Main Waitomo cave due to reopen tomorrow

The main Waitomo caves should reopen to visitors tomorrow after fire yesterday destroyed the visitor centre.

Investigations continued today into the cause of the blaze but fire safety officer Gerry Harris said the fact that the visitor centre was totally destroyed was making the job harder.

Dennis Pickup, managing director of Tourism Holdings Ltd which runs the operation, believed the fire was arson.

"If they don't get to the cause, then what will happen first is that they will come back. That's a huge risk to the community," he said.

He said tourists to the caves had not missed out as they were being taken through the newly opened Ruakuri cave.

- nzpa