The Legendary Blackwater Rafting Company Reviews

Incredible experience. Get in there Kiwis, not just for tourists.

The most amazing place I have ever been. Really enjoyed the upper management.

So exciting, and guides were very encouraging. I was scared half the time, but I'm a wuss. If you are unfit, I wouldn't suggest going though.

Great tour! The black abyss tour is recommended if you really like the abseiling part, the flying fox and cascade jumping are not too great. However the abseiling and the actual floating one the caves is 100% worth every penny. Our tour guides were amazing! So funny, made the tour super fun.

Did the black labyrinth. Guides were very friendly and professional (security was definitely a concern). And the caves were great - you'll have a good time. However, for the amount paid (~$130 per person), being given cheap tomato soup and bagels at the end and trying to charge $30 for a picture (all or nothing, no other options) taken with a poor camera when you show up 2 or 3 times is kinda disappointing.

Wonderful experience!
Reasonable price to have a nice guide for adventure in Waitomo Caves

Would highly recommend the black abyss tour well worth the money. Both my partner and I enjoyed this experience. We are both are about 125kg and we felt really comfortable in all the equipment. Dale and Matt did an excellent job accomodating all needs and were very knowledgeable/ experienced.

SO MUCH FUN! It was an adventurous journey into the caves, walking through water and down rushing areas of water, even jumping across a waterfall! It was amazing to just enjoy the darkness and see so many glowworms. Our guide, Matt, was so much fun and gave a lot of cool information about the caves, worms, and landscape we traversed through. We also had a second guide in training who was nice, I believe her name was Bailee. It was her 4th day, but she was a rockstar when Matt threw her the ropes to lead part of the adventure. I was a little nervous because I have a medical condition and was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with the group, but everyone was so nice and were happy to go at a pace everyone felt safe at. Best part was the guides were also interested in learning about you, made the experience so much more personable. Money well spent and would definitely do a black water rafting trip again!

An epic (albeit cold) tubing adventure through the most amazing caves filled with glowworms; the guides were friendly and fun, jumping off underground waterfalls was exhilarating, and the entire experience was magical. Highly recommend!

Absolutely unreal, super cold but you don't even care. Do the full thing with ab sailing, zip lining and cave exploring, it's 100% worth it. Our guides were sick, George and (the English girl, sorry!), top class!

Amazing cave, awesome experience and literally the best staff!!

Nice cold water and nice exp to go through the caves watching glowworms

Amazing experience. We did the Abyss tour which is awesome. Well worth it. The guides Rob and James were excellent.

Great caving & rafting tours operated by this companing. With friendly staff taking people on tours

I am extremely dissatisfied with this company. I was in New Zealand in October and had an adventure booked with this company. It was one of the things I was most excited about. When the day came I was up extremely early and traveled for 3 hours to get from Auckland to Waitomo. When I got there (over and hour early I might add) I was told that due to the heavy rain the water levels in the cave were too high and the water adventures were cancelled (this happened at 10am). Fine, I am reasonable, they can't control the weather, I got on a bus and took the 3 hour ride back to Auckland. Only now they are trying to say that I missed my pick up time (they times they stated they came to get me are much later than my actual pick up time) and so I will not receive a refund. When I told them in no uncertain terms that I did not miss my pick u time they changed their story and now they claim they did not cancel tours due to weather on the day I was there. So still no refund. I think I was very reasonable in my request for my money to be returned since I did not receive the service that w=money was provided for. 0 out of 5. DO NOT RECOMMEND

Highly recommended! Definitely a highlight of our entire 3 week trip to NZ. We went on the Black Abyss tour, which included more "caving" and a smaller group for more hands-on and personal experience. Shout out to Sophie and Mika, our guides, who were incredible caving professionals, fun, funny, and always helpful. Yes, water is freezing. Couldn't feel my feet the entire trip but do it anyway! I personally enjoyed the "bathroom break" in the middle of the tour and will never forget it! The hot showers were fantastic after we returned - I stayed in until my feet had blood flow again. The warm buttered bagels and delicious tomato soup after were also a huge treat. Out group bonded so well we went out for a pint after. Can not recommend enough!

Such a cool experience! The tour guides and staff are very friendly and welcome and make you feel at ease! Quite expensive which is it's only downfall.

Insane surrealistic experience where we climbed through waterfalls and drank a hot cup of chocolate while drifting through glow worm caves. Awesome guides

We did the Black Abyss tour and it was amazing. Very focused on safety but you could still feel like an adventurer! From ab sailing to floating under the glow worms plus everything in between, I highly recommend for those wanting more than the average glow worm tour.

