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North Island Five-Day Tour: Day 4

Taupo and Waitomo

By Larry Rivera, About.com

Waitomo Glow-Worm Cave New Zealand: Expl

Exploring the Waitomo Glow-Worm Cave

© Tourism New Zealand

Cure your hangover on Day 4 of your New Zealand five-day North Island tour with a leisurely drive (80km; 1 hour 20 minutes to Taupo on the northestern edge of Lake Taupo, New Zealand’s largest lake..

Lake Taupo cruises (and trout fishing, if you have the time) are popular. You might also want to check out the Craters of the Moon, but this is a long walk and you may not have the time.

Bungy-jumping? Yes, you can do that near Cherry Island, and the jump takes just a fraction of a second.

Underground rivers

Sometime during the day, you may want to continue on to the Waitomo Caves (163km; 2 hours 35 minutes) between the towns of Te Kuiti and Otorohanga.

The specific attraction here are the subterranean limestone caves lit by millions of glow-worms accessed by boat through underground rivers.

Again, there are a host of activities to tempt you: caving expeditions, rafting through underground waters, abseiling, horse trekking, canoeing.

Have your fill of adventure, go dining in the evening, take the rest you need.

On Day 5 it'll be back to Auckland where your five-day tour began.

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