Lasting three hours on Sunday afternoon, the Auckland Big Foody Food tour walked our group of nine…read morethrough various eating establishments. With underground mass transit being further opened up in this area, it gave our guide plenty of opportunity to impart his knowledge. Cost was $107 USD (it had been prepaid through Viator) per participant. Because Auckland is so walkable, we didn't have to walk very far to get to the 5 food locations. We met outside the Britomart Train Station in Te Komititanga Square, very close to the cruise terminal where we had entered Auckland. Our guide was Jono, friend and sometimes co-worker of the owner. We finished the tour at the last stop, which was quite close to where we began. Stops in order (could definitely argue this isn't the ideal ordering): The Shuckers Brothers: had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, shared mussel dish, and a seafood croquette. Miann: one scoop of gourmet gelato. Hotel DeBrett: shared cheese plate in a beautifully restored interior bar-room Honest Chocolat: 3 gourmet bon-bons, along with cocoa shell 'tea' Gochu: Korean-inspired fried chicken slider, cabbage roll In terms of the value and new tastes compared to other food tours I've taken, this would probably rank near the bottom...tasted nothing I haven't had before (and no taste jumped out); you definitely need to eat before starting (it's smart for them to start at 2:30, after lunch but before dinner). But Jono's enthusiasm and knowledge really pumped up the entire tour. And I would definitely come back to the Hotel DeBrett for cocktails with good company, the next chance I get.

Took a 3 hour Big Foody Tour in Dunedin on the South Island New Zealand. What a great fun…read moreexperience. Jono was our tour guide and did an excellent tour. Visited a total of 5 different locations and each was prepared for us and the food and drink were exceptional. Great value for the price paid for the tour.

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.

We went in a wine tour on Waiheke Island. Michael was the tour driver. He was fantastic and…read moreentertaining. He told lots of stories and knew a lot about the Island. He definitely made for a memorable experience.

Ananda Tours offered 4 different packages to choose from. We decided to go with the Gourmet's Food…read moreand Wine Tour ($170 NZL). This was a 5 hour wine tour. Although it was long, it was so much fun. We got the opportunity to visit an award-winning olive oil mill, followed by three vineyards! Stop 1: Rangihoua Estate Stop 2: Batch Stop 3: Peacock Sky Vineyard Stop 4: Mudbrick Vineyard The tour guide we had was fantastic. He was very funny and knowledgeable. During the shuttle ride he would be explaining to us where we are driving and the history behind it the are and vineyards that surround it