Waitomo Cave Decorations

Discover the weird and wonderful limestone formations found in the Waitomo Caves, Ruakuri Caves and Aranui Cave. These were created over hundreds of years by water dripping from the roof and walls of the caves.

• Stalactites grow downwards from the ceiling
• Stalagmites rise up from the cave floor
• Stalagmites and stalactites join to form columns or pillars
• Helictites are spiral-shaped decorations

Fun fact: Do you know how to remember the difference between stalactites and stalagmites? Stalactites hold “tite” to the ceiling, while stalagmites “mite” grow up to reach the ceiling one day!

Find out more about how the Waitomo Caves were formed.

Visitor Information

To protect the caves and the glowworms that live there, visitors to Waitomo Caves are asked to respect the following guidelines:

• Please do not touch the cave formations, as they are fragile
• Please keep quiet during your visit, especially during the boat ride
• Photography of all kinds (including video) is forbidden
• The caves are a non-smoking area