Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour from Auckland with Lunch
4.9
173 Ratings
Auckland
Immerse yourself in the stunning natural beauty of West Auckland with this full-day eco-tour. Explore rainforests, black sand beaches, and clifftop walks, led by an experienced local guide.
Duration: 7 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges - 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

  • Mercer Bay Loop - After lunch, hike the clifftop tracks with stunning views along the coast and out across the Tasman Sea.

  • Piha Beach - 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.

  • Waitakere Ranges - Enjoy a rainforest walk in the Waitakere Ranges
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop off
  • Picnic lunch
  • Light refreshments
  • Goods and Services Tax (GST) included
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

This full day tour is for lovers of nature and walking, your experienced local nature guide will take you to a range of rainforest, beach and clifftop walks. 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.

*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.

  • 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
Location
SkyCity Auckland
Federal Street
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
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(173 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Extraordinary706747
May 18, 2024
Fantastic tour from Auckland - So happy to have booked this tour. This was such a lovely day of hiking, exploring and learning about New Zealand. Our guide was fantastic and everyone staying in Auckland should do this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Crystal_h
May 18, 2024
Great photos, experience, and exercise :-) - Chris was a great guide! We had three manageable hikes/walks. Our favorite was the beach walk at low tide but the walk down to the 600 year old Kauri tree was cool too (albeit a lot of uphill steps at the end). He took our fitness levels into consideration and gave us educational and interesting stories along the way.
Review provided by Viator
Angie_b
Apr 25, 2024
Fabulous views - Erin was fabulous! Cliff views, volcanic rock formations and beach views were so beautiful. Great Cafe for our take away picnic lunch too.
Review provided by Viator
Travel_beach_love
Apr 12, 2024
Amazing Rainforest and Black Sand beach experience - It was one of the best tours I have taken and definitely a highlight of my trip to Auckland. As a nature lover, I found the guide to be super informative. The tour included many cool spots, from the rainforest walk to the black sand beach. Oh, and lunch was delicious. Should I return to Auckland, I would 100% book this tour again or another with Bush and Beach, as they were a terrific tour company!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen_p
Apr 5, 2024
Beautiful way to see west coast of Auckland and parts of rainforest, quick “get out” from City - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Linda
Apr 1, 2024
Outstanding Informative Enjoyable Tour! - An excellent informative excursion to the rainforest and beach. Loved being able to select lunch and item for tea at the beach. Our guide was very knowledgeable and sensitive to the needs of her participants.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scenic52455136308
Mar 31, 2024
Great tour of Auckland's Coast and Rainforest - This was our first trip to New Zealand and our first tour with Bush and Beach. We are glad we chose this company. Chris, our guide, was already waiting for us in the lobby of our hotel. Our tour started on time with a wonderful hike through the rainforest. Afterwards we ate lunch (provided by the tour) at the Arataki Visitors Center. The lunch was picked up at the start of our journey from a local bakery: great choice of meat pies, sandwiches, wraps and pastry, all delicious and freshly made, drinks etc. Then we headed to the west coast and we went on a second hike. This hike requires a reasonable level of fitness. It is for sure not suitable for passengers with limited mobility. I had to stop a few times to catch my breath when we were climbing. The views were spectacular. Our last destination was the black sand beach, where we had about 30 minutes to wander around. The tour finished with a picnic on top of the hill, at a historic house open to public. We enjoyed stunning panoramic views of Auckland and the north island. Our guide, Chris, did an excellent job throughout the entire tour. He was friendly and very knowledgeable of all the plants, trees, and the history of the area and its people. We highly recommend this tour and our guide, Chris!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Albin_l
Mar 30, 2024
Bush & Beach Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour from Auckland with lunch - 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!
Review provided by Viator
X2693mujonathanw
Mar 28, 2024
Awesome views! Well worth it! - Great trip all around! Super friendly, personable and knowledgeable guide Murray, taught me a ton about the history and culture. Views were amazing, hikes weren't too vigorous for the common person. The Piha beach was awesome, rain pushed through just in time for us to get out and be able to have "cooler" sand enough to walk on and have great views of the surf and cliffs. Ridge hike gave us the top views and they didn't disappoint. Great photo opportunities about throughout the trip. Would recommend this trip, and I'm glad I started my trip with it, I felt so much smarter on my other trips having gained so much knowledge from Murray.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jmacch
Apr 13, 2024
Auckland, New Zealand day excursion - My wife and I along with another couple recently visited Auckland, New Zealand on a cruise vacation to the South Pacific. While there, we took this excursion. The bus was very comfortable and our group was quite small, which made the experience very enjoyable. Our guide was personable and very knowledgeable. We visited a rain forest and several scenic overlook areas with amazing views of the forest and lake scenery. We also visited a black sand beach. This excursion was very enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 9 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today