Sanctuary Mountain (Mt Maungatautari) & Hamilton Gardens Day trip from Auckland
Description
In this exclusive luxury tour you will visit Internationally renowned Hamilton Gardens as well as one of the largest pest proof wildlife sanctuaries in the world
Tour Options
Itinerary
Departing Auckland at 7am you will take a pleasant drive south over the Bombay hills into the rich dairy farmland of the Waikato, then turning east. A short stop at an elevated view over the Hauraki plains, with the Kaimai Coromandel range in the distance, makes for a great photo stop.
It’s all flat driving across the plains through farmland as we follow the Kaimai Range to a disused dairy factory for a tea/coffee break. You may like to try the cheese platter.
Our scenic drive to Sanctuary Mountain continues to impress as we catch up with the Waikato river, before stopping in the rural town of Arapuni and a short walk over a swing bridge to view the Arapuni hydro electric power station. The first on the Waikato dated 1929.
We cross over the dam and it’s a short drive to Mt Maungatautari (Sanctuary mountain). A mainland ecological island created by a 47km pest proof fence, Sanctuary Mountain is the largest of it’s type in the world. Join an informative 1½ hour guided tour about many of New Zealand’s rarest and most endangered plants, insects, birds, fish, geckos, frogs, bats and flora that co-exist in this spectacular environment, on one of the many well maintained tracks to the 16m viewing tower. A picnic lunch is included here.
On to lake Karapiro, where we cross over the dam of the second hydro-electric power station on the Waikato River, dated 1947 for a photo stop, with The majestic 797m Mt Maungatautari (Sanctuary mountain) looming in the background.
Then on to The Hamilton Gardens, awarded International Garden of The Year 2014. Not technically a botanical garden, but rather 21 themed gardens representing the art, beliefs, lifestyles, and traditions of different civilizations or historical garden styles.
Our drive back to Auckland takes you through the city of Hamilton, some small townships and past the Sacred Maori burial ground of Mt Taupiri.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Private homes, Serviced Apartments, Motels, anywhere within central Auckland and the inner suburbs, Auckland Airport.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(2)
What a wonderful day! Keith, our tour guide, was both friendly and extremely knowledgeable about NZ history, culture, and the regional flora and fauna. Sanctuary Mtn was a riveting place to tour as were the visually stunning Hamilton Gardens. We had an all-around fantastic time! Highly recommend!
Thankyou, it was my pleasure to please. Regards Keith.
I loved Sanctuary Mountain! My Sanctuary guide Jenny was fabulous- fascinating information about this amazing old growth forest area that has been preserved and is protected from modern invasive plants and animals… She helped me to get quiet and listen- the different songs of the birds there were so beautiful… at one point a Tui bird sat above our heads and sang to us! I also was very interested in learning about the plants and their herbal healing properties (there is even a separate tour for that!). Hamilton Gardens was so beautiful even in autumn, they also had a lovely cafe and gift shop… A few exhibits were closed but there was so much to see regardless… Enjoyed morning tea in Cambridge and all the beautiful scenery along the way from Sydney to Sanctuary Mountain- Keith was a great guide, very kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating (when I asked to stop to take pictures of particularly scenic views!) Wonderful trip!
Thankyou Mary. Always a pleasure to please. Cheers Keith.
