If you’re looking for affordable family accommodation in Waitomo that’s close to the caves and other major attractions, Waitomo TOP 10 is in a fantastic spot. Located right in Waitomo Village on New Zealand’s North Island, this quiet holiday park offers everything from powered and unpowered campsites to cabins and self-contained motel accommodation.
I stayed here with two kids while exploring Waitomo and found it clean, relaxed and incredibly convenient. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of some of the huge resort-style holiday parks you might be familiar with in Australia, but that’s also part of its appeal.
The park felt spacious rather than crammed in, the surrounds were beautifully green and, best of all, we were only minutes from some of Waitomo’s best things to do.
Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park at a glance
| Where | Waitomo Village, North Island, New Zealand -> View on GoogleMaps |
| Accommodation | Cabins, motel, powered and unpowered campsites |
| Best for | Families exploring Waitomo and North Island road trips |
| Family facilities | Swimming pool, hot tub, playground, giant chess, pedal carts and table tennis |
| Cooking facilities | Kitchen facilities in selected accommodation plus communal kitchen and BBQs |
| Waitomo Glowworm Cave | Around 600 metres away |
| Our verdict | Affordable, relaxed and extremely well located |
Location: one of the best reasons to stay here
One of the biggest advantages of Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park is its location. It’s right in Waitomo Village and just 600 metres from New Zealand‘s famous Waitomo Glowworm Cave. Several places to eat are within walking distance, while many of the area’s other cave and adventure experiences are only a short drive away.
We visited the glowworm caves with Spellbound during our trip, which I’d particularly recommend if you’re looking for a smaller, more immersive experience. However, it’s around a 20 minute drive away and is not the main Glowworm Cave experience close by that’s visited by all the tour buses.
-> Read our Spellbound Glowworm Cave review
Waitomo Zipline Park is also nearby, making the holiday park a convenient base if you’re planning to pack several Waitomo activities into a short stay.
-> Read our Waitomo Zipline Park review
Having a car is definitely the easiest option for families. We hired a car from Auckland and drove to Waitomo, which gave us the flexibility to explore at our own pace. Waitomo Village itself is tiny, so once you’re here you can walk to some places, but I’d still recommend having your own transport if you want to properly explore the surrounding area.
For everyday essentials, however, you don’t need to go far. There’s a cafe next door and the village general store directly across the road.
Accommodation at Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park
There’s a good range of accommodation including standard, deluxe and ensuite cabins, one and two-bedroom motel style rooms, as well as powered and unpowered campsites.
We stayed in a cabin with a main bed and bunks in a separate room, along with our own bathroom, kitchenette and dining area. It wasn’t huge, particularly compared with some of the newer resort-style holiday park cabins you’ll find around Australia and New Zealand, but we didn’t need it to be.
For myself and two kids, there was enough space and we had everything we needed for a short stay while we spent our days exploring Waitomo.
Having our own toilet and shower was convenient, as was being able to prepare simple meals and snacks rather than having to eat out every time someone was hungry.
What facilities are there for families?
Waitomo TOP 10 isn’t the kind of holiday park where you book a week-long stay purely because of the kids’ facilities. But there’s certainly enough here to keep them occupied between trips to the caves and other attractions.
There’s a swimming pool and hot tub, along with a small but perfectly adequate playground and giant outdoor chess set. The park also has table tennis and pedal carts available for hire, while the communal facilities include a TV lounge and library. Everything felt safe and well maintained during our stay, and the pool area was gated.
For us, though, the real attraction was having somewhere the kids could play and relax at the end of the day without the holiday park itself feeling like a giant resort.
Kitchen and laundry facilities
Our cabin had its own kitchenette, which was handy for breakfasts, snacks and microwave meals. There are also communal facilities for campers and guests staying in accommodation without full cooking facilities. The main camp kitchen has ovens, microwaves, cooktops, fridges and freezers, and there is a covered deck with a BBQ.
Laundry facilities are also available, with washing machines and dryers onsite. This is particularly useful if Waitomo is just one stop on a longer New Zealand road trip, as it was for us.
Where to eat near Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park
There isn’t an onsite restaurant, but given the park’s central location, that’s not much of an issue. HuHu Cafe is right next door to the holiday park, although we didn’t get a chance to eat there during our stay.
Directly across the road you’ll find Twelve Tables Eatery & Bar Waitomo, which is also part of the village general store and gift shop. It serves cafe-style food and is incredibly convenient when you don’t feel like cooking.
Tomo Bar & Eatery is also only around 280 metres up the road. It’s more of an upmarket pub-style establishment and we found the food there really good.
Of course, having kitchen facilities also means you don’t need to eat out for every meal.
Staff and service
I didn’t have a huge amount of interaction with the staff during our stay, which is generally a good thing at a holiday park because it means we didn’t have any problems that needed sorting out. The staff I dealt with at check-in and check-out were friendly and helpful, and everything was straightforward.
