Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour from Auckland with Picnic Lunch
Description
This full day tour is for lovers of nature and hiking, your experienced local nature guide will take you to a range of rainforest, beach and clifftop hikes. The black sand beaches and rainforest of West Auckland are unique in New Zealand and this tour is a great way to experience the best it has to offer. (3 x 1hr short hikes) *HIGH LEVEL OF FITNESS REQUIRED. This tour is not suitable for people with any kind of mobility issues. The hikes involve stairs and gradient changes. please note areas visited will differ depending on weather & fitness levels of the clients on the day. *We are no longer unable to visit a waterfall due to track & road closures from cyclone damage.
Tour Options
Itinerary
After pick up from your Auckland city centre hotel we have a short (30min) drive to the Arataki Visitor Centre – gateway to the coastal rainforest. Enjoy breathtaking panoramic views over the rainforest back to the city and across to Auckland’s southern harbour. The visitors centre is also home to some traditional Maori carvings and your guide will talk about them and explain their significance for the area. Your eco-tour includes a guided hike in an area of original rainforest where ancient kauri trees tower over the unique trees and plants that have developed separately from the rest of the world for millions of years. Your experienced guide will explain about the local plants and animals as you walk through the forest. *This hike includes stairs
After lunch, hike the clifftop tracks with stunning views along the coast and out across the Tasman Sea.
During the day we go to an awe-inspiring west coast beach where you can walk along the soft black sand beach, watch the surf waves crashing in and feel the clear ocean breeze. This unique small group tour operator is a Qualmark Endorsed Visitor Activity and provides expert guided eco-tours in the greater Auckland region - a company delivering a quality product focusing on the natural and cultural heritage of the area. As well as keeping you entertained and informed, our guides will make sure you have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and make sure there are lots of photo opportunities. We have been running tours in this area for over 34 years so you will be being looked after by the local experts.
Enjoy a rainforest walk in the Waitakere Ranges
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Departure Point: Tour departs from selected Auckland hotels, if your hotel is not in the list above please advise of Hotel name upon booking. Pick up time must be reconfirmed with Bush and Beach if you have not already contacted us. Pick ups are before the tour start time. Return point: Returns to original departure point
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have a high level of physical fitness
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- High level of fitness required.
- Please note: tour includes a minimum of 3x 1 hour short hikes, including stairs and hills
- Not recommended for travelers who find stairs challenging
- Not recommended for travelers with any kind of mobility issues
- Not recommended for young children
Reviews(284)
The tour was great from start to finish. We were driven in a really nice coach bus, and provided with lunch and drinks which we ate in a lovely picnic. The hikes were easy to moderate. You will do one up and down hike on the hill overlooking the beach, you will also be able to walk some of the beach, and finally walk a flat path in a rainforest. Pretty doable for people with average fitness.The scenery was all around breathtaking, and our guide Mari was very knowledgeable about the plants and birds are on the area. It’s a great and easy excursion outside of the city
Great tour....highly recommended.
This is the best excursion to experience the beauty of the west coast! The guide was so knowledgeable and we had the best day.
Thank you for your comments, we are so pleased you enjoyed your trip to the west coast of Auckland.
We had a lovely day with Jason. He couldn’t have been more accommodating with my food restrictions (gluten free). He was knowledgeable about the local fauna and folk lores. Overall a great experience!
We appreciate you taking the time to post a review :), thank you also for commenting on your guide - Jason!
This includes some short hikes that are beautiful but the first is a bit steep in spots. The views make the effort totally worth it!
Thank you for your feedback, it is much appreciated!
This was a wonderful tour! Our guide, Murray, was interesting, knowledgable and accomodating. We saw beautiful scenery in the greater Auckland area and learned a lot. We would highly recommend this tour! It was a highlight during our stay.
Thank you for your lovely comments, we are so pleased you enjoyed the tour!
We had a great time with Chris venturing to Auckland's coast with a 45 minute walk to a lovely beach. His knowledge of birds and local flora was impressive and he gave us our first introduction to meat pies while listening to crashing waves. We headed to the rain forest next and it started to rain. Then really rain and Chris provided raincoats way better then ours. But then the hail came and we headed back to the van for a hail show like none other. It didn't last long as weather seems to do in NZ and it made for a good story. Chris was terrific and we highly recommend this tour! Thanks, Chris! Sue, Susan, Carolyn and Christi
Thank you for taking the time to post a review. We appreciate your comments and are pleased you got to experience the various aspects of Auckland weather :) - hail isn't a common experience ....
Fantastic guide and great tour! Murray was so knowledgeable, easy to talk to and we only had another couple with us on the tour. Very personal!
Thanks so much for dropping a review following your Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour, we appreciate your comments :)!
Fantastic day tour from Ackland the day after we landed. Ian, our guide with Bush and Beach, was a local with vast knowledge of the area. Of the 3 walks only one could be considered a bit of a challenge. The walk consisted of numerous ups and downs with some steep sections but the entire walk was on graded paths and stairs. Ian, paced the walk based on the participants ability. The other two walks consisted of a sand beach and a boardwalk thru a forest reserve. We had a great day that kicked off our 3 week New Zealand vacation.
Thank you for your review, great to hear you enjoyed the hikes and scenery of the west coast of Auckland.
Great day out even in the rain to experience nature in all its glory! Our driver & guide Annie was absolutely wonderful and very knowledgeable! The lunch was awesome; I recommend picking the steak, cheese and jalapeño pie! Even though the weather was not ideal, it was a great day overall! I highly recommend this tour and Bush and Beach!
Great to hear you enjoyed your Coast and Rainforest experience despite the weather, we very much appreciate you taking the time to provide some feedback - thank you!
