Auckland

Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour from Auckland with Lunch

Name: Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour from Auckland with Lunch
Brand: Bush and Beach
SKU: 3582COAST
Price: 173.46 USD
Rating: 5.0 (167 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceAuckland, New Zealand

Coast and Rainforest Walk Eco Tour from Auckland

7 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See the untamed beauty of New Zealand’s west coast on this North Island day trip from Auckland. Travel with a guide to the Waitakere Ranges, with a stop at the Arataki Visitor Centre overlook for views of the Tasman Sea out to the Pacific Ocean. Admire Maori carvings before a guided rainforest walk, then visit giant kauri trees and one of the area’s magnificent black sand beaches. Picnic lunch and light refreshments are included. *please note areas visited will differ depending on weather & fitness levels of the clients on the day. MODERATE LEVEL OF FITNESS REQUIRED. This tour is not suitable for people with mobility issues. The walks involve stairs and gradient changes.

Travel to New Zealand's rugged west coast on this scenic and relaxing full-day tour from Auckland
Panoramic views from the Tasman Sea to the Pacific Ocean
Enjoy a picnic lunch
Visit the Arataki Center, gateway to the Waitakere Ranges
See traditional Maori carvings
Hotel pickup and drop-off from Auckland

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop off
Local guide
Light refreshments
Picnic lunch
GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

SkyCity Auckland
Corner Victoria and, Federal Street, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
If you have not confirmed an inner city hotel pick up with us then our central meeting point is SkyCity Hotel entrance. If you are meeting here this will need to be confirmed with us. Please call to confirm at least 24 hours prior - 0800 423 224

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

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

What To Expect

Start your day trip to the windswept western coastline north of Auckland with pickup from your city hotel. After a short drive, you’ll arrive at the Arataki Visitor Centre, considered the gateway to the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, which contains more than 39,500 acres (16,000 hectares) of rugged coast and rainforest.

From the panoramic decks, enjoy sweeping views of the Tasman Sea extending all the way to the Pacific. View traditional Maori carvings on display while your guide focuses on the natural and cultural heritage of the area.

Continue further west to the coastal rainforest and learn about native flora and fauna unique to New Zealand — 70 percent of which can be found nowhere else in the world. Walk alongside giant tree ferns growing near the stream, then dig your toes in the black sands of one of the region’s notorious beaches, bordered by rocky outcrops.

Enjoy a picnic lunch, served at a scenic location, before continuing your journey to an old-growth forest of giant kauri trees, some of them 1,000 years old. Listen for native birds as you walk among thee majestic giants, then re-board your vehicle for the return to Auckland.

*please note areas visited will differ depending on weather & fitness levels of the clients on the day. MODERATE LEVEL OF FITNESS REQUIRED. This tour is not suitable for people with mobility issues. The walks involve stairs and gradient changes.

Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Mercer Bay Loop

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Piha Beach

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Waitakere Ranges

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a strong physical fitness level
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

Good level of fitness required.
Please note: tour includes a minimum of 3x 1 hour short hikes, including stairs
Not recommended for travelers who find stairs challenging
Not recommended for travelers with any kind of mobility issues
Not recommended for young children
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jonathan_W

Super friendly and knowledgeable guide Murray, taught me so much. Hikes were nothing too vigorous but with some incline and 'stairs'. Views were fantastic and well worth it. The weather got in the way for a little bit but pushed through just in time for us to have a perfect time at Piha beach. Sand and rock formations are beautiful, beware if going barefoot, the Portuguese man of war [jellyfish] were washed up and beautiful but not comfortable if you step on them. Ridge hike gave us even more beautiful views out over the cliffs. Stunning indeed, super glad I went, and would totally recommend.

Reviews

5.0

167 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 167 reviews

Fabulous views

Angie_B, Apr 2024

Erin was fabulous! Cliff views, volcanic rock formations and beach views were so beautiful. Great Cafe for our take away picnic lunch too.

Beautiful way to see west coast of Auckland and parts of rainforest, quick “get out” from City

Stephen_P, Apr 2024

The Bush and Beach staff (Mayrie sp?) were great, they made even a rainy day fun and interesting. Their knowledge of the area, and the animals/birds living in the Kurakure and Waitare ranges, was so helpful. Great day trip.

Bush & Beach Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour from Auckland with lunch

Albin_L, Mar 2024

Dan & Meredith were excellent guides in pointing out the indigenous plants, including the New Zealand kauri trees, birds, as well as geological features during the visits to Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, Piha Beach, and Arataki overlook. This is an day mini-tour to experience and learn more about some of the beauty of native New Zealand!

Great trip! Well worth it.

