This tour gives you the opportunity to see how lucky we are in Auckland to be able to enjoy sophisticated city life while also enjoying the true “Kiwi” desire to be out in open spaces. Our experienced driver guide will call for you at your hotel, not too early, but early enough to fit in the many sights you will see today.

The journey begins with sights of the inner city and eastern suburbs. We will travel past Auckland University and Albert Park on the way to the Auckland War Memorial and Natural History Museum set in the Auckland Domain.

Then down through the quaint old district of Parnell with its many boutique shops and cafes and past the Auckland Cathedral of St Mary’s, home of the Anglican Church in New Zealand.

We will drive along the harbour waterfront and pass through the inner city beaches of Mission Bay, Kohimarama, and St Heliers and view some of the varied architecture of this city. We will then wend our way inland through Remuera and Epsom to Cornwall Park where we drive to the summit of Mangakeikei, one of Auckland’s many extinct volcanoes, for a panoramic view of Auckland and its suburbs.

We stop here for a break and have morning tea or coffee at the picturesque kiosk (optional) overlooking the park before heading out west into the Waitakere Ranges through the arty village of Titirangi and along Scenic Drive through native bush to Arataki Information Centre and views over the south and western part of the city.

We will meander down to the stunning rugged black sand beach of Piha, a surfing and nature wonderland on the west coast. We can stroll along the beach to get the feel of what this country is all about – wide open spaces, fresh air, and unspoilt landscapes. After all this exercise, well we will pretend it was plenty, we will stop for lunch on the Scenic Drive overlooking the natural rainforest and the city in the far distance.

A visit to a stand of untouched forest at Cascade Falls to view the great kauri trees standing tall in natural surroundings, survivors of the massive clearing of these Kings of the forest by the early settlers in New Zealand.
We travel on to the western vineyard district. The earliest plantings of grapes in New Zealand can be found here and we can take the opportunity to taste the fine wines now produced in this area.

Crossing over the top of the Waitemata harbour we drive through the orchards of Riverhead and over to Albany, the northern development of greater Auckland. Following the east coast beaches to the Auckland Harbour Bridge, back to the city and a drop off at your hotel.