About | Waipu Caves
If you enjoy exploring the unknown you’ll love this. Waipu Caves is the largest cave passage in Northland. Come and see the stalactites, stalagmites and glow worms.
Waipu Caves is the perfect detour if you’re driving on the highway going past Waipu (it’s about a 10-minute detour). There’ll be a sign, pointing you in the right direction. There’s good signage, parking and toilets when you arrive.
From the carpark, walk 50m across the field and into the bush where you’ll see the entrance to the cave.
It’s huge. There are two sections. You’ll be able to spot some glow worms along the way, they get better the further you go in. Don’t forget to turn off your lights to see them in all their glory.
There’s a stream running through and though there are stone steps to walk across at the start, you may get wet if you wish to go further.
Once you get in deeper, you have to crouch down, walk through water and it can get very tight (Sam has walked the whole length of the cave which takes about an hour).
There is also a 1.5-hour walking track that goes past limestone formations then up through open grass and bush. You’ll be rewarded with views across the Whangarei Harbour to Bream Head and out to the Hen and Chicken Islands.
There’s also a large grassy clearing near the Waipu Caves parking if you wish to have a picnic.
Quick tips:
- It’s slippery and wet. Bring shoes with good tread that you don’t mind getting wet.
- Bring a torch, or even better, a head torch. That’ll free up your hands so you can spend more time enjoying the caves. The kids will love having a torch each. Bring spare batteries, especially if you’re only taking one torch.
- Bring clothes you don’t mind getting a bit dirty. Water can come up to your knees as you explore deeper and you may need to crouch down in some areas.
- The caves are completely undeveloped. Keep a close eye on children.
Nearby
Location
Waipu Caves Road (off State Highway One).
Photos
We were travelling past on a long weekend and decided to pop in before heading home. It seemed that was what everyone else was thinking as the place was packed. With only one toilet each for boys and girls, there was a line to use it. People were slapping sunblock on and playing along the rocks around the parking. We headed towards the bush and the cave quickly came into view.
The entrance to the cave was really pretty with beautiful trees and plants surrounding it and little paths weaving around it. We brought jandels and the two torches we brought weren’t adequate but we still enjoyed the place, even though we were slipping and sliding everywhere. It’s really slippery in there!
We were absolutely amazed. This would have been the longest cave that the kids have been in and we didn’t even make it to the end. The place was crowded but it was nice having other people around, showing the way. If there weren’t, I don’t think we would have made it so far by ourselves.
Happy with our little detour, we knew we would be back for some more cave exploring – but better prepared next time!