Unreal experience with this tour group. 12 to a group tubing through caves. Similar to canyoning. Dont go if your not good with narrow or extremely low ceilings. 5 Stars from me

Fun tour, we did the black abyss one. Does get a bit cold though. Definitely go to the toilet as you're in a wetsuit for a few hours

It was not easy for me to decide which tour of the waitomo caves I wanted to do and I really spontaniously got a place in the Black Abyss 5 hours tour. I really Loved that tour and can completely recommend it to everyone who wants a long, diverse, funny and also a bit exhausting caveexperience. The combination of all different types of cave adventure activities (abseiling, flying fox, tubing, walking, wating and climbing) is just perfect. I also really enjoyed the cavepicnics during the tour and the soup and bagels afterwards. The guides are very friendly and funny as well! I just had a wonderful afternoon doing the tour!

Went on the abyss tour. Would highly recommend this " more extreme" tour. It is more challenging but is doable for most anyone. This tour gives you an incredible extended view of the glow worms while you are rafting. It is a small tour, max 8, and therefore the guides are able to give you as much assistance as you need. The water will be cold no matter what! Do not drink much before the tour as it is not pleasant to have to go during the tour. Don't forget to bring toiletries for the showers after the tour.

We enjoyed an epic 3 hour adventure tour with Wayne and Kelly. It was Wayne's last labyrinth tour and he made it special for us by taking us up and down some fun and challenging detours before the main tourist. We enjoyed the challenge, Wayne's singing vocals in the cave and picked up a bunch of fascinating facts from him and Kelly. Would like to go back for the abyss tour.

Our guides were super friendly and helpful. We had to do more walking through the water then inner tubing because the water levels were so low. But we all still had an amazing time.

Brilliant!! Amazing!! Spectacular!! We had the most incredible experience from start to finish of the Abyys tour. It competely exceeded my expecations. An extra note to emphase how great thr staff are, we left the lights on in our camper and therefore drained the battery. The staff were all so helpful and came out to jump start pir camper THANKYOU!! Everyone shpuld definitly do this tour

My sister and I did the Black Labyrinth tour and we actually had a very good time despite the caves being extremely cold. The guides did a good job being engaging and enthusiastic about the experience.

I'm only giving 2 stars because Blackwater Rafting does not allow you to bring cameras or cell phones on the tour, for "safety reasons" according to their website. Instead, the guides take plenty of photos and then the company makes them available to you for purchase later. A good business model to generate a lot of extra side revenue.

The disappointing part is that the company lost our group's photos immediately after the tour ended (seriously, immediately). So we now have no record of the event that we paid so much money to enjoy.

To add insult to injury, the company said they would follow up when they had found the photos, but never did. Instead, after several days, I had to email them to inquire again. A company representative responded that our pictures were still lost, but instead (as if this was adequate consolation) cheerfully included copies of the promotional photos of complete strangers from their website.

It's fine that the photos would have cost extra, but what is not fine is terrible customer service when people are legitimately disappointed to have no record of the adventure they had in the Waitomo Caves. Not even a token offer of a partial refund or voucher for a return visit was extended.

It was fun that day, but this disappointment and frustration has distinctly soured the experience. I wouldn't recommend this company or these tours to anyone.

An amazing experience. Definitely should be on the to do list!

As good as everyone says. Great guides and fantastic day out!

Sooooo much fun. Definitely an experience that you won't forget.

Everything was phenomenal (with just one big catch). We took the black labyrinth tour and had an absolute blast. Tour guides were friendly and super fun. They did a great job building a fun atmosphere and were very attentive to the participants. The caves were simply incredible and can t be overstated. The pictures, however, were without exception HORRENDOUS. We saved for over a year to get to visit NZ and included this as part of our trip only to have mediocre memoirs of the caves. Roughly 75% of our pictures came out blurry and poor quality. We weren t allowed to bring our own cameras so we had no option but to pay NZD $35 for the handful that came out just alright.

Great time. Wonderful guides. What a great new experience!

Such a cool and unique experience. Highly recommend.

We have done the Black Abyss tour (most expensive one). It was definitely worth every single dollar. It was a once in lifetime experience with the fantastic guides Philipp and Harry.
We highly recommend it to all crazy adventurers out there. Floating through the tunnel with thousands of glow worms on the ceiling was one of the most amazing experience we have made. It is like diving into another dimension.

