If you’ve ever wanted to feel like a bird soaring above the trees (who hasn’t?), the Waitomo Caves Zipline Park might be exactly what you’re looking for. During our North Island road trip from Auckland to New Plymouth, we swapped glowworm caves for harnesses and helmets and spent the morning flying through the treetops. Here’s what the experience was really like and whether it’s worth adding to your New Zealand family holiday itinerary.
Quick answer: Is Waitomo Caves Zipline Park worth it?
Yes, Waitomo Caves Zipline Park is absolutely worth it for families with older kids, tweens and teenagers. It’s beginner-friendly, professionally run and offers just the right amount of adventure without feeling too intimidating.
Pros:
- Suitable for beginners
- High health and safety standards
- It’s a lot of fun
Cons:
- No onsite toilet, so you need to go before you arrive
If you’re looking for a fun adventure activity in Waitomo, this one is easy to recommend. The guides were patient, the safety standards felt high, and the gradual build-up made it suitable even for first-time zipliners like me.
For families with kids aged seven and up, especially tweens and teens, Waitomo Caves Zipline Park is a fantastic alternative or add-on to the glowworm caves. Personally, if we had to choose between the two, we’d choose the zipline experience.
What is the Waitomo Caves Zipline Park?
Located just a couple of hundred metres from the Waitomo Caves Tour, the Waitomo Caves Zipline Park is a family-friendly and beginner-friendly zipline experience that will see you soaring over the lush green rolling hills and treetops of the Waitomo region. It’s around an hour’s drive from Hamilton, just under three hours’ drive from Auckland or just under two hours from Rotorua.
There are ten ziplines in total, with the largest being 280m in length and with speeds of up to 80km/hr. There are professional guides helping you the entire way and you’ll start with shorter ziplines much closer to the ground before moving on to the longer and higher ziplines.
Our experience at Waitomo Caves Zipline Park
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this experience. I was travelling on my own with two kids, and the closest I’d come to a zipline before was a small flying fox on a kids’ playground. And although the kids were really excited, I really wasn’t sure if one of them would have a bit of a freak out when it came to the crunch. Actually, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to freak out or not!
Arrival and check-in
Having stayed at the Waitomo Top 10 Caravan Park the night before, it was only a few minutes’ drive up the road to the Waitomo Caves Zipline Park carpark. Unfortunately, there are no toilets here, so upon the advice of our instructor, we drove a few minutes back up the road to the information centre to use the public toilets.
If you really need to go while you’re ziplining, you can sneak behind a tree or a big rock, but there was another family doing the tour with us today, and I wanted to save myself the embarrassment.
Getting geared up
The staff fitted us out with a helmet, gloves and harness and we went through a safety briefing at the office in the carpark, learning how to clip our harness on and off to the zipline. I felt a lot less nervous after the safety briefing, as all the infrastructure seemed to be well-built and all the equipment was in great condition. Not every country we’ve visited has had such high safety standards and when you’re the sole responsible adult on the trip, it’s nice to have this peace of mind.
The first zipline
At this point, I was glad I’d gone to the toilet before we started, as the nerves started to kick in again. We headed uphill to a nearby forested area with a few smaller ziplines between the trees. You don’t have to be super fit, but you do need to be able to walk both uphill and on uneven terrain as you’ll be walking between ziplines.
Our family was first up, with my 13-year-old son going first. He aced it. I was next, my gloved hands fumbling on the clip. There was no pressure to rush though, and the instructor reminded me of what to do. I took a step off the platform, let the harness take my weight, and it wasn’t long before I was zipping along to the next tree.
Wow – that was fun! With all nerves now gone, I was ready to tackle the rest. My 10-year-old daughter followed behind but soon wanted to go before me every time.
Flying through the forest
The ziplines got progressively longer and higher off the ground, with the first six being relatively close to each other in a beautiful forest section with minimal walking between platforms. We had a great time in this section, but it’s the last four ziplines that are the highlight.
Zipline number seven takes you out of the forested area, over a valley and onto a limestone bluff on the other side of it. The scenery now opens up, revealing the rolling hills of Waitomo. At this point, we were all feeling really confident and ready to tackle the last three longer ziplines.
There is a little bit of a walk between ziplines seven and eight. Zipline nine is quite fun as you find yourself slotting between two tall pines and zipline ten is the grand finale and longest zipline. The instructor goes first and helps you stop the zipline as you come into this one.
The kids were quite disappointed that it was over and wanted to do the whole thing over again. I felt like another one or two longer ziplines would have been fun, but I was quite tired and hungry at this point, so I was happy to sign off on a high and call it a success.
Is Waitomo Zipline Park suitable for kids?
Yes, absolutely, but it’s not for those with really young kids. The minimum age to do the ziplines is seven years old and it’s expected that an adult will be participating as well. Due to safety requirements, there is a maximum weight limit of 120kg.
I think most teenagers would enjoy this experience, as would adventurous younger kids. Mine were 10 years and 13 years when we did the Waitomo Caves Zipline Park and I didn’t find it to be a problem at all at this age. Some younger children may not enjoy this as much, but if you have an adventurous seven-year-old, I don’t see it being a problem.
What we loved
- Gradual build up to the longer ziplines
- High safety standards
- Beautiful landscape
- Suitable for beginners and families
- Friendly and patient guides
- It’s just really fun
What could be better
- No onsite toilet
- A few more longer ziplines would be fun
How much does Waitomo Caves Zipline Park cost?
Pricing as at June 2026 is:
- $140 per adult (over 18 years)
- $105 per child (7 – 18 years)
- $425 per family (2 adults + 2 kids)
If you have other family members who just want to watch, spectators can follow along and view the activities and enjoy the wonderful views.
Waitomo Zipline Park vs Waitomo Glowworm Caves
If we had to choose between the two, we would choose the Waitomo Caves Zipline Park over the glowworm caves. While we enjoyed the glowworm caves experience, it’s hard to compete with the adrenaline rush of the ziplines and I probably wouldn’t pay to see the glowworm caves again now that we’ve seen them. However, I would definitely do the ziplines again if we ever came back this way.
For those with older kids, I would choose Zipline Park, knowing that teens and tweens often need a bit of action and excitement to stay engaged.
Our verdict: Would we do it again?
Yes, we would definitely do it again. In fact, the other family who were doing the ziplines were doing it for the fifth time in as many years!
The kids in particular really loved it and have repeatedly asked to go ziplining again since then.
FAQs
It takes up to two hours to complete the whole ten ziplines. It will depend on group size and how confident the participants are.
When we visited, the infrastructure was of high standard as was the equipment and safety equipment. In general, New Zealand has a high standard of safety and we felt totally safe the entire time.
Yes, children from 7 years and up can go ziplining at Waitomo Caves Zipline Park.
You will be wearing a harness so longer shorts or pants are more comfortable. Closed-in shoes are a must as you’ll be walking over uneven terrain, and you may need a jumper if the weather is a bit chilly.
Although it’s not a budget experience, I do feel that it’s worth it. It’s a lot of fun and it’s the kind of experience everyone will remember for years to come.
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