I went here yesterday for the first time, suggested by some friends from Auckland (who I hadn't…read moreseen in 15 years) as a nice place that would be child friendly. Driving up from Hamilton with two sets of directions (printed from Google maps and navigation from my phone) and we still got a little lost... I'll take some credit for that, but also to forewarn you that the signing up to the park isn't that great and it's a little out of the way. There was plenty of parking when we arrived around 10:15 on a Saturday morning. There were already a lot of people there, appeared to be many birthdays and parties, rented jump houses and the like. There are lots of picnic tables around. It would be friendly for strollers/prams/push chairs. We also brought our son's little balance bike, and he enjoyed riding around on it there. Mostly, it's flat gravel areas for walking, flat grassy areas and very little paved area. The park was free to enter and to view the animals. It didn't appear to be staffed during the time we were there. You just walk around the various animal areas. We saw some rabbits, chickens, sheep, cows, goats, horses and a pig. My son (3-years-old) liked it, but wasn't blown away. Maybe we've been to too many animal parks lately. After walking through the animal areas (took about 30 minutes at a very slow pace), we grabbed a picnic table and chatted until my friends had to leave. One, somewhat bizarre thing, is that we couldn't find any garbage cans/rubbish bins here. So, if you are planning to generate trash, bring some bags with you. There appears to be some camping areas and some walking tracks. We didn't go around any of these, so I don't have any comment about those. Overall, I thought this place was fine, but not amazing. It's free, so you can't complain too much :)

Except for the rain, I had an excellent Ambury Park experience. You go through it as part of the Te…read moreAraroa trail (hiking trail that spans the length of NZ) so it makes an excellent place to stop for the night. I bumped into a park ranger as I arrived and she was really awesome, and since I was hiking the TA, allowed me to camp free of charge. The grass is flat, the toilet facilities are clean, and there's water available: everything a tramper could ever want. I didn't spend much time wandering the rest of the park (after walking in the rain all day I was kind of over it) but it's a nice outdoor area and a great place to take the family.

Our hotel was a walking distance from the ferry terminal. Really nice to stroll around. We boarded…read morethe Fullers 360 to Waiheke Island. The information and ticket offices was just in front of the terminal. Very easy to find.

Nice and easy. Tap on/off (remember the off part...that wasn't explained to me) and quick ride to…read moreDavenport. Also did the Waiheke ferry which was a bit chaotic on Thursday midday. The line for the 11 am was sooo long, I missed that ferry and had to wait another hour. Thankfully the peeps I was around engaged in conversation which made the time fly by.

My wife and I were on a week long vacation to Auckland and we saw many good reviews for this tour…read more We boarded and took a 40 minute trip to Waiheke Island for some scientific readings and then it was off to see some dolphins and birds and whales. They told us if you find these cool Gannett birds, it should tell you where the dolphins are. They divebomb the fish as the dolphins rile them up. We saw at least 400 dolphins on this trip and then we saw a whale, and they kept us out for an extra hour to check out a dolphin in the harbor. Great crew, that was very fun and you can order beer on the trip. Plus!

We had the most fabulous time today! We saw manta rays, wholes, dolphins and even a shark! Zara…read moretaught us a few things about phytoplankton, tiny plants living near the surface of the ocean, that are responsible for producing the oxygen we breathe for 3 of 5 breaths ! If we do Ty take care of our oceans, we'll have a hard time breathing! My 5 yo and 8 yo said it was a great day that they will never forget.

It is the ferry normally runs in all port of Auckland. We travelled to Waiheke Island through them…read more It was very comfortable ferry. Has food , coffee counter. Restroom available and the crew was really friendly. There were upper and covered decks. Nice to be above to see the view. The sail was kinda rough because it was windy and it rained. Tickets can be purchased through website or on the spot. Just go to the Auckland Ferry terminal. The brick booth house .

We bought round trip tickets in advance of our trip. Loading was only a short walk from our hotel…read more We were headed to Rangitoto. The shuttle took off exactly on time. We sat on the upper floor and it was very neat and clean. Seating was tables and we had nice views out the window. The ride was smooth. Staff was friendly. The shuttle arrived right on time to pick us up as well. The return trip was on a bigger boat. Again everything was clean inside with some comfy couches to lounge on after a day of hiking.

This company is very organized! I booked this tour through Viator and the owner communicated to me…read moreimmediately about the procedure to get to the Island. The tour guide was very informative, went to 3 vineyards ( postage stamp, Stony Ridge and Cable Bay Vineyards). Lunch at 372 - fabulous day!

The booking process was very easy and the communication was clear and timely. We booked an earlier…read moreferry (9:15) through Island Direct. It was nice to have some time after departure to have a coffee and walk around the shoreline. The bus was parked right outside and Caleb gathered everyone up and we were off! I'll update this review at the end of the day.

Black Sands Lodge is a little sanctuary of a Bed and Breakfast out at Piha Beach. Run by two…read morewonderful women - Bobbie and Julia - this place has three separate dwellings for people staying over and Bobbie and Julia have done a great job of making them all beautiful. I stayed in the more bargain room - a twin room with two single beds - and loved every minute of it. Bobbie and Julia were really accommodating and made wonderful food. We also shared a few wines and talked politics in the evening, which was great! Black Sands is only a stone's throw from the beach, so if you stay over, make sure you pack your jandals for the short walk to the beach. The Piha Café around the corner is also great for meals.

Large clean well marked train station bar the ferries & port. Starbucks,a florist, mojo are…read moreinside. Lots of machines to refill our at hop transit card & staff that was a big help. This is the the public transport hub in the central business district. It opened in 2003 but was a post office from 1911. It combines a railway station in a former Edwardian post office, extended with expansive modernist architectural elements, and a bus interchange. It is at the foot of Queen Street, in the main commercial shopping, dining & transportation hub.

If you're getting around Auckland, you're probably going to go through Britomart Station. This is…read morethe central hub for all ground transportation in the area, and everything seems to stop through here. It's right across the street from the Ferry Landing, and there's lots of stores, restaurants, gift shops and things to see and do around here. When I went, the place was swarming with scooters! They were everywhere. Plus, the place was heavily under construction, with big scaffolding over the facade, and shipping containers set up to walk through so nothing falls on pedestrians. The exterior is nice looking, and everyone seems to know where this place is. They have kiosks set up to check your bus tickets without having to deal with a clerk.

MUST DO on your first day! Highly recommend Liz's Aucky Walky Foodie tour in Auckland CBD. Debbie…read more(and Liz) met us right outside Sky City Tower sign/ticketing area which is right in front of the SkyCity Hotel entrance. You won't be disappointed... you end up with tummies full of delicious food, ton of information, and new found friends. I really liked the small group setting bcuz it's like you are on a private tour. Knowledgeable and they chose the perfect spread of foods while meandering the streets of Auckland CBD down to the wharf. Take the tour first before anything else... that way you can narrow down where to eat/see next. Debbie - you are the BEST! Thank you for being our guide. Special thanks to owner Byron at Cocoa Wilds Chocolates for personally coming out to greet us. We could just feel the good vibes and passion he has for his business. God bless you and much success to you and your team! Special MAHALO to Jed, SkyCity Tower Hotel OUTSTANDING concierge, for recommending us to Aucky Walky tours.

Great tour! Debbie customized the tour to accommodate our interests and she graciously answered our…read moremany, many questions about architecture, history, culture, restaurants, places to buy men's shoes and Auckland customs. We enjoyed our time with Debbie and wholeheartedly recommend Aucky Walky Tours. -Michael Florida, USA P.S. the mussels were incredible! Thanks for the recommendations.