Clifden Caves

The Clifden Caves are a free, self-guided limestone cave system full of glow-worms, stalactites and underground streams.

Bring sturdy shoes, a good torch and a sense of adventure — it's one of Southland's hidden gems.

Don't judge them by the entrances. From the road they look like little more than a crack in the hillside, but inside they open out into a genuine maze of passages — decorated chambers, a swimming hole, ladder-assisted drops and far more cave than most first-timers expect.

“It's like a TARDIS cave — so much bigger on the inside.”— a Rarakau guest