Black Labyrinth: Black Water Rafting - Private Tour from Auckland | La Vacanza Travel

Black Labyrinth: Black Water Rafting - Private Tour from Auckland

Duration: 11 hours
Destination: New Zealand, Auckland, Auckland
from
829.4

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  • 11 hours
  • Auckland
  • E-Voucher
  • Lowest Price
  • Not-Cancellable

Overview

Glide on a journey from Auckland to Waitomo in a private luxurious vehicle to explore the Ruakuri Cave on an exhilarating underground adventure that involves climbing, black water tubing, floating, and leaping over cascading underground waterfalls including a delicious BBQ buffet lunch and get close and personal to New Zealand’s iconic national bird at Kiwi house and native bird park.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Auckland Central, Auckland Central, North Island

We pickup travellers from most locations in the Auckland CBD location. If your pickup location is not available on the list, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our very best to accommodate your request.

Duration: 15 minutes

Pass By: Bombay Hills, Waikato 2472, New Zealand

The Bombay Hills are a range of hills to the south of Auckland, New Zealand. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland region, and serve as a divide between Auckland and the Waikato region. directly named after the ship Bombay, The ship itself was named after the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Bombay Means: a breed of black short-haired medium-sized cat.

Stop At: Robert Harris, 2189 Gordonton Road, Taupiri 3791, New Zealand

We stop to get some great coffee at your own expense and a comfort break before we continue our journey into the Waikato region.

Duration: 15 minutes

Pass By: Te Awamutu, Te Awamutu, Waikato Region, North Island

Te Awamutu calls itself the ‘Rose Capital of New Zealand’. During the blooming season, November to April, the garden next to the visitor centre is a technicolour dream as 2000 rose bushes turn on the charm.

Stop At: The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co, Waitomo, 585 Waitomo Caves Road, Waitomo Caves 3977, New Zealand

The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co’s original & most popular tour is the Black Labyrinth tour. This popular activity takes approximately three hours with one hour underground and involves a combination of walking and floating on an inner tube through a unique underground river system. Equipped with all the caving gear you need – wetsuit, helmet, footwear, and most important of all, meeting your friendly and passionate guides, it’s time to gear up and test out your tubing skills. Once you’re comfortable in your tube you’ll enter the cave through a hole in the rock & be straight into the underground waters. Spend the next 3 hours weaving around and climbing over rocks, jumping off not-too-high waterfalls, floating beneath a sky of glow worms, and most importantly, having the most fun you’ve ever had in the dark. Your guides will share stories of local Maori legends, how these limestone caves & their features have formed, as well as telling you the unusual life cycle of the glowworms.

Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Waitomo Homestead, 584 State Highway 3, Waitomo Caves 3977, New Zealand

After three magical hours you’ll emerge into native bush in the Waitomo Forest, refresh with a hot shower, then enjoy a delicious BBQ buffet lunch at the homestead of Waitomo.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park, 25 Alex Telfer Drive, Otorohanga 3900 New Zealand

Visit the Kiwi house native bird park to get close and personal to New Zealand’s iconic national bird. Best place in NZ to see a Kiwi, close viewing of our national bird in moonlit nocturnal enclosure. It’s a truly authentic New Zealand nature experience in the heart of the North Island.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Auckland Central, Auckland Central, North Island

After an exhilarating fun-filled adventure experience at Waitomo, it is now time to head back to Auckland to conclude your evening and drop-off at your hotel in Auckland.

Duration: 15 minutes

Inclusions
  • Fully guided private return transfers from Auckland
  • Complimentary pick up and drop off from Auckland
  • Complimentary refreshments and water onboard
  • A local English-speaking tour escort throughout the tour
  • Complimentary High Speed Internet onboard the minibus
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Private transportation
  • All Fees and Taxes
  • WiFi on board
  • Luxurious temperature-controlled private transportation in a minibus
  • Admission to 3-hour Black Labyrinth black water rafting guided experience
  • Admission to BBQ buffet lunch at Waitomo Homestead
  • Admission to Kiwi House Native Bird Park
  • All the necessary safety equipment provided including footwear, tubes, wetsuits, and helmets
  • Lunch - BBQ Buffet Lunch
  • Enjoy climbing, black water tubing, leaping, and floating through Ruakuri Cave
  • Float down the underground river in rubber tubes while admiring the glowworm displays above
  • Jump into cascading underground waterfalls, reflecting the glowworms above
  • Marvel at the stalactites and stalagmites that decorate the cavern walls
  • Entry/Admission - The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co, Waitomo
  • Entry/Admission - Waitomo Homestead
  • Entry/Admission - Otorohanga Kiwi House & Native Bird Park

