Auckland – City Sightseeing Tour half day

A half day Auckland Highlights Tour

An Auckland sightseeing tour exploring the attractions that New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, has to offer. Experience for yourself why the city consistently earns top five rankings in international lifestyle surveys.

Auckland is a melting pot of 190 different ethnicities and is the world’s biggest Polynesian city. Over half of the population is European and there are high percentages of indigenous Maori, as well as Pacific Island and Asian people. This diversity is reflected in a lively arts and culture scene, a wide range of food and craft markets, vineyards, a hip cafe culture, superb coffee and outstanding restaurants.

The city extends over a narrow isthmus between the Waitemata Harbour on the Pacific Ocean, and the Manukau Harbour on the Tasman Sea. Auckland has spectacular natural features, including 49 dormant volcanoes, all located within 20km of the city centre. It boasts some of the best beaches in the world.

The dozens of islands of the Hauraki Gulf form a distinctive aspect of the Auckland landscape and provide a magnet for boaties, fishing enthusiasts and hikers. Auckland is also located within easy access to the beaches and rainforests of Northland and the Hokianga.

On this guided tour of Auckland, you will get a real sense of day-to-day life for Aucklanders as you travel from Queen Street and the business district, past Auckland University, and into the Auckland Domain. The city’s oldest park, the Domain sits on the rim of the Pukekawa volcanic crater and features gardens, duck ponds, and the Wintergarden, an elegant courtyard with two Victorian-style glass houses featuring a stunning array of plants. The tour then move onto Tamaki Dive, Bastion Point and through to Mission Bay from where you will magnificent views of both the harbour and city in the distance. A trip through the charming inner-city suburb of Ponsonby and over the Harbour Bridge will land you on the white sand beaches of Auckland’s North Shore. Here you’ll have enough time to grab refreshments and relax on the beach before making the climb up Mt. Victoria to take in the glorious views of all of Auckland City from the summit. Then it’s back over the bridge to sprawling Westhaven Marina and upscale Viaduct Harbour, to see all the yachts bobbing in the harbour.

Highlights

*    University

*    Harbour Bridge

*    Wynyard Quarter

*    Domain Parks & Gardens

*    Auckland War Memorial Museum

*    Paratai Drive

*    Tamaki Waterfront

Duration 4 hours

Our Auckland city tour shows you the highlights of the city of Auckland and takes you on a journey to explore the history and sights as well as to see how Aucklanders live and play. Our small group tour gives you insights into the Māori history of the area and the legends and stories behind some of the place names.

Your guide will talk about Auckland’s history and take you to some of the most photogenic parts of the city.

After we pick you up from your city accommodation we travel up the main shopping area of Queen St, past Auckland University and through Auckland’s historic areas and into the city park known as The Domain where there are some great photo opportunities.

We continue on through the picturesque suburb of Ponsonby, known for its historic buildings, before heading over the Harbour Bridge to the North Shore. Here you can stroll on a beautiful beach with views out across the Waitemata harbour to Rangitoto Island. There is also a small local cafe here if you want to try some local baking and coffee.

Next there is a short drive through historic Devonport to get to the panoramic views over Auckland that you can only get from the extinct Devonport volcanoes – often considered the best views of Auckland city and harbour.

Then travel back over the Harbour Bridge to stop at Westhaven Marina, one of the largest marinas in the Southern Hemisphere, with views through the yacht masts to the city skyline and views back to the harbour bridge.