Ruakuri Cave facts for kids
 Location in New Zealand
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| Location | Waitomo |
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| Region | New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 38°15′50″S 174°59′40″E / 38.26389°S 174.99444°E |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | Spiral Drum Entrance 2004-2005 |
| Ownership | Mostly Privately Owned |
Ruakuri Cave is a long and amazing cave in the Waitomo area of New Zealand. Local Māori discovered it about 400 to 500 years ago. The name Te Ruakuri means "The Den of Dogs." This name came about because wild dogs were found living near the cave's entrance.
One of the cave entrances was a special burial site for Māori. Because it is a sacred place, it is no longer used for visitors. Today, people enter the cave through a cool spiral ramp built away from the sacred area. Tours have been running this way since 2005.
Ruakuri Cave is the only wheelchair-accessible cave in the Southern Hemisphere. It is famous for its deep connections to Māori culture. It is also known for its unique limestone shapes and huge underground rooms.
Exploring Ruakuri Cave
Ruakuri Cave has many cool parts to explore. Some of the main areas include:
- Holdens Cavern: This part is named after James Holden. He was the first person to open the cave to the public.
- The Drum Passage: Imagine walking through a passage that sounds like a drum!
- The Pretties: This section is full of beautiful rock formations.
- The Ghost Passage: This area might give you a spooky feeling!
The cave was open to visitors from 1904 until 1988. It closed for a while because of legal and money problems. Luckily, it reopened in 2005, so more people can enjoy it.
Inside the cave, you will find a lively natural world. There are glowworms, amazing limestone formations, underground rivers, and even hidden waterfalls.
Guided Tours
A guided tour through Ruakuri Cave is an exciting adventure. You start by going down a long spiral ramp. This ramp takes you deep into the cave.
At the bottom, you enter a room filled with stalactites. These are rock formations that hang down from the cave ceiling. There are also other rare limestone shapes. These formations have taken millions of years to grow! Some of them look like coral, which locals call "popcorn."
You will also see underground rivers and waterfalls. One waterfall is only about one and a half meters tall. But because you are underground, it sounds much louder!
Since 1987, different adventure tours have been offered here. Two of these tours still run almost every day.
Cave Life and Fossils
The cave is home to many living creatures. The most famous are the glowworms. The Waitomo Caves are known all over the world for these tiny lights. The glowworms stick to the cave walls. They make the ceiling look like a starry night sky.
Glowworms are actually the young (larvae) of fungus gnats. They spend most of their lives as larvae. They catch and eat insects that fly into the cave. Sometimes, they even eat each other! The Māori people thought this place was sacred. This was because of the life and light found in a place that should be dark.
You can also find fossils in the cave. These fossils are from a time when this whole area was under the sea.
