Excursions in Auckland

“Our company joined a Terra & Tide tour on Waiheke Island and absolutely loved it! Justine and Dell were fantastic guides who made the journey fun and insightful, helping us connect with the local community. The sailing with Bruce and his wife was a highlight their hospitality, delicious salmon, coffee, tea, and treats made us feel so welcome. It didn’t feel like just a tour, but more like being looked after by family. Highly recommend Terra & Tide for an authentic and unforgettable Waiheke experience!”

“Eddie gave us an excellent, informative, and fun tour of Auckland on very comfortable and easy to ride bikes. It was a glorious day and the sights were stunning. Cycling is such a great way to see a place - you get a sense of scale that other tours don't give you. I couldn't recommend this company or the Inner Loop tour highly enough - don't miss it if you're in Auckland.”

“I had the absolute pleasure of having the incredible Andy as my guide on the West Coast Discovery Tour, and WOW, what an experience! His knowledge of New Zealand’s flora and fauna was outstanding, and the way he shared details and fun facts made every stop along the way fun and educational. Andy’s passion for his country shone through in every story he told, it was truly inspiring. I came away not only amazed by the breathtaking natural beauty just outside of Auckland but also having learned so much about this region. I can’t recommend Andy and this tour highly enough to anyone wanting to experience the wild and beautiful west coast.”

“We were met by our tour guide, Anna, in the lobby of the hotel. We are a family of 4 and had a short time in the city of Auckland and wanted to make sure we saw the highlights and learned about the history, culture, food, etc. We immediately hit it off with Anna. She is so personable and relatable! After we headed out — Anna had a great tempo for our tour, leaving time for questions and exploration. Our tour was booked as a 3-hour private sightseeing walk. She shared the historical sights of the harbor, the key stories and historical activities that have shaped Auckland to be what it is today, and what we all appreciated the most were the things she pointed out to see that we never would have noticed ourselves while out exploring. There was a planned stop at two of the favorite local spots to sample coffee and chocolates which gave a nice rest break and time for reflection and discussion at what we had already seen and what we were about to see. The tour was a mix of the harbor, the town, history, culture— it was not strenuous yet still a good pace and very enjoyable. Highly recommend!!”

“I had an amazing experience during my first week of my 21 day travel through NZ. Our guide (Claudia) was fantastic. The group was fantastic. We learned many things about NZ I would have never seen if traveling on my own. Highly recommend it!”

“Jake has been great this week - super helpful during the refresher dive as part of my ReActivate course and great fun as our skipper for a day of boat dives, along with instructor Jack who was also really fun and friendly. Highly recommend the dive shop and especially the boat day, as it was great to see more of Waiheke. Adam and the whole team were lovely when I was emailing from the UK arranging my dives and have been helpful and patient with me given it’s been a while since I’ve dived.”

“The building of our holiday was very enjoyable and was enhanced by Danielle's knowledge and experience. Our holiday was fantastic with free time as well as pre-booked activities, all of which worked like clockwork. Unfortunately we had a medical emergency during our time in Australia and I would particularly like to thank Jaydene for her help and support to Heather while I was in hospital. It was a great help to her during a particularly stressful time. I have used other travel companies in the past but the experience with First Light Travel was better than any of the others. I have no hesitation recommending them to others.”

“Unfortunately we picked a windy day! Our guide Dan was fabulous and very informative. He took us on an alternative route to Browns Island where he provided hot drinks before the hike and Brownies at the Trigg point. I would highly recommend this tour, my first experience of kayaking out at sea. Dan made us feel at ease and was very supportive, thank you.”

“What a gift to have Mary as our personal tour guide!!!!! I’m interested in the history of the people and she shared so much. She rates a 10 out of 10**********”

“Excellent service from Sebastien and his team. Real experts providing a personalised experience.”

“Pia organised an amazing adventure that took me to Bueno Aires, Antarctica and Iguazu Falls. The scenery was amazing, and I met fellow travellers who had similar interests to me. My highlights include tango dancing, scenery and wildlife on the Antarctic Peninsula, sailing into the Antarctic Circle and the boat ride through Iguazu Falls. I made friends with some of my fellow travellers, and we will keep in touch and swap stories when we go adventuring to other places.”

“Took advance of the September special. Easy to arrange and were super friendly, even suggesting we try the award winning pies across the road (as we arrived super early). Views were incredible and ride was smooth!”

“Cornwall Park looks absolutely stunning during cherry blossom season! The trees are full of delicate pink blooms, and it’s such a peaceful, scenic place to walk around or take photos. However, it can get very crowded on weekends with lots of people doing photoshoots. I’d suggest visiting on a weekday or early morning if you want a quieter experience and better photos. Definitely worth the visit!”

