Full-Day Grand Auckland Volcanoes Tour: Explore Auckland's Rich Volcanic and Maori History

48 Ratings

Auckland

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Discover Auckland’s volcanic and Maori history on a full-day tour. Explore the summits and craters of 4 volcanoes, visit a volcanic explosion crater, and explore an old military fort in Devonport.

Duration: 10 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Achilles Point - Views of the volcanic islands of the Hauraki Gulf, including Rangitoto and Motukorea. Learn about the arrival of the early Maori settlers to New Zealand. Views of the city.
Mt. Wellington - Walk to the crater near the peak of Mt Wellington, a 10,000 year old volcano. Learn about the Maori settlements on the volcanoes, and an…

Achilles Point - Views of the volcanic islands of the Hauraki Gulf, including Rangitoto and Motukorea. Learn about the arrival of the early Maori settlers to New Zealand. Views of the city.
Mt. Wellington - Walk to the crater near the peak of Mt Wellington, a 10,000 year old volcano. Learn about the Maori settlements on the volcanoes, and an introduction to the Auckland Volcanic Field. Option to enter the steep-sided crater.
Mangere Mountain - Walk around the craters of Mangere Mountain. Learn more about the large Maori settlement on the volcano. See views of the Manukau Harbour, and a few more volcanic features.
One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) - Enjoy views of One Tree Hill as you are given a summary of New Zealand history, focusing on the early interaction between the British and Maori. Then drive around Cornwall Park, seeing some more volcanic craters and some sheep.
Mount Eden - Walk around the crater of Mt Eden. Enjoy the magnificent views of the city and the surrounding volcanoes from the summit.
Auckland Central - Stop for lunch in Auckland City, at a location of your choosing.
Lake Pupuke - Learn about this huge volcanic explosion crater, now a beautiful fresh-water lake.
Takapuna Beach - Explore the old lava flows near Takapuna Beach. See an amazing variety of volcanic features, including tree moulds, lava tubes, and more along this beautiful stretch of coastline. Optional walk along Takapuna Beach, or await pickup from the cafe.
North Head Historic Reserve - Explore the tunnels and see the guns at North Head - a British military fortress built into a volcano. This is an easy walk around the periphery of the volcano. Enjoy sights of the harbour and the city.
Devonport - See the main town of Devonport, which is famous for its historic houses. Optional walk up to the top of Mt Victoria volcano, with amazing views of the city.
Auckland Harbour Bridge - Be driven back over the Auckland Harbour Bridge to your hotel, or there is the option of staying in Devonport and taking the ferry back to the city.

What's Included

Port pickup and drop-off

What's Not Included

Food and drinks

Additional Information

Auckland is known as the City of Sails, but some think it should be called the City of Volcanoes! Gain insight into Auckland’s unique volcanic geology and explore it’s rich Maori history on this full-day tour from Auckland. In the morning, explore the summits and craters of 4 of Auckland’s youngest volcanoes. In the afternoon, see the largest volcanic…

Location

148 Quay Street

Quay Street

If a hotel pickup is not selected, please wait at the steps at 148 Quay St in front of Daikoku Restaurant and opposite the entrance to Queens Wharf, and your guide will meet with you there We will message you the day before the tour to tell you which vehicle to look out for and the exact pickup time

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

4.9

(48 Ratings)

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386cheryld

Mar 18, 2026

This excursion is a must! - Great excursion! Very knowledgeable and friendly team. Mike went above and beyond by dropping us off at our hotel and arranging the next leg of the excursion to be picked up at our hotel. This was great as our excursion started as soon as we got off the ship and had our luggage with us.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Hbuzinski

Feb 28, 2026

Great excursion! - Mark was great! He is very knowledgeable and friendly. We learned a lot about Auckland and all of the volcanoes! I wouldn't have guessed there were so many all around us before the tour! Beautiful views and photo ops! Do the full day tour if time allows! The morning and afternoon tours are very different!

Review provided by Viator

Passport45864092741

Feb 20, 2026

Great way to spend the day outside the city - We had an amazing day with Jerome. Learned about some history of New Zealand and the Māori culture. Saw so many great views of the city and surrounding natural sites. I would highly recommend.

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Linda_v

Feb 8, 2026

Beautiful Auckland - Very knowledgeable guide. Comfortable vehicle. Stunning scenery. Lots of walking and climbing so not for the old or infirm.

Review provided by Viator

Fearless36271437458

Jan 4, 2026

That's good. I love it. - The guide was friendly and professional and had a great experience. We turned five volcanoes and looked at the 19th-century military installations, and went under the fort to see the internal structure, which was nice. Some of the attractions aren't very well known. I don't really know without a guide.

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Viatour123

Dec 16, 2025

Understand the relationship between Auckland and the volcanos - Very nice review of the volcanos surrounding Auckland. Spectacular views. Out of the beaten path trails. Tip: join the full-day tour for a more complete experience; wear comfortable enclosed shoes.

Review provided by Viator

Itzik

Dec 12, 2025

A day of learning - Our driver and guide Jerome showed on time, drove us to several volcanic sites a lot of walking, the tour gave us an idea what the city looks like! Jerome gave us in details history of each site! Strongly recommend to first timers visit beautiful Auckland!!

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Kevin_l

Apr 25, 2025

Fantastic Volcano Tour - The volcano tour was great! Mike was very knowledgeable about the formation and development of the many volcanoes surrounding and within the City of Auckland. He was also very knowledgeable about the Māori culture and the importance and use of the volcanoes in their everyday lives. Also how the volcanoes were utilized during the wars and the interesting lava formed tree molds created during the eruptions. Mike was a great communicator, eager to share his knowledge. We did the full day tour and highly recommend it.

Review provided by Viator

Lisabv8956hz

Mar 15, 2025

the capstone of our trip to New Zealand - We just finished 3 weeks in Australia and (mostly) New Zealand, and we went on a whole lot of tours. This was absolutely my favorite! Mike, the guide, started Voltours after going on numerous outings with friends. He demonstrated a depth of knowledge about the many volcanoes we visited or viewed from afar, as well as many of the other sights along the way. We learned a great deal in the several hours with him. I know a couple of reviews questioned whether the whole day was necessary or if a half day would have sufficed. We greatly enjoyed the full day. In fact we visited some of the same sites we had on a tour to Devonport, but only with Mike did we explore the tunnels under one of them and learn about the “disappearing cannons” built there in the 19th century. The only thing to note is that when the description says “we’ll walk a lot” they’re not kidding. It involves nontrivial slopes. Probably not an issue for most people, but a potential limitation (in our case he drove up to a couple of summits we might otherwise have walked to).

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Derek_s