Down to Earth - Waitomo Eco Cave Tours

12/06/2025

Rain, rain, go away… ☔
Woke up to another soggy morning and had to cancel today’s tours (safety first, always!). But just when we were feeling a bit gloomy, this email landed in our inbox and turned everything around:

"Hi all, I finally got the chance to leave a review, but I also wanted to just respond in person and thank you all, and Ash especially, for what is undoubtedly one of the best life experiences I have had so far.
I hope to be back in a few years with my kids, once they are older, so I can share this incredible experience with them too.
With much gratitude,
Zain"

Big smiles all around. 😊
Full review in the attachment if you need a pick-me-up too!

12/06/2025

We spotted this mushroom on the walk to caves this week and we’ve never seen one like it before! 🍄
Any mushroom experts out there know what it might be? Drop your guesses below 👇

⸻

10/06/2025

Our Brand New Website Is Live!
We’ve had a little glow-up…

After months of behind-the-scenes work (and a few cups of tea), our brand new website is ready to explore!

✨ Easier to book
🌿 More about our tours
📸 Packed with stunning new photos
🧭 And all the glowworm goodness you love!

Check it out here 👉 www.glowing.co.nz
We’d love to know what you think — feel free to have a wander and let us know your favourite part!

Tripadvisor rated #1 glow worm cave tour in Waitomo. Avoid the crowds, explore untouched caves on our family farm. Cameras welcome.

06/06/2025

🌿 A little Kiwi magic 🇳🇿
The silver fern – one of our favourite sights on the walk to the cave. A true symbol of Aotearoa, quietly glowing in the forest light before the glowworms steal the show.

02/06/2025

📣 We’ve officially joined The TikTok 🙃
(Yes, we know we’re a bit late… we were underground, literally.)

Follow us here 👉
For cave chaos, glowworm goodness, and Gen X attempts at trending 😅

We’re not influencers… but we are really good at caves.

7 Followers, 37 Following, 12 Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by Down to Earth Tours - Waitomo

01/06/2025

🌟 5-Star Email Love from Samuel! 🌟

“Thank you so much Ash and team for the great experience on Thursday!

I’ve left 5-Star reviews on Klook, TripAdvisor and Google Maps :)
Was a highlight of my trip, please keep it up :)”

— Samuel

Thanks so much, Samuel! We're stoked to hear your glowworm adventure was a highlight of your trip. We loved showing you around — come back anytime! 💫

23/05/2025

Cold outside? Perfect. Let’s go underground.

Winter’s the best time to hang out in a cave — and we’re giving you $𝟑𝟎 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 to prove it! Use code 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝟐𝟓
when booking any standard tour at www.glowing.co.nz from May to September 2025.

🌧️ Rain? A little, never spoiled the parade.
🧤 Cold? We’ve got warm gear.
🔥 Boring winter plans? Not anymore.

🚫 Private tours not included.

𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐧𝐨𝐰 — before your mum plans another board game night.

Tripadvisor rated #1 glow worm cave tour in Waitomo. Avoid the crowds, explore untouched caves on our family farm. Cameras welcome.

20/05/2025

This is what off the beaten track looks like — from above and below!

We made a video because words and photos just don’t do this place justice!

From the treetops to the cave floor, here’s 1 minute of what it’s like to leave the footpaths behind and follow your sense of adventure instead.

Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVFU0Zwvyws
(No crowds, no concrete, no problem.)

Down to Earth Eco-Glowworm cave Tours - WaitomoFrom the treetops to the cave floor — take a journey through untouched landscapes and glowworm-lit chambers on...

16/05/2025

Check out our latest blog:

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 – 𝐌𝐚𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Many of you may not know that nestled within our land is a beautiful little climbing crag — a hidden gem we’re proud to share. With the support of the Aotearoa Climbing Access Trust, we made the decision to open it up, free of charge, so climbers can enjoy the space responsibly and respectfully.

This year, we’ve been lucky to receive donations from some of those climbers who have spent time here and kindly wanted to give back. We’re incredibly grateful — and we’ve decided that every dollar of those donations will go straight back into caring for the land.

First on our list? 𝐏𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥.

We’ve always done pest control around here, but we know we can do more. So we’re stepping it up. This weekend, we’re installing our first 𝐍𝐙 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐓𝟐𝟐𝟎 — a clever, humane, and eco-friendly trap that helps control a range of introduced predators, not just possums. These traps are non-toxic, low-waste, and exactly the kind of practical, planet-friendly tools we love supporting.

We strongly believe in the mission behind NZ Auto Traps:
“𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟓𝟎 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲.
There are plenty of reasons Predator Free 2050 needs to happen — and they all come down to protecting the environment.”

We take our role as guardians of this land seriously. The AT220 traps don’t just target possums — they catch a range of predators that threaten our native wildlife, giving our birds and bush a better chance to thrive. We’ll trial the first trap for a month, and all going well, we plan to install another half-dozen around the crag and surrounding area.

If you’re curious to learn more, check out NZ Auto Traps or follow them on Facebook.

We also want to say a huge thank you to the 𝐀𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 — not just for helping us manage the crag, but also for the support and donations we’ve received. They’ve made this project possible.

𝐀 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬: We hope this land brings you as much joy and peace as it brings us. We're so grateful to share it with you, and to be working together to help protect it for the future. Thank you.

Take care, Michelle & Stefan Boddie

13/05/2025

We just hit 20,000 visitors! … and we’re still glowing! 🎉

We can’t quite believe it — 20,000 legends have now wandered into our little backyard paradise. That’s 20,000 muddy boots, soggy socks, people laughing at Ash’s dad jokes, and staring up at glowworms in total awe. 🌟

Speaking of Ash… he’s officially completed 2,000 laps of our cave system. That’s a whole lot of storytelling, splashing, and pretending he’s not lost (just kidding… mostly). 😄 At this point, he could guide the tour blindfolded (but don’t tempt him). 😆

Oh — and guess what? Down to Earth turns 10 this year!
We’re tossing around a few ideas for how to celebrate:
🪩 Glowworm rave in a cave?
🎂 Cave cake?
🩰 Ash in a tutu leading the tour?

Got a better idea? Send it our way. Nothing’s too weird — it’s been 10 years of doing things the un-touristy way, and we’re not stopping now!

Thanks for being part of the adventure 💚

09/05/2025

Did you know there are over 300 caves in the Waitomo district? Yep — 300!

No wonder things get a bit confusing sometimes... especially when there are five different caving companies offering five very different exciting experiences.

So here’s your friendly reminder: double-check your booking details! We’d hate for you to end up at the wrong cave and miss out on your underground adventure.

At Down to Earth, we’re off the beaten track — and proudly Not That Cave… the Other one 😉

Check your directions (and your sense of adventure) at 👉 www.glowing.co.nz