“Absolutely brilliant! Highly recommend the coastal track if you’re up for a challenging hike! We got the 9:30 ferry over to Rangitoto and the 2:30 ferry back, but it was rushed. Would have instead booked the 3:30 ferry back to give time to go for a swim in beautiful water too!”

“After finding TIME Unlimited Tours online, I reached out to Ceillhe for help planning part of our New Zealand vacation. We are a family of six with four teens/young adults. Ceillhe not only saved us from my husband attempting to drive on the left, she also guided me in shaping our Rotorua itinerary. Though our time was limited, she listened carefully to our goals and tailored everything to our interests. Her lodging and activity recommendations were spot-on—from upgrading our glowworm cave visit to black water rafting at the Waitomo Caves, to adding cultural depth at Te Puia, and the wild fun of the ZORB. Perhaps most memorable was the drive itself, where we connected with Ceillhe and learned about New Zealand and Māori culture.”

“Over looks Whites Beach. Tracks go from N Piha and Answhata Rd. Link to Fishermans Rock and University Track”

“Mata is a good organizer and a great maestro. She organized everything well, and we had a good, memorable day! Peter, Audrey (the Maori tour guide), Dallas and all the other staff were friendly and helped everything go smoothly. It's a great company and an amazing tour provider! Thank you, team! :)”

“Awesome place to be and really nice walking track with great views”

“It was a nice experience at the Glenbrook Vintage Railway. It was good that we arrived early, around 5:30 pm, because after that there were long queues for tickets, food stalls, and even Santa. Be really prepared for long queues, even the toilets had lines. There were lots of people lining up for food, especially the beef sausage wiener. We brought our own food but still ended up buying some because there were so many food options to choose from. The train and station were beautifully decorated with Christmas lights, both inside and outside the train, which really added to the festive atmosphere. There was also a short festive balloons display. Riding the vintage steam train and smelling the smoke and steam made the experience feel authentic and memorable.”

“I've already done one, but, knowing my computer skill, it may have gone astray. In my review, I wrote how chuffed we were with every aspect of thet trip, in particular, we especially enjoyed Chrises attention to detail, as well as his enthusiasm and care for everyone on the tour. I wrote, in detail, about our favouritevisits - mine was Rakiura and the albatrosses and Cathy's was Olveston House and the albatrosses. I can't remember exactly what I wrote, but the gist of my review was that - in no small part due to Chrises friendly and skillful direction - we had the best holiday we've ad in years.”

“I had such a good experience with Bea. She was awesome, caring and shared genuine keeness to help me find the best flights to meet my needs of being cost efficient and also to take me to cool possible new destinations, based on the cheaper flight paths. (Turkey) Thanks Bea. Thanks House of Travel Ponsonby”

“Over looking the Huia bay, this picturesque lookout offers a breathtaking sight of the backwaters in the Waitakere region. A short yet lovely escape place from the city. Ideal to visit in the evenings with friends and family , right before sunset. Visiting this place is totally free of cost with ample parking space available. For groups visiting with toddlers and children below age of 10, it’s better to be careful and monitor while walking towards the viewing deck thought the railings are quite high.”

“This playground is a fun and safe place for kids. It has swings, slides, and cool things to climb. There are trees, trails, and even places for butterflies. The park is clean and has shade to keep you cool. It is a great spot for families to play and relax...”

“Nice quite small beach, parking is a hastle but definently worth it”

“Had the most amazing once in a lifetime experience on this safari. We were booked on a weekend cruise but due to weather it was cancelled but it was super easy to rebook onto another day which went ahead and it was AMAZING!!! We were extremely lucky that day to see hundreds of dolphins in a feeding frenzy where many whales came to feed ( we saw about 10/11 whales that day!) they did say this wasn’t what they see all the time and we were very fortunate. The staff were just as excited as us and they were excellent along with the informative commentary, would 1000% go again and recommend to everyone as they also do it for conservation! This will be a trip I’ll never forget!”

“Mike and team are fantastic. Personable, interested, great advice and great gear. I salivate every time i check in as they have everything and more. Stuff I need and then stuff I want (there is a difference!). This is definitely not like a so called "surf" shop in a mall selling surf brand fashion clothing to teenagers, this is a specialised surf, foil, sail, SUP retailer. Highly recommended.”

“Beautiful reserve that we came by accidentally. Two lovely waterfalls with a steep walk to/from and around 100 steps. Great picnic areas and a toilet”

“Sarah and her staff are very welcoming, personable and super friendly and helpful. They get to know their customers needs which is rare in some Cafes. The Chefs cook great tasting meals. The food is always delicious! Coffee, 5-Stars”