Jonathan_W, Mar 2024

Beautiful day touring with Bush and Beach

Regina_C, Mar 2024

An excellent tour. Our guide (Kevin) and driver (Erin ) were both fantastic and made our day so enjoyable! Such convenient pick up, great communication prior to our tour. The scenery on this tour is amazing and included just the right amount of walking.

Great Day Exploring Outside Auckland

Cheryl_W, Mar 2024

We really enjoyed this tour. Excellent guides with the right amount of information to share and the pace was perfect. The walk in the rainforest was amazing; so many bird species and spotting the freshwater eels was the highlight.

Just learning things...

Rebecca_M, Mar 2024

Just learning things about New Zealand from two very knowledgeable and funny men. Lunch was good and we got to see a lot despite the rain.

One of Aukland's best!

Neil_W, Mar 2024

Kevin and. Tony are two of the best tour guides we have experienced. Their personal care for the group and knowledge of the information is outstanding.

Exceptional tour

Reina_S, Feb 2024

This entire tour was top notch. Our guide Murray was exceptional. Very knowledgeable and passionate about the sites we visited. He was well organized. The weather was not good on the day of our tour but he made the most of it and we came away very satisfied

One of the best tours

Donja_H, Feb 2024

This was one of the best tours I have been to! The German tour guide was super friendly and helpful. Even there was a misunderstanding about the pick up point (my own fault) he reacted super friendly and came to pick me up. He was in general very patient and nice. The places you will get to see in this tour are just stunning.

Hike not for the weak.

Steven_B, Feb 2024

Mostly hiking and views of flora and trees with minimal wildlife observation. One hike is very difficult to view a grove of trees.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hi there, As per the tour information, this tour is designed for those with a good level of fitness looking for harder hikes. 3x 1hour hikes on a range of tracks. We do have a half day nature tour option for those who want easier walking options.

altogether wonderful day trip

Richard_W, Feb 2024

Meredith was a great guide. She was very knowledgeable about the plants and birds of the New Zealand rainforest and Piha beach. She lead us on very beautiful hikes and beach explorations and made sure we were safe at the rough ocean beach. We stopped at a great bakery for a delicious lunch. She kept us all comfortable. This is an active hiking day so wear good boots. We saw some wonderful birds and learned a lot of New Zealand history.

Our guide Milton was very...

William_S, Feb 2024

Our guide Milton was very interested in meeting all of our goals for the trip. We hiked to a beautiful waterfall through the rainforest. On the hike, he would stop and show us interesting flora and search for bird life. After some time swimming, we went to the black sand beach of Piha to spend some time by the surf. He added a visit to a 500-year old kauri tree which was a big goal of ours. Thank you, Milton

Wonderful day trip from...

Ben_S, Jan 2024

Wonderful day trip from Auckland. One of the best highlights of our entire trip. Our guide Meredith was great!

Excellent hiking trails and oceans views

Pearl_M, Jan 2024

Excellent tour and day — right from Meredith’s prompt arrival for our pickup and her warm, welcoming greeting — the day just kept getting better and better. The hiking trails/views in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, augmented by Meredith’s wealth of knowledge on the region’s geological and cultural history, trees, birds, flora and fauna was exceptional. This was followed by trails and ocean views along the cliffs high above Piha Beach and a stop to walk the black sands of Piha Beach near Lion Rock. A provided mid-day lunch and late afternoon tea overlooking vistas of Auckland before driving back into the city ended off a perfect day. Would highly recommend this tour and Meredith as your guide !!

Ocean & Rainforest

Cheryl_D, Jan 2024

Wonderful Day!!! Spectacular views!!! Excellent guides - nice, very informative experience. A day very well spent!

STUNNING views and peaceful walks

Alejandra_H, Jan 2024

There are really no words to describe how amazing this tour is. The rainforest is breathtaking and Mercer Bay and Piha Beach are a definite bucket-list item you have to cross out. Do keep in mind that it can be a bit of a strenuous hike, but it is worth it! Our guides Mairy and Meredith were stellar when I got a bit of vertigo, really took care of everything and ensured my safety. Both of them were also extremely knowledgeable and the best tour guides ever. This is my second tour with Bush and Beach and I cannot recommend them enough!

Excellent excursion and the guides were very knowledgeable

Whitney_S, Jan 2024

The cliff walk was amazing and we learned so much about the topography and the forest. Steve and Tony were an excellent combination and you could tell they really love what they do.

A fantastic way to see the land with those who know it best

Craig_G, Jan 2024

Absolutely wonderful tour. Kevin and Tony were fantastic. Not only knowledgeable of so many things but funny down to Earth guys.

Not to be missed

John_K, Jan 2024

Nature and beach walk. Authentic commentary and local knowledge of our guide. Milton was genuine in wanting us to understand the human and natural history of the area. Came away with a better understanding of how this area become to be.

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