One of the best thing i've done so far in my life ! A bit intense but stunning !
A must do when coming to NZ

Top quality experience with a lot of fun and fantastic staff! Cierne was an amazing guide with so much knowledge and enthusiasm!

Highly recommended!

Everyone should go here. One of the best things I have done whilst being in NZ

People with glasses will lend a fall prevention strap free of charge

Love the black water rafting and caving experience.

Plan on a half day for this epic adventure! We LOVED seeing the glow worms from the comfort of a tube vs. walking around! This company does it right!!! We did the morning schedule and the water was a little cold/brisk and we finished up about noon- we were staying at Kiwi Paka so it was close by. Definitely recommend ALL the amazing adventures in New Zealand!

AMAZING!

We were instructed to show up about 30 minutes early. That was probably too early. I would say 15 is fine since there isn t much else to do and they have plenty of staff to help out guests.

Our guides were George & Aaron. They were really fun, really knowledgeable, and took their jobs seriously (keeping us tourists safe).

You put on wetsuits, boots, and helmets (I hit my head a number of times so I was glad we had the helmet.) The suits are wet when you put them on so they are freezing! But you warm up really quick. No worries. Also the wetsuits are super buoyant so you don t need a life jacket which is nice because you can move around a lot better in the cave.

We got some light training on how to jump off the small waterfalls, and then it was off to the caves. (Tip: you cant bring any cameras so you have to rely on the guides photos. Just know this before booking in case you are only doing it for the photos)

Once you re in you simply follow the guides instructions as you go down the right paths and caves to get to the glow worms.

There is one part where everyone turns off the headlamps and you simply float down the water on your tube and look up at thousands of glow worms. The experience is ethereal! Seriously one of a kind.

This was a great tour, super fun, and an absolute must do if you are visiting the north island!

Frankly, bad. The guides are sincere and decent, but the thing itself is a rip-off. Charging people for the photographs afterwards, after practically having forbidden guests to take their own pictures? Cheap soup and stale bagels as an add on? Don't do this. You earn plenty, it does not hinge on these details.

Great team! I had one of the adventures of my life! Thanks guys!

Great tour. Pitched just right and guides knowledgeable.

The Black Abyss tour exceeded my expectations. I actually opted to stay off the cruise ship I was on for a night just because I wanted to do this tour and was worried it wouldn t be worth the hassle. It s truly worth any effort to get to Waitomo. The tour was exhilarating and the glow worm float was beautiful. Guides ensure all tasks are undertaken at your comfort level and I felt safe the entire time. This should be on the top of everyone s list.

Excellent guide (Megan) who led us two on the labyrinth tour yesterday. Took time to go beyond role, explaining local plants on way to cave entrance . Thank you. Glowworms incredible .

Awesome guides Keeley and Dale made this a lot of fun, highly recommended :)

I did the Labyrinth tour and it was amazing! The guides were very knowledgeable and knew your name right off the bat. When putting on that cold wetsuit I had doubts if this was for me but i can guarentee it was worth it. Once your wet the cold isnt bad at all. It was fun going through the cave climbing and tubing. The relaxing part of looking at the glow worms while drifting down the tunnel is a must do! Very magical. After your done you get a hot shower which is much needed and a cup of soup and a bagel.

It was nice. But it has nothing to do with rafting. You walk in the tunnel more than sitting on the tire. And it is really cold! This is not action-packed. If you just want to see the fascinating fireflies, you can just take the much cheaper boat tour. Because it is just too expensive and pictures cost extra extra very blurred and bad.

I just wanted to give a huge thank you to Mika and the team for an awesome experience! The people are what really make the tour special. The glow worms are a bonus.

I did the black Labyrinth tour. All equipment was provided. Initially my helmet was very loose but it got replaced just as I entered the cave. The guides where helpful throughout. The glowworms were beautiful. There are 2 waterfalls along way but neither are that steep so if you are nervous about swimming it's fine. and it's not too physical. The water is freezing and this was on a very sunny day. I would not want to do that in winter.

There are many ways to visit those caves this is definitely one tour to consider.

So fun!! Guides were awesome and couldn t recommend the experience enough!!

Wow !! It's cold, it's dark but, sensations guaranteed !!!

Absolutely worth it!!the guide are very friendly n professional!

Absolutely amazing! We went on the Labyrinth 3 hour tour and it was absolutely incredible! Totally worth the time and money. Our tour guide was so helpful and friendly, highly recommend.

