Waipu Caves Farm Park is a privately owned conservation park of around 320 acres at 567 Waipu Caves Road, Waipu, in southern Northland. It combines guided cave tourism with bush walking, rock climbing, outdoor education and a small campground, and sits roughly midway between Auckland and Whangārei on the inland route.
### The Milky Way Glowworm Cave
The park's principal attraction is the Milky Way Glowworm Cave, a limestone cave system on the property that was opened to the public in 2023 after being closed for more than a century. Access is by guided tour only, with several departures each day and online booking.
Two tour lengths are offered. The shorter tour runs about 60 minutes return from the park office and takes visitors 125 metres into the cave to the Milky Way Chamber, giving around 35 minutes underground. The longer tour runs about 90 minutes return, covers the same ground and then continues a further distance to the Starburst Cathedral, approximately 250 metres into the system, for roughly 60 to 70 minutes underground. Both tours feature glowworms and limestone formations.
### The wider park
Beyond the cave, the property has walking tracks through native bush, limestone rock outcrops used for climbing, and a river with a swimming hole. The campground is set in a valley surrounded by native bush and limestone, with tent and motorhome sites, a kitchen, toilets and hot showers. The park also hosts outdoor education activity.
The Waipu Caves Scenic Reserve nearby is a separate, publicly accessible free cave — the Farm Park's Milky Way Cave is a distinct, guided commercial experience on private land.
### Suitability for MICE groups
The guided glowworm tour is a strong fit for incentive itineraries and conference partner programmes wanting a distinctive natural-heritage experience that is short enough to slot into a half day. The two tour lengths give programme flexibility, and the surrounding walking tracks, climbing and swimming hole mean the property can support a longer team-building or outdoor-education style block rather than a single one-hour visit.
Its location on the Auckland–Whangārei corridor makes it a practical mid-journey stop for groups travelling north to a Bay of Islands or Whangārei conference base. Cave tours run to fixed departure times with limited numbers, so larger delegate groups will need to be split across departures — confirm party sizes and exclusive-use options directly with the operator. See other Northland activities for pairing options.
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