Half-day Auckland City Sightseeing Discover Tour: Comprehensive Exploration of Iconic Sights
4.9
639 Ratings
Auckland
Duration:
4 hours, 10 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Ferry Building - Our main pick up point is alongside the Ferry Building on Queens Wharf.\nThere’s a pick-up & drop off area, that’s the spot.\n\nAlternatively, I can pick you up from your inner city Hotel. You will need to let me know.\n\nThis is a very comprehensive tour and we pack a lot into the 3.5 to 4 hours. You will get a real feel for Auckland. It’s geography, history, sights, and our way of life.\n\nThis tour is Owner Operated, and the commentary is detailed, full of insights from a local perspective and delivered with humor. \n- Viaduct Harbour - We drive along the downtown waterfront area, past the Viaduct Harbour, which is one of Auckland top “going out” spots. Great selection of restaurants and bars. Lots of boats, and home to the America’s Cup yachts, and Whale & Dolphin watching boats \n \n- Wynyard Quarter - The Wynyard Quarter has been transformed into an attractive waterfront restaurant area and is home to the Auckland Fish market. great place to revisit later for some Fish and Chips. \n- Westhaven Marina - Westhaven Marina is the largest Marina in the Southern Hemisphere. We stop here for great photos of the Harbour, Harbour Bridge, and the Marina. Sometimes we see Bungy Jumpers leaping off the Harbour Bridge. Sorry., but Bungy Jumping is not included in the tour, but I can help you organise it…. There’s also nice clean bathrooms here. \n- Auckland Harbour Bridge - We travel over the Bridge to the North Shore, heading to Northcote Point.\n- Little Shoal Bay Reserve - We visit Shoal Bay in Northcote Point for arguably the best views of Auckland City from across the Harbour. Great place for photos. \n- Northcote - Optional coffee stop. We don’t stop on this tour for a formal Morning or Afternoon “Tea/Coffee” break as I prefer to show you as much of Auckland as possible. There’s a couple of nice choices for takeaway drinks and snacks. Just bring them back to the bus. I have drink holders installed for this very reason. \n- Ponsonby - Ponsonby is a Victorian/ Edwardian suburb full of lovely older buildings. Fantastic shopping, with that point of difference, and mostly privately owned shops. An extremely varied selection of stores, from fashion boutiques, gift shops, homewares, antiques, cafe’s and restaurants. Well worth a re-visit after the tour.\n- Karangahape Road (K Road) - Known as a “colourful’ area in the past, it’s making a come-back. The nightclubs, bars, and tattoo parlors are still here, but there’s also an interesting selection of shops, and cafe’s. Definitely worth a re-visit. \n- Mount Eden - Fantastic elevated views of Auckland City from the summit of Mt Eden. It’s a 10 minute walk from the parking lot to the Summit, but well worth the walk. If you are physically impaired, I have permission from the Auckland Council to take you to the very top. \nThere’s bathrooms here.\n- Auckland Museum - We drive through the Auckland Domain ( Park) and past the Auckland Museum. You would at least 3-4 hours to visit the Museum, so we don’t stop, but the Museum is well worth a visit. Excellent exhibit on Maori and Polynesian culture, and the daily Maori cultural performance is most enjoyable. \n- Parnell Rose Gardens - We drive through the Victorian suburb of Parnell, and past the Parnell Rose Gardens. If the flowers are in bloom we can stop for some photos. \n- Mission Bay Beach - We are now back on the waterfront, where we enjoy a picturesque drive past Ohaku Bay, Mission Bay, Kohimarama Beach, and on to Saint Heliers.\n- St Heliers - After Achilles Point we drive through the seaside village of Saint Heliers, and then back along the waterfront, to downtown Auckland. \n- Achilles Point - Achilles Point in the suburb of Saint Heliers affords wonderful views out over the many islands in the Hauraki Gulf. There’s also a nice view of Auckland City in the distance. Great photo stop. \n- The University of Auckland - We drive along the tree-lined Symonds St, past the University of Auckland, where we head into the downtown area. . \n- Auckland Central - In the downtown city area, I’ll point out the Auckland Art Gallery, and show you some of the smaller side streets, like High St, and O’Connell street where there are interesting shops. \n- Queen Street - Queen St is the main shopping street in Auckland. I point out many lovely heritage buildings, like the Auckland Town Hall & Civic Theater. \n\n- Ferry Building - We conclude our tour back at the Ferry Building. \nAlternatively, if you are staying in the downtown area, I’m happy to drop you back at your hotel. \nThis tour is delivered with a comprehensive commentary, not just about the places we visit, but also about the geography, history , and an insight into our way of life. There’s’ a few funny bits as well.