One of the most incredible experiences I've ever had in my life.
First, you put on some clothes to be able to withstand the cold of the cave.
Then they give you a buoy that serves to keep you from throwing waterfalls into the cave. It is simply SENSATIONAL. At any given moment, you simply let the water take you, lying on the float, while admiring the beauty of the Glow Worms.
For those who love extreme sports and adventures have to do, besides being beautiful inside!

Great team of guides and a thrilling, but safe adventure. Much better than going to the original Waitomo cave attraction, if you don't mind getting wet.

I did the Black Abyss tour with abseiling, zipline and black water rafting and it was an absolutely amazing experience! Nothing like anything else I ve ever done. Shoutout to Rudi, my favorite tour guide! He went above and beyond to make us have the best time. He even braided my hair for me :D Hilarious guy and super knowledgable! Come to Waitomo to see the glow worms with The Legendary Black Water Rafting, it s well worth the money, you won t regret it :)

Amazing time. Did the black labyrinth tour. It is worth your money and some.

We had a really good time doing the black abyss. Lovely guides. George had just the right amount of sarcasm, and Nikki was lovely (great pairing). We saw so many glow worms in the caves, jumped a waterfall climbed 2 and had snacks along the way (included in the package). Lovely cup of soup at the end as well.

We also did the cave tour as well, but I would recommend doing one or the other as you see all the glow worms when doing the activities.

Amazing people which have our mother confidence to do the hardest thing she had ever done..
Absauling 100ft and flying fox in pitch black.

OUTSTANDING! Amazing experience! So glad we chose to see the glow worms this way. Guides were also excellent, helpful and a lot of fun. Highly recommend this tour. Would gladly rate it 6 stars!

I'd give this an actual 4-1/2 stares but can't....This was a 5-hour tour of the Ruakuri Cave. The guide to client ratio was 2/7 and the trip moved along well considering all the potential bottlenecks along the way (reppel, zipline, narrow passage, 12 foot waterfall climb, and so on) The lead guide was Alistair and he did a superlative job, his energy was astoundingly high and genu

Such caring and happy staff! I had a great experience. They take good care of you. Being a thin person, one of the guides automatically offered and gave me extra padding and clothing for the cold water. The staff is funny and friendly. Only negative thing is that the water is freezing but that is not something they can control lol.

An excellent day out. Worth the 2 hour drive from Tauranga to do the Black Labrynth. Our instructors Shannon, Becky am Alastair we re excellent and made the day even more enjoyable and safe. Can t wait to do it again and highly recommend.

A novel way to explore the cave. Exciting and fun, however a good fitness would be advantageous.

Really enjoyed the adventure! Really trusted our tour guides. I felt totally prepared to go throughout the cave after taking a quick dip in the river beforehand with our entire group.

We had a top day out in the caves on the Abyss tour. Great, knowledgeable and friendly guides who clearly love what they do. Certainly a once in a life time experience. I have been caving in many places but this is the first time having hot Coco served to me in a cave. The price matches the experience, well worth it, we booked online using a deal and saved a bit too.

Great experience. The guides were in a good mood and they felt safe and they were very patient. You should have some fitness for the "Black Abby" tour.

We both came with fears of heights, the dark and fear of things living in the water. The staff helped us tremendously and were considerate. It was worth facing those fears! Worth every penny.

This is a must-do experience when you visit NZ. Excellent guide, unbelievable adventure and tons of fun

Had an absolute blast today doing the abyss tour, the guys were so nice and the tour was exceptional. Would highly recommend!

Black Abyss is an amazing experience! Galavanting about the massive yet intimate cave network with glow worms providing natural light everywhere. Great guides and the bagels and hot soup at the end are very welcome.

I went on the Black Labyrinth tour with Matt and Joel. The experience was amazing! Very hospitable and accommodating of needs.

Can't recommend these guys highly enough! This is the only way to see the glowworm caves.

Excellent morning adventure. The guys are so nice and would highly recommend to anyone. Almost 4 hours of caving etc one of the highlights of our NZ trip

Just did the Black Abyss yesterday. Absolutely amazing! So, so much fun. It's not just an experience, it's a must do life experience.
Venturing into these naturally formed caves, abseiling, flying fox, jumping into and tubing down black waters and rock climbing up water falls! All the while, surrounded by beautiful 'glow worms'. Our instructors Corrin and Matty were awesome and expert. Great story telling and really looked after us. We had some good jokes n' fun along the way. Thanks guys!

The only sad part now is finding another adventure that can come close to this..