RealNZ · Lake Te Anau, western shore
A catamaran takes you across Lake Te Anau to a young limestone cave, where you walk past a roaring underground waterfall and then drift by small boat into a grotto lit by glowworms. RealNZ holds the only licence, so this is the one tour that goes inside: the real choices are the departure time and whether the cave suits you.
There is one cave, one licensed operator and one boat. RealNZ holds the only concession for Te Ana-au, the cave system on the far side of Lake Te Anau, and no road or public track leads there. Every glowworm ticket sold in town, this one included, puts you on the same RealNZ catamaran from the Visitor Centre at 85 Lakefront Drive. Forget shopping for a better operator. Choose a departure that fits your day, and be sure the cave suits the people you're bringing.
The trip starts on the water. The crossing to the western shore takes about half an hour, with the Murchison Mountains ahead, the main wild home of the endangered takahē. At Cavern House, the small base on the far shore, displays cover the geology and the story of the cave's rediscovery in 1948 by Lawson Burrows, who searched for about three years before he found the stream flowing out of it (the Otago Daily Times tells the full story). Then a guide takes groups of up to 12 through a low entrance into the cave.
Inside, it's loud before it's quiet. The cave is limestone, about 12,000 years old, and the Tunnel Burn is still cutting it, so you walk on walkways and steps above whirlpools and past a thundering underground waterfall. The name Te Ana-au is usually translated as cave of swirling water, and you see why. At the end you step into a small boat. The talking stops, the lights go off, and you glide into a grotto where points of blue-green light hang overhead like a night sky. No photos or video are allowed anywhere inside, so it's the one hour of your trip with no phones held up.
Set your expectations on scale. The wider Aurora system runs 6.7 km over four levels, but visitors see only a few hundred metres, and the grotto is a small chamber, not a cathedral. It is not Waitomo. If you've done the big North Island caves, read our Te Anau vs Waitomo guide first. What Te Anau has is the approach: a lake crossing into a national park, a river cave you can hear before you see it, and a silent boat ride at the end.
On price, GetYourGuide showed this tour from $73 at our last check, and RealNZ sells it direct from NZ$154 per adult, giving 1% of direct online bookings to conservation. It's the same boat and the same guides either way, so compare the adult total on the day you book. GetYourGuide gives free cancellation up to 24 hours before; RealNZ's own terms also refund with at least 24 hours' notice. Departures, child fares and the seasonal pattern are in our prices and times guide.
Go to the RealNZ Visitor Centre at 85 Lakefront Drive. RealNZ asks you to arrive 30 minutes early, and check-in closes 5 minutes before departure.
A purpose-built catamaran takes you across to the western shore. On late evening departures, the crossing out or back may be in the dark.
Meet your guide and look at the displays on the cave's geology and history. Tea and coffee are included. A defibrillator is kept here.
Stoop through the low entrance, then follow walkways and steps beside the rushing Tunnel Burn, past whirlpools and the underground waterfall. Walkways are often wet.
Step into a small boat and drift into the glowworm grotto in complete silence and darkness.
Return by catamaran to the Te Anau lakefront, about 2 h 15 min after you left.
Read next:
No. The caves are on the roadless western shore of Lake Te Anau, and RealNZ holds the only concession. You go with a RealNZ guide on its boat, or you don't go. Every ticket, here or direct, is the same tour.
About 2 h 15 min from the lakefront and back, including roughly 30 minutes' crossing each way. RealNZ's glowworm page now says 2.5 hours, so allow that, plus 30 minutes for check-in.
No. The cave is always dark, so the glowworms look the same at 10am and at 8pm. The difference is the lake: on a late evening departure you may cross in the dark. Pick the time that fits your day.
From about age 5. Part of the tour needs complete silence, and RealNZ asks parents to judge whether a child can manage it. Some resellers list infants at no charge, but newzealand.com says the tour is not suitable for infants, so check with RealNZ before booking for under-5s.
No. Photography and video are not permitted anywhere in the cave, not just flash. RealNZ says light affects the glowworms and everyone's night vision. Photograph the lake, the jetty and Cavern House instead.
It can be. RealNZ warns that the entrance needs significant bending, there are steps throughout and the walkways are often wet in low light. With a low entrance and steps throughout, it does not suit wheelchairs. If crouching or uneven ground is a problem, call RealNZ before you book.
They are the larvae of a fungus gnat, Arachnocampa luminosa, a species found only in New Zealand; other species of the same genus live in Australia. They hang sticky silk threads to catch midges, and the light is a chemical reaction in an organ at the tip of their excretory tubules (Te Ara has the biology). Their droppings do not glow: that's a myth. More in our glowworm facts guide.
It depends on the day. GetYourGuide showed from $73 at our last check; RealNZ lists adults from NZ$154 direct, and runs bundle deals with its fiord cruises. The tour is identical, so compare the final adult price and the cancellation terms before you pay.
Ready to book
Cross Lake Te Anau, walk past an underground waterfall and drift under the glowworms. About 2 h 15 min, free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Doubtful Sound Coach & Cruise from Te AnauThe fiord with no road in: coach, lake crossing, Wilmot Pass and a long cruise on Doubtful Sound. Bring lunch.★ 4.7 · 8.5 hours · from $215
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