See One of New Zealand's Coolest Attractions: The Glowing Waitomo Caves
New Zealand's Waitomo Caves are a little different than your average cavern. Formed by limestone with a maze of underground rivers and sinkholes, the caves are filled with thousands of glowworms that dangle from the ceiling and sides. They radiate a warm glow that illuminates the the whole cave.
This particular glowworm species can't be spotted just anywhere — the Arachnocampa luminosa only exists in New Zealand.
A guided visit to the cave starts with a stop at the Visitor's Center, followed by a walk through the Catacombs and the Tomo — a 50-foot shaft of limestone — and then down to the Banquet Chamber, where you may be able to see a towering limestone formation called the Pipe Organ (this is sometimes closed to the public because of carbon monoxide buildup). You'll end up at the Cathedral, a platform known for its acoustics — performers have actually held concerts here! Finally, you'll get to see the glowworm grotto by cruising in a boat along the subterranean Waitomo River. The only source of light here is the radiant light produced by the glowworms.
Today, the caves are partially owned by the the local Māori tribes who participate in their upkeep, management and development.
Getting There
The Waitomo Caves are located 125 miles away from New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. You can hire transport or rent a car to get to the caves from the city.
From the United States, you can fly nonstop to Auckland (AKL) with Air New Zealand (voted the world's top airline in 2017) from San Francisco (SFO), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX) and Honolulu (HNL). Hawaiian Airlines also flies nonstop from Honolulu.
Although United wasn't voted the world's top airline, if you can manage to find Saver award availability, you could potentially get to Auckland and back for just 80,000 United MileagePlus miles in economy.
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| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month