Reception staff can also help with local activity bookings and recommendations if you’re still working out what to do in Waitomo.
Cleanliness
Our cabin was clean and everything appeared to be well maintained, although there was one small issue when we first arrived.
The cabin had a noticeable damp sort of smell when we walked in. A bit like if carpet or a car floor mat gets wet and then doesn’t get a chance to air out. There was also a plug-in air freshener, which I found quite strong in such a small space.
It wasn’t a major issue and I should point out, that I am quite sensitive to smells so it’s quite possible that another family might not even notice it. It was fine after we opened everything up and aired the cabin out for an hour or two.
Is Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park good value for money?
For families who want to explore Waitomo without spending a fortune on accommodation, I think Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park offers good value. There are different accommodation levels to choose from, from unpowered campsites and simple cabins through to self-contained motel accommodation, making it easier to find something that suits your family’s budget and preferred level of comfort.
You’re also paying for an extremely convenient location. Being able to walk to cafes while staying only minutes from many of Waitomo’s major attractions makes things much easier when you’re travelling with kids.
What we loved about staying here
One of my favourite things about Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park actually had nothing to do with our cabin. When we visited, everything was incredibly lush and green, giving the park a lovely open feel that you don’t always get in tourist parks.
There was also a beautiful cherry blossom tree in full bloom directly in front of our cabin, which made an already pretty setting even nicer.
Then there were the chickens. Happy Hooves Animal Farm sits directly behind the holiday park and we regularly had chickens strolling past during the day. It just added to the relaxed, rural feel of our stay. It’s worth noting that the farm isn’t owned or operated by Waitomo TOP 10, but having it right behind the park certainly added to the setting.
Is there anything we didn’t like?
There wasn’t anything that would stop us staying here again.
The cabin was relatively small and the initial damp smell wasn’t ideal, particularly with the strong plug-in air freshener. However, airing the cabin out largely solved the problem.
It’s also worth understanding what kind of holiday park this is before booking. If you’re after a huge resort park where the kids can spend days moving between waterslides, jumping pillows and organised activities, this probably isn’t it.
If you want somewhere affordable, relaxed and incredibly well positioned for exploring Waitomo, that’s where it makes much more sense.
Would we stay at Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park again?
Yes. Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park isn’t trying to be a flashy resort, and I don’t think it needs to be. Its biggest strengths are its location, affordability and small town, relaxed setting.
For families like ours who plan to spend most of their time exploring the caves and other Waitomo attractions, it makes a practical and comfortable base. You can walk across the road for something to eat, you’re only minutes from many of the area’s main attractions and you come back to somewhere that feels green, open and peaceful.
I’d particularly recommend it for families road-tripping around New Zealand’s North Island, families spending a couple of nights exploring Waitomo, or anyone looking for affordable family accommodation close to the Waitomo caves. Between the cherry blossoms, ridiculously green surrounds and chickens wandering past our cabin, our stay had considerably more charm than I expected from a simple holiday park.
We’d absolutely stay here again if we were passing through Waitomo or came back to explore more of the region.
Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park FAQs
Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park is located in the heart of Waitomo Caves Village, around 600 metres from the Waitomo Glowworm Cave. This makes it possible to walk to the caves from the holiday park, although having a car is still useful for exploring other attractions around the wider Waitomo area.
Yes. Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park has several accommodation options, including cabins and self-contained motel units suitable for families, as well as powered and unpowered camping sites. We stayed in a cabin with our own bathroom, kitchenette and separate sleeping area for the kids, which worked well for myself and two children.
Yes. There’s an outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, both of which are open year-round. There’s also a playground with a trampoline, outdoor table tennis, giant chess and pedal carts available for hire, giving kids a few things to do when you’re not out exploring the caves.
Yes. One of the things we really liked about the location was being able to walk to several places to eat. HuHu Cafe is next door, the village general store and Twelve Table Bar & Eatery is directly across the road and Tomo Bar & Eatery is only a couple of minutes’ walk away.
You can walk from Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park to the Waitomo Glowworm Cave and several places to eat, but I’d still recommend having a car, particularly when travelling with kids. We hired a car in Auckland and found it much easier to explore Waitomo and its surrounding attractions at our own pace.
I’d allow at least two nights if you want enough time to enjoy a couple of Waitomo’s cave experiences and other attractions without rushing. Waitomo TOP 10 Holiday Park also works well as a stop on a longer North Island road trip, so you could easily stay longer if you’re planning to explore more of the surrounding region.
Yes, particularly if your priority is affordable accommodation in a convenient location rather than a large resort-style holiday park. There are family-friendly accommodation options, a pool, hot tub, playground and other activities for kids, while the Waitomo Glowworm Cave and several places to eat are within walking distance. For us, it made a relaxed and practical base for exploring Waitomo with kids.
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