About Us
The Waitomo Experience is a small but mighty team of adventure lovers. We are passionate about bringing adventure, sustainability and a touch of luxury together to provide visitors with an unforgettable experience.
The Okohua Cave lies on a third generation, family farm that is carbon positive. This means the farm sequesters more carbon than it produces. Being carbon positive is an important part of longevity for our cave and ensuring years of adventures to come.
Our team have backgrounds in adventure tourism, sustainability and safety. Our mission is to provide an experience our visitors will remember for a lifetime.
CORE values
At The Waitomo Experience our core values are the pillars of everything we do.
Safety is our top priority. Our guides are trained the highest standard to allow you to have an unforgettable experience, whilst remaining safe.
Small, bespoke tour groups with no more than six people per guide and a maximum of 12 people per trip allow us to ensure all visitors have an intimate and personalised experience, whilst protecting the cave.
Adventure is at the heart of what we do. Our trip is tailored to make the most of our natural playground, incorporating black water rafting, rock jumps and swim throughs to ensure you have an unforgettable experience.
Our team
The Adventurers of The Waitomo Experience
With over a decade of adventure tourism under his belt, Vaughan leads The Waitomo Experience with enthisiasm, wisdom and determination to ensure every visitor has a memorable experience.
Vaughan is passionate about creating exhilirating adventures and teaching guests about the magical subterreanen world.
When he's not underground, you'll find Vaughan out adventuring with his kelpie dog, Dusky.
Ollie was born and raised on the farm the Okohua Cave lies within. He has grown up exploring and caring for the land to ensure the cave is well preserved and looked after.
He brings to his tours a passion of sustainablity, and history of this beautiful, natural asset we are lucky enough to explore.
When he's not taking adventure seekers through the cave, you'll find him above ground caring for the whenua around, or playing some sort of social sport.
John started his long adventure tourism career throwing people off bridges, at the iconic AJ Hackett Bungy. After seeing the thrill and excitement people took away from this exciting industry, he was hooked on bringing exhilirating adventures to the world.
When John isn't taking the Waitomo underground playground to the world stage, you can find him out the back of surf breaks, or cruising the rivers trout fishing.
Claire brings creativity, strategic thinking and a results driven approach to The Waitomo Experience. With a background in marketing and a passion for the outdoors, she is focused on growing awareness of the Okohua Glowworm Cave and inspiring adventure seekers to experience it's magic firsthand.
When she's not crafting campaigns, you'll find Claire exploring new hiking trails, catching a sunrise or enjoying time with friends and family.
After graduating from her Communications degree, Livi set off adventuring around the globe to find out what she wanted to communicate to the world.
After visiting both the Arctic and Antarctica, Livi realised the beauty of the natural world and sharing that with as many people as possible is what she was passionate about.
When Livi's not spreading the word of the breathaking Okohua cave, you'll find her exploring the farm on her horses, or growing flowers in her garden.
Undeniably the best looking of the crew, Dusky the Kelpie is our resident pest control agent. Whether it's scaring away any unwanted pests around the cave, or relaxing in the sun, Dusky is a key member of the Waitomo Experience team.
When he's not on duty at our headquarters, you'll find Dusky out on adventures with his best mate Vaughan, chasing sticks and swimming in rivers.
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Kaitiakitanga (the Māori concept of guardianship and protection of the land and natural resources) is something we take seriously at The Waitomo Experience.
The Okohua cave lies on a third generation family farm that has planted thousands of native trees. For every visitor that comes through the Okohua Cave, we plant a native tree. We developed this initiative to always give back to Papatūānuku (mother earth) and protect our natural asset for generations to come.
Customer testimonials
Don't hear it from us, hear it from the explorers who’ve been underground.
Vaughan our guide was not only friendly but also highly skilled, offering knowledge and great customer service.Would highly recommend."
Our guides were legends! warm, knowledgeable, and full of great stories. We climbed, splashed through water, explored hidden corners of the cave, and learned heaps along the way. The gear was in great condition, clean and comfy, and the cherry on top was a relaxing soak in the hot tub afterwards.
If you’re looking for a unique, well-run experience that goes beyond the usual tourist trail - this is it."
Built on Trust
SUSTAINABLE
We operate on a carbon positive farm.
INTIMATE EXPERIENCE
We have one guide for every six people, with a maximum of 12 people per trip.
ADVENTURE OPTIONS
We provide a range of different options throughout your trip to ramp the adventure up or keep it more relaxing.
Built on Trust
Sustainable
We operate on a carbon positive farm.
SAFTEY FIRST
Audited and certified by AdventureMark, governed by WorkSafe NZ.
FAMILY OWNED
We are a family owned and operated business .