Exclusions
  • Breakfast
  • Dinner
  • Infant seats available
  • Not recommended for travelers with back problems
  • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Near public transportation
  • Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Minimum weight restriction of 45kg+ apply
  • Guides at Waitomo reserve the right to refuse to take anyone into the cave that they consider to be unsuited for the tour (e.g. physically incapable or too small).
  • Participants must be 12 years old or over (proof of age may be required)
  • Good and moderate fitness level is required
  • Just bring yourself, your swimwear, a towel, shower gel and a thirst for adventure.
  • No caving experience is needed!
  • The water temperature is 10-14C / 50-57F year-round so doing the activity in winter will feel almost the same as doing the activity in summer
  • Photos are taken for you throughout the experience where you’ll get to view and purchase your photos at the end of the tour
  • Cameras, including GoPros, can’t be taken on the tour
  • Tours only run if it is safe, which is the vast majority of the time. However, prolonged heavy rain can result in rising water levels in the caves, in which case the tours would be cancelled.
  • Each participant requested to complete a disclosure document and provide information relation to health, physicality, impairments, and water preparedness.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
  • This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Departure Point

Mövenpick Hotel Auckland, 8 Customs Street East, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Traveler pickup is offered

Airports

  • Auckland Intl Airport, Auckland Central, Auckland New Zealand


Ports

  • Princes Wharf, 137-147 Quay Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
  • Fullers360 Self Service Ticket Kiosks, 107 Quay Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand


Return Details

Returns to original departure point

Voucher info

You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.

Duration

11 hours


User's Reviews

Scruffalugs

18 Jan, 2024

This was an incredible experience, and I am so glad we did it. My kids (12 and 16) rate it as one of the top experiences of their trip. There was actually a problem with our booking (entirely my fault - I booked it for the wrong day), and the staff at reception were kind and helpful getting us rebooked onto a tour with short notice, and then gave us some great advice on what to do and see whilst waiting the next few hours. Our guides, Hannah and Leah (and our excellent driver Pippin) were incredibly professional, relaxed and heaps of fun - they brought energy and excitement to our experience with a wonderful sense of humour. I was so immensely impressed with how they handled the impulsive energy of my 12 year old son, making sure he was having fun whilst always prioritising safety. They were exceptional and made our experience a really special adventure.

713gavins

01 Jan, 2024

This review is twofold-- one for the Blackwater Rafting Co, and one for ExperienceKart. EXPERIENCE KART: Firstly-- the drive from Auckland and back was gorgeous! Secondly, we were the only three people who had booked the tour, so we got a pretty personalized experience. Karthik was really nice-- he even took us back to the hotel a few minutes after departure when I realized I'd forgotten something. We learned a lot about the places we passed along the way, we got snacks, and had a chance to eat lunch before heading off back to Auckland. Karthik even dropped us off at Mount Eden, to help us make it in time before sunset! I couldn't recommend this company enough. Especially our guide Karthik, who was super cool and made the experience 10 times better! BLACKWATER RAFTING CO: Booking this experience, I was a little scared, being a weak swimmer and, like most people(?), am afraid of dark and narrow spaces. But blackwater rafting was amazing! Everyone was right-- this IS the best way to see the glow worms. I'd visited and done a regular tour a few years ago, but the blackwater experience blows it out of the water. Just walking through the caves was already awesome. Sprinkle in a few waterfall jumps and the glide under the glowworms at the end and you've got an unforgettable experience. The blackwater rafting co folks were really kind and great guides! I always felt safe in the water and they took good care of us. The caves themselves actually felt quite roomy. I'm also not the most athletic person out there, but this was pretty breezy. A good metric would be; can you climb stairs, stand in the tides on a beach without falling over, and are okay stepping walking for thirty minutes straight? Anyways-- next time, I'm coming back for the black abyss experience. TL;DR super worth it! you won't regret it!

Kperry5465

03 Nov, 2023

This was an absolute highlight of our trip to New Zealand - it was our first tour and we loved it! It's not a far drive from Auckland. We did the Labyrinth and it is 3 hours long. SO MUCH FUN!! And, challenging. The first challenge is getting into the wet suit! LOL! Then we walked to a dock where they ask you to jump backwards into the water onto your tube. Needless to say, the water was very cold. But it gets you used to how you will be getting into the underwater river and you'll jump off of a couple waterfalls this way, crawl through a low ceiling area and you'll float as a "tube, tube" train through a portion of the tunnel and see the glowworms above. The boots they provide are amazing - no slipping on rocks! If you have the time, I highly recommend this adventure.

OllieOakey

19 Jan, 2023

Family holiday travelling around North Island, NZ - did the Black Labyrinth Waitomo rafting experience. Absolutely amazing experience and something completely different from a standard holiday activity. Not for the faint hearted - did this with my two teenagers, whilst my wife did the Waitomo Glowworm caves tour - for the more gentle experience.

Karen L

13 Jan, 2023

What a fabulous experience!! Definitely more exhilarating than I anticipated but but well worth the adventure. The guides were very good and ensured a safe and fun experience for all. My favourite part was the human eel floating with our headlamps off just taking in the beauty of the glow worms. We were apparently lucky for timing as the past few days of rain meant higher water levels which lead to a great experience. You definitely can’t be afraid of a combination of dark, fast moving water, caves, physical exertion, jumping backwards off a small water fall. It was a blast and one of my favourite activities I have ever done! My partner and I are in our sixth decade for reference for anyone older thinking of doing this!

User's Picture Gallery

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So glad we did this!

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Yes! Do this.

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