Tours can be organised to suit the abilities of the participants.
Your tour starts at the Café. From here you follow a limestone path past the river, then it's over the road, and up across a short stretch of farmland before you enter the bush and then descend into the cave.
Your feet will immediately become wet as you walk in the stream and over rocks beside it. About a third of the way into the cave you must crawl for ten metres, then continue on as before, taking in the abundance of calcite formations, and the many glow-worms.
At the end of the cave some steps lead you up to a beautiful native rainforest through which you take a five-minute walk, including one hundred steps uphill. The final leg of the tour brings you out onto the farm with wide views and a glimpse of the sea, before returning downhill to the café.
A good level of fitness is required. If you have any concerns about the physical requirements or you have a medical condition or history of claustrophobia, please discuss this in advance with one of our guides.
The minimum group size is two people. The maximum group size is 10 people per guide, and larger groups will be divided between several guides.
An experienced guide will lead you through the cave and will point out many interesting features and give you some background on their formation.
Tours are typically by arrangement. To ensure that guides are available for you it is recommended that you book in advance. Please email or phone Nikau Cave to make a booking (see the Contact page).
Equipment
We provide you with a helmet and a caving light.
We recommend that you bring clothes that you don't mind getting wet and muddy, and walking shoes with good grip. A change of clothes for afterwards is advised!
Clothing and footwear can be provided by arrangement.