Experiencing a Glowworm Tour in New Zealand: Is It Worth It?
Date of experience : 9th February 2026 - New Experience Number 3.
Experiencing a glowworm tour in New Zealand is something you might be considering if you’re planning a trip to the antipodean country. But is it worth it?
I really wasn’t sure what to expect from our Te-Anau Glowworm Tour, but curiosity got the better of me. It was something that was on my ‘to-try’ list, but we hadn’t really done much research into the different trips on offer.
We happened to have a free afternoon and there was space available, so I booked our tickets rather last minute on a whim. Counting it towards one of my 52 new things in the year, we were going to experience the natural phenomenon for ourselves.
My Previous Experience Of Glow Worms
Considering we don’t have glow worms in the UK where I grew up, they were a bigger part of my childhood than I had realised.
From having a plastic toy glow worm whose ribbed little body really did glow in the dark much to my eight-year-old delight, to featuring in energy advertising, my idea of a glow worm was a kind of cute little critter that somehow illuminated light from its body.
They must have a really good PR team, because discovering what they really are was weirdly repulsive.
Cruising To A Remote Corner Of The Fiordlands - Te Anau Glowworm Tour
We booked onto a tour in Te Anau on the South Island of New Zealand with RealNZ.
Glowworms are quite fussy about where they live, and in order to see them we had boarded a boat and crossed the still waters of Lake Te Anau to the remote western shores. It felt as though we were travelling to a forgotten wilderness.
However, on arrival at our destination I discovered that hidden in this secluded corner of the lake was actually a well-oiled tourist machine – and that’s not a negative thing.
Sensitive to the surroundings, the tour was incredibly well kitted out for visitors, with a sturdy jetty, and a central meeting point known as Cavern House. It was full of information signs, refreshments, and plenty of detailed facts and figures that really brought to life this fascinating part of the world.
Do's and Don't's
Welcoming us ashore, our jovial guide ran through the overview of the visit so that we knew what to expect, and listed the do’s and don’t’s.
We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the caves, which was slightly frustrating because it means I haven’t been able to capture many of my own pictures to accompany this write up, but on the other hand, it meant I was fully immersed in the experience.
Roaring Welcome At Te Anau Glowworm Tour
Beginning on foot, we entered the cave along a well defined path. It was LOUD. Really loud.
The water roared past us, amplified as it echoed through the chamber. It was as though a giant had left a tap on and the sink was overflowing.
Stepping over a rocky part of the path and ducking beneath a low hanging section of cave the light lessened as the daylight was replaced by the occasional indoor lights.
A Not So Distant Past
“Look closely” our guide instructed.
“Closer still”, he encouraged.
We were all peering at a speck on the ceiling of the cave, not entirely sure if we were looking at the right thing.
A teeny-tiny little freckle-like lump stuck out slightly more than anything else on the surface. “That’s it” he said, shining his torch over the minute protrusion.
The team on the tour were all very proud of this abnormality, because it was actually a stalactite that was around 200 years old.
I’ve been down the Blue John Mines in the peak district where stalagmites and stalactites almost meet in the middle. Seeing such a tiny one and discovering the age, made me appreciate the amazing power and resilience of nature even more.
These caves are relatively young in the scheme of the planet, at around 12,000 years old.
We walked deeper into the subterranean limestone cavern. Although the path was well marked it felt like a labyrinth of twists and turns as our guide pointed out rock formations that had been given names, huge whirlpools where the water collided its way through the ground, and voluminous caverns where the space felt like a cathedral.
All Aboard For The Star Of The Show - Te Anau Glowworm Tour
Within the depths of the cave we reached a dark water-filled tunnel. It sounded eerily quiet away from the rushing water, but this was where the glowworms hung out.
It took a lot of trust and a bit of contorting to get into the small boat and take a seat in such limited light, but once everyone was safely on board, our guide navigated us into the most magical setting.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness. The tiniest specks glittered across the roof of the cave as we floated silently beneath them. To me, they looked a shade of green, to others they can appear more of a yellow or blue colour.
It felt as though we were in space, with nothing but teeny dots glowing above us like stardust in the night sky.
Even though there must have been thousands of glowworms, the light wasn’t bright – it wasn’t strong enough to be able to read by. They were instead like glowing pin pricks, glistening faintly in the darkness.
Stepping into the realm of the glowworm and witnessing their bioluminescent display was like discovering an amazing lost world. Despite knowing thousands of people had floated through this cave before me, it still felt like stumbling across an extraordinary secret.
So What Even Are Glowworms?
