The Bombay Hills are a range of hills to the south of Auckland, New Zealand. Though only a small and seemingly insignificant range of hills, they lie at the southern boundary of the Auckland region, and serve as a divide between Auckland and the Waikato region. directly named after the ship Bombay, The ship itself was named after the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai). Bombay Means: a breed of black short-haired medium-sized cat.

We stop to get some great coffee at your own expense and a comfort break before we continue our journey into the Waikato region.

Te Awamutu calls itself the ‘Rose Capital of New Zealand’. During the blooming season, November to April, the garden next to the visitor centre is a technicolour dream as 2000 rose bushes turn on the charm.

The Legendary Black Water Rafting Co’s original & most popular tour is the Black Labyrinth tour. This popular activity takes approximately three hours with one hour underground and involves a combination of walking and floating on an inner tube through a unique underground river system. Equipped with all the caving gear you need – wetsuit, helmet, footwear, and most important of all, meeting your friendly and passionate guides, it’s time to gear up and test out your tubing skills. Once you’re comfortable in your tube you’ll enter the cave through a hole in the rock & be straight into the underground waters. Spend the next 3 hours weaving around and climbing over rocks, jumping off not-too-high waterfalls, floating beneath a sky of glow worms, and most importantly, having the most fun you’ve ever had in the dark. Your guides will share stories of local Maori legends, how these limestone caves & their features have formed, as well as telling you the unusual life cycle of the glowworms.

After three magical hours you’ll emerge into native bush in the Waitomo Forest, refresh with a hot shower, then enjoy a delicious BBQ buffet lunch at the homestead of Waitomo.

Visit the Kiwi house native bird park to get close and personal to New Zealand’s iconic national bird. Best place in NZ to see a Kiwi, close viewing of our national bird in moonlit nocturnal enclosure. It’s a truly authentic New Zealand nature experience in the heart of the North Island.

After an exhilarating fun-filled adventure experience at Waitomo, it is now time to head back to Auckland to conclude your evening and drop-off at your hotel in Auckland.