated, we will reassess your allocation (8 weeks prior to the departure). RealNZ reserves the right to provide the remaining tickets to another organisation or invite its own guests.

7.     Acceptance of terms and conditions

An application to Real Group Ltd. constitutes acceptance of these terms and conditions.  All the information provided at the time of application and subsequently requested must be true and accurate. RealNZ reserves the right to make the final decision on all matters regarding the operation of the cruise.  Failure to comply with these terms and conditions may result in the Cruise-for-a-Cause being withdrawn.

• Conservation
• Sponsorship & Community