Back above ground at Cavern House, we had the opportunity to find out more about glowworms, and if I’m honest, I’m glad we did this after we had seen them, because if I’d known more about them beforehand, I might not have wanted to get so close to them. They are seriously weird!
If you’d asked me before the tour, I’d have confidently told you that they were worms that glow.
Firstly, they’re not worms. They’re actually larvae, but ‘glow larvae’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it does it?
Secondly, they’re the larvae of a fungus gnat called Arachnocampa luminosa. Again, I can see why they decided on the rebrand to ‘glowworm’, it’s far more appealing.
Although you can find glowworms in other parts of the world, you can only see the Arachnocampa luminosa in New Zealand and Australia, so they’re actually a pretty rare occurence.
So the real name of these intriguing creatures is not as endearing as we might first think, but wait until you hear about their lives.
The Surprisingly Gruesome Life Of A Glowworm
As if living underground wasn’t weird enough, these larvae build sticky nests on cave ceilings.
They live off prey which they catch in gooey threads of mucus which they basically spit out in strands from the canopy of the cave.
Their glow isn’t there to look pretty. It’s bait. Unsuspecting insects fly towards the light, become tangled in the sticky threads and eventually become dinner.
Eventually, the larvae transform into adult flies but it’s a short-lived adventure, and they don’t have much to look forward to as they grow up. They don’t have a mouth as they don’t need to feed. Their sole purpose is to reproduce, they only live for a few days, and they no longer glow.
Discovering what glowworms really are, was one of those disgustingly fascinating moments. I definitely wrinkled my nose at seeing the close up images of these less than attractive bugs, and watching the informative video of the unusual creatures.
The reality was a far cry from the toy glowworm I used to take to bed as a child.
An Amazing Afternoon - Te Anau Glowworm Tour
It had been a really slick operation.
From the cruise across the lake to the seamless way visitors were split into smaller groups, everything about the experience felt well thought through.
Whilst we learnt a lot about the cave system, and also enjoyed a short nature walk, it was definitely the unusual glowworms that were the stars of the show.
Why I Loved This Underground Voyage Of Discovery
One of the things I love about trying new things is how it can challenge my assumptions.
Before this trip, if someone had asked me about glowworms, I’d probably have pictured a cute little glowing bug.
I certainly wouldn’t have imagined fungus gnats, sticky mucus threads, and a magical afternoon tour.
But there’s something wonderful about experiencing nature in all its wondrously weird glory, and discovering such bizarre and brilliant creatures with a rather macabre method of hunting.
New Zealand is well known for its outstanding beauty above ground, but stepping into the subterranean habitat of such a unique specimen was equally mesmerising.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. Not just because seeing the sparkling glowworms felt like a magical moment, but because the whole experience completely overturned what I thought I knew and taught me about a world I’d never been immersed in before.
Sometimes curiosity leads us to beautiful things. Sometimes it leads us to slightly disgusting things. And every now and then, it manages to do both.
Want To Experience A Glowworm Tour Yourself?
- To take the same tour that we did on the South Island, you’ll need to book with RealNZ who are the only company that offer the Te Anau glowworm tour.
- There are several tour providers offering a range of relaxing to adventurous tours to see the glowworms in the famous Waitomo caves on the North Island of New Zealand.
- Waitomo Adventures offer longer, exhilirating, excursions for adrenalin seekers, including caving abseil adventures.
- Discover Waitomo offers a range of tours, including ones which are wheelchair accessible and allow photography.
- Taiao Adventures based in Rotorua offer a selection of glowworm experiences including kayaking tours.
- You can find a range of different glowworm tours through Get Your Guide
Cost Of Experience
- Our tour cost £63 per person and lasted around 2 hours.
- This included the boat to and from the caves, and unlimited tea and coffee.
Recommendations For A Glowworm Tour In New Zealand
- Take layers – and maybe a waterproof. Even if it’s warm outside, the caves can feel cool and damp, so it’s worth taking an extra layer. If it’s raining, a waterproof is also a good idea for the boat crossing.
- Consider who you’re travelling with. Part of the Te Anau Glow Worm Tour takes place in complete silence, so it may not be suitable for very young children.
- Visit any time of year. Glow worms don’t hibernate, so you can enjoy the experience year-round.
- You don’t need to visit after dark. Because the glow worms live inside caves, you’ll see them just as well during the day as you would at night.
- Book a guided tour. Although there are a few places in New Zealand where you might spot glow worms independently, a guided tour is the best way to guarantee seeing them while also learning about their fascinating lifecycle.
- Check if you can take pictures. Cameras and phones aren’t always permitted during the cave section of the tour, so be prepared to simply enjoy the experience without trying to capture it.