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All 15 Waitomo Caves Attractions »

Waitomo Adventures - Tumu Tumu Toobing

654 Waitomo Caves Rd | Waitomo Adventure Centre, Waitomo Caves 3943, New Zealand
0800 924866 (In NZ)
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Ranked #8 of 9 tours in Waitomo Caves
4.5 of 5 stars 12 Reviews
Type: Tours, Caverns/ Caves
Owner description: Blackwater Rafting at its Best! See thousands of Glowworms, stalactites and all sorts of wonderful rock formations. Walk, wade swim and tube through... more » Owner description: Blackwater Rafting at its Best! See thousands of Glowworms, stalactites and all sorts of wonderful rock formations. Walk, wade swim and tube through the fascinating TumuTumu Cave. No prior experience required.This is not like white water rafting. It's much more gentle. Allow 4 hrs for this trip (approx 2 hrs actually underground). Min age 12 years. Min weight 40kg. Operator is Qualmark endorsed has over 24 years of safe operation. « less
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12 reviews from our community

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Boston
Top Contributor
73 reviews 73 reviews
Reviews in 44 cities Reviews in 44 cities
31 helpful votes 31 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2012

Watch the video so you know what you are getting into. If it looks good that's because it is. I was worried about the air but it was fine, not stuffy, not smelly. I am 5'4" and I did not have to stoop at all except for a few places. Definitely a great thing to do. There is a tiny... More

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Hamilton, New Zealand
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 March 2012

Excellent fun, unique attraction though one wouldnt want to suffer from claustrophobia. A good Kiwi Experience.

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liverbird1982
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 February 2012

You don't do as much toobing as you think but it's a great experience, would defo recommend. Gorgeous scenery on the walk to the cave. Loved it!!

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Senior Reviewer
8 reviews 8 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 February 2012 via mobile

We booked this tour for the day the Lost World epic thinking somehow it would be a nice relaxing time floating along on an innertube staring at glow worms and perhaps stepping off a waterfall or two. I should have picked up on something when our guide Dion laughed at me when i said we were looking forward to a... More

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Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Top Contributor
53 reviews 53 reviews
Reviews in 25 cities Reviews in 25 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 February 2012

No good if you're claustrophobic, afraid of the dark or fat (sorry) but I've got bad knees and not particularly fit and managed it! The padding on the wetsuit for your elbows and knees meant I didn't feel any pain when on all fours and I loved every minute. I was the eldest on the trip apart from Iain (the... More

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See 3 more reviews by Riversidezoe for Waitomo Caves
Waitomo Caves, New Zealand
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 January 2012

This was the most fun thing I have done in Waitomo yet. you walk, climb tube thru a long cave. It is for younger people and fit older people. It was very active tour and guides are humorous. I like active tours' not quite tours.

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See 4 more reviews by mmac54 for Waitomo Caves
auckland
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 July 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Went down to Waitomo from Raglan on a rainy cold winter day and really enjoyed the Tumu Tumu toobing adventure. The wetsuits were really thick and even though it was still cold when you were swimming you soon warmed up with all the walking and wriggling through holes and tunnels. The guide was alot of fun and informative. Would recommend... More

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Kiwiblog, General Manager at Waitomo Adventures - Tumu Tumu Toobing, responded to this review
31 July 2011

Thanks for your kind words. Our guides are great but its always encouraging to get such positive feedback. Makes all the background effort well worth it. Raglan is a legendary surfing place, so its great that we can provide a suitable alternative when the surf's not happening. After all, both activities involve putting on rubber, getting wet & having fun! More

Singapore, Singapore
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 28 July 2011

The 4 hour event was great, though the water can be rather cold, even with the wet suit on. However, it was all worth it as the view of the glow worm on the ceiling of the cave was spectacular, like the dark sky being overtaken by millions of bright stars. Waitomo Adventures provide the rubber boots needed for the... More

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Kiwiblog, General Manager at Waitomo Adventures - Tumu Tumu Toobing, responded to this review
31 July 2011

Thanks for your honest review and well done for completing this activity. TumuTumu ToObing is a great option if you want a real adventure in a real cave. More

Harpenden
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 March 2011

I have never particularly enjoyed caves, but the prospect of seeing glowworms whilst walking, swimming and tubing through caves seemed like something of an adventure. Our guides were excellent and highly professional. However, what I hadn't expected (naively perhaps) was the potholing element: squeezing through narrow gaps, having to submerge to reach the next part of the cave system. I... More

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Kiwiblog, General Manager at Waitomo Adventures - Tumu Tumu Toobing, responded to this review
18 March 2011

Thanks.. and I agree. Participants are in for walking, wading, swimming and tubing under the ground i.e. Blackwater Rafting is very different to White Water Rafting. The extra special thing we also have is Glowworms! More

London
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 August 2010
2
people found this review helpful

As Waitomo offers a great range of glowworm caves experiences (note: blackwater rafting is NOT like whitewater rafting, so no worries there) we were looking for one that combined the glowworms with a bit of caving, etc. The "Tumu Tumu Toobing" seemed to be a good one as it combined glowworms with exploring caves on foot, as well as on... More

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Kiwiblog, General Manager at Waitomo Adventures - Tumu Tumu Toobing, responded to this review
12 January 2011

Thanks for your generous and well considered review. We try very hard to make this Waitomo's most comprehensive Blackwater Rafting experience, so it's great to recieve this feedback. For clarity I should say that the trip takes around 4 hours, and that includes 2 hours underground. The time may be a bit less for small groups) Two hours is about... More

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