Waitomo Caves History

History

Ruakuri Cave was discovered by Maori 400 to 500 years ago when a hunter travelling in a war party with Kawhia chief Tane Tinorau was attacked by a pack of dogs living in the cave entrance. The dogs were caught and eaten but the name Ruakuri (Den of Dogs) stuck. Shortly after, Tinorau moved his people into the area and the cave became a wahi tapu (sacred site), used for burials and for storing important taonga. By the 20th century the land had passed into the hands of the Holden family, who own it to this day.

The Glow-worm Cave had long been known to local Maori but they had no desire to explore it. That changed in December 1887 when the local chief, another Tane Tinorau, headed into the cave system, taking English surveyor Fred Mace with him. Mace prepared an account of the expedition, a map was made, photographs given to the government, and before long Tane Tinorau was operating tours of the cave. The tours must have made an impression as the government nationalised the land 19 years later – depriving the local hapu (subtribe) of a nice little earner. In 1989 this injustice was corrected and the hapu now owns and leases back the land, gets a slice of admission charges and provides much of the workforce.