What's Included
- Professional guide with live commentary
- Hotel pick-up & drop-off (Inner city hotels only)
- In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Fun, educational and an excellent way to spend a day…
Tour Auckland in intimate group settings for a closer, more personal journey.
Providing outstanding worth, our tour encapsulates all the top attractions, with multiple photo stops.
• Explore our vibrant harbour, gorgeous beaches, historic architectures, verdant parks, quaint Victorian neighbourhoods, and lively shopping zones.
• Relish breathtaking scenery from the apex of our volcanoes.
• Cross the Harbour Bridge to soak in the panoramic city views.
• Understand Auckland, its geographical features, historical narratives and our lifestyle.
• Comfort-filled air-conditioned Mini-Bus transports you to a wider range of attractions.
• Option to choose between Morning or Afternoon Tour. Duration between 3.5 - 4 hours.
• Pick-up services available from Central City Hotels, or at our easily accessible downtown starting point.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- A maximum of 11 people per booking
- Infant seat is available on request if advised at time of booking
- There is some access to the bus, if you have a Walker or a Wheelchair, but these items must be folded. There is a small step. There are handles each side of the door to help.
- Strollers must be foldable.
- In consideration of other guests, if you are un-well, please do not participate on the tour. I will refund.
Location
Auckland
There's a pick-up & drop-off area on Queens Wharf, to the right of the Ferry Building. That’s the spot.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(639 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Wrescombe2
May 19, 2024
Recommended - Michael was a great raconteur for the whole trip. He took us around the outskirts of the city to show us ‘different’ views of the city that helped explain its history, culture, geography and future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sandra_s
May 19, 2024
New places in Auckland - We loved this tour, visited Auckland quite a few times but Mike took us to places we’d never been, lovely little places around the bay. Recommend this tour
Review provided by Viator
Arlene_m
May 16, 2024
An amazing Auckland afternoon experience! - Our driver was amazing. So many interesting facts and stories about Auckland, its history, to share. We learned so much. He had a great sense of humour and made our outing a fun experience. So glad we chose to go with him.
Review provided by Viator
Thao_z
May 14, 2024
Thank you. - So knowledgeable friendly guide who enthusiastiically do his job, through this tour we have learned local culture and geographically formed places.
Review provided by Viator
Chandro_c
May 12, 2024
Worth it - Every thing went just fine. The tour guide/driver is friendly and gave a good explanation about the city.
Review provided by Viator
Wrecker419
May 10, 2024
Great tour for a short or long visit - This was a terrific tour! Just the right amount of time to cover Auckland and have a sense of the city. Michael was a friendly funny guide who knew a lot about the city and offered great commentary.I thought that it would be a good tour if you're only in Auckland for a short while or if you were staying in Auckland longer - great photo locations for a short or long visit plus enough ground covered to let you know what you might want to see with more time after the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aadita_s
May 6, 2024
Recommended - A fun tour with loads of information about Auckland. We learnt a lot of facts which we otherwise wouldn't have known while self driving. Highly recommended to anyone who is visiting Auckland for the first time. :)
Review provided by Viator
Denise_t
May 4, 2024
Rainy day, but Michael saved the day - Michael brought us around Auckland City for the Sightseeing Tour. It was unfortunately a cloudy and rainy day (couldn't be helped, the weather was unpredictable). Nevertheless, we saw and learnt more of Auckland in half a day than we could have on our own.
Review provided by Viator
Leslie
May 4, 2024
Great tour of Auckland! - Great tour, with fun, witty commentary! Michael certainly knows and loves Auckland and is very friendly and helpful too! Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Victoria_t
Apr 30, 2024
To know Auckland - Michael was so enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Aukland. He joked, recognizied his guests by name, and took us through many areas we would not have seen without this tour.
Review provided by Viator