Auckland's Wild West Coast & Black Sand Beaches Tour inc Lunch
Description
Auckland’s Wild West Coast Tour, this small group, fully-guided afternoon tour combines the best the west coast of Auckland has to offer. Highlights: - Black Sand Beaches & Rugged Coastline - Muriwai Gannet Colony - Hallertau Brewery Lunch - Devonport & North Head - Optional Craft Beer Tasting (additional cost) Led by our famously passionate tour guides, notorious for bringing your journey to life by sharing their stories and rich background knowledge, and run in modern, comfortable minibuses packed with extras ensuring your comfort and safety. While the destinations you will be visiting are truly spectacular, we at Cheeky Kiwi Travel believe it’s our small groups, guides, the journey and the little details that set our tours well apart. Secret stops, wildlife viewings, specially designed vehicles, complementary refreshments and many other pleasant surprises ensure our tours are an experience to remember.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departing from the famous landmark of the Auckland Sky Tower, our west coast adventure begins with a guided tour out of the city centre over the famous Harbour Bridge to Auckland’s North Shore. We then head west towards the affluent areas of Coatesville, Kumeu & Riverhead. While on this journey our guides will point out all the main attractions and tell stories about the area along the way.
Arriving at the craft beer brewery Hallertau, you will be treated to a delicious lunch of your choice from a special set menu. Following lunch we have the opportunity to taste some of Hallertau’s winning craft beers before continuing our day.
A short drive from the brewery we arrive at the wild west coast black sand beach of Muriwai. Exploring this area, you will be amazed by the rugged coastline, unique black sand and the feel of raw natural power that surrounds the area.
Walking up the hill from the beach not only will you be treated to amazing views but also have the chance to see the largest mainland gannet colony in the North Island. Getting this close to these impressive ocean mastering birds is a special experience. (Bird numbers vary at different times of the year).
Crossing the harbour again, we head to the charming seaside suburb of Devonport. Here, we take a scenic drive to the top of North Head, a historic volcanic cone with sweeping views of the Hauraki Gulf and city skyline. Learn about its fascinating military tunnels and coastal defence history as you explore this unique vantage point. Its tunnels, bunkers, and gun placements tell the story of coastal defence from the late 1800s through both World Wars. The short walk to the summit (approx. 10 mins) is rewarded with some of the best harbour views in Auckland.
After a great afternoon exploring Auckland’s West Coast and North Shore, it’s time to return to the city. You can choose to take the scenic ferry ride back across the harbour from Devonport to the city, or enjoy a fully guided drive with drop-offs at central locations and hotels.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(38)
Fantastic tour with an amazing guide! I highly recommend this Auckland Wild West Coast tour! Even though it was a very small group, our guide, Trent, was incredibly kind, attentive, and welcoming throughout the entire trip. He was also a very safe and smooth driver, which made the journey super comfortable. The scenery was breathtaking, and Trent made the whole experience even better.
It’s a great experience and the stops around the black beach are incredible. Grant our guide was fantastic!!!
Thank you Tami! The West Coast black sand beaches really are something else, and we're so glad Grant made the experience even better. We'd love to take you out on another tour with us!
Fantastic tour! Grant ( our guide) was wonderful. Very knowledgeable , funny & charming! The beaches are beautiful, food was delicious & the scenery was breathtaking. Great tour to take to see Auckland outside of the city. We chose to take the ferry back to Auckland for the experience. Highly recommend!
What a wonderful review — thank you! Grant is one of those guides who just makes every tour come alive, and we're so glad the black sand beaches and scenery left such a lasting impression. We'd love to see you out there again!
Grant was an awesome tour guide! Everything was wonderful! Definitely take this tour!
Grant is simply the best — thank you for this great review! The West Coast is such a stunning part of Auckland and we're glad you'd recommend it. We'd love to have you out again for another great day!
Tim was our tour guide and he was a great! He's very down to earth and he made the tour enjoyable. The views were stunning and the black sand beach was beautiful. The lunch was very good too. Worth the trip.
Thank you for the wonderful review! Tim is brilliant and we are so glad he made the day so enjoyable. The West Coast truly is stunning and we love that the black sand beach and lunch were highlights for you too. We would love to have you back with Cheeky Kiwi Travel!
What a great tour! The wild west side of Auckland was amazing to see. The cliffs, gannet birds, and powerful waves were a sight to see. Lunch was very nice and gave us a chance to meet the others on the tour with us. Simon, our guide, however really made the day memorable. He was informative and patient enough to answer all our questions about the tour and Auckland. Highly recommend this tour.
It was an amazing Trip with a lots of beautiful Views and Conversations. biggest Thank you to our Driver Simon for this Amazing Trip!🥳
The tour guide was good, but the bus ride was not. I would have given more stars, but the bus ride was so hot it was miserable. The lunch was fantastic. Would have preferred to have skipped the golf course and spent more time viewing the Gannets.
Kia ora! Thanks for your feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed the gannet colony and the lunch, but I’m sorry to hear the bus temperature made the journey uncomfortable. That’s definitely not the experience we want for our guests, and we’ll take that on board. Appreciate the note as well about spending more time with the gannets—that’s helpful insight as we continue refining the day. We’d love to welcome you back for another adventure in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
My wife and I went on this tour as the second day of our honeymoon in New Zealand and couldn’t have been happier with the experience! The tour was kicked off with a delicious lunch at Hallertau Brewery. It was a beautiful day and we were thrilled to see that some of the gannets were still at the Muriwai Colony. Matt was a fantastic tour guide, offering many interesting insights, and with a comedic touch at times! We can’t recommend this tour enough.
Kia ora! What a great way to spend part of your honeymoon! It’s awesome to hear the day delivered, from the lunch at Hallertau to spotting the gannets at Muriwai. Matt will be pleased to know his insights (and a bit of humour) helped make it such a memorable experience. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
Great day trip out of Aukland. Small group <15 in a van, good lunch at Hallertau brewpub. Excellent guide and driver Grant made the trip fantastic with info about the area. Beautiful black sand Muriwai beach, nesting Gannetts, stops at Devonport and North Head.
Kia ora! Sounds like a great day out exploring Auckland’s wild west! It’s awesome to hear Grant helped bring the journey to life with his knowledge, and that the mix of Muriwai’s black sand, the gannets, and stops like Devonport and North Head made for a well-rounded experience. We’d love to welcome you back for more adventures in the future. Until then, safe travels and thanks again for choosing Cheeky Kiwi! Ngā mihi, Cheeky Kiwi Travel 🚌🥝
