The world famous glow worm caves at Waitomo are expected to reopen in a couple of days after a fire gutted the tourist centre.
Fire and police investigators are looking into the cause of the fire which began early on Wednesday morning.
The building at the entrance to the caves, including the restaurant, souvenir shop and offices, was destroyed. The caves' operator, Tourism Holdings, says the interior of the glow worm cave was not damaged.
Administrators say many staff are distraught.
"It's a very sad occasion, people have a lot of ownership of the area and this is their place of work and...has a lot of significance for a lot of people in the community," says Grant Webster from Tourism Holdings.
Management say the 50 people who worked at the caves will all keep their jobs.
Twenty firefighters battled the blaze but the fire stopped short of reaching the caves and the glow worms just metres away.
Fire staff say they got to the flames just in time - any longer and the blaze would have engulfed the bush and reached the caves.
Late on Wednesday an empty bullet shell was found in the ashes and witnesses have reported seeing a car parked outside the entrance late on Tuesday night.
"We're just making initial inquiries and ims[pecting the scene to see if there is anything glaringly obvious," says acting detective sergeant Steve Honiss.
The fire has upset the entire community.
The clean up will begin on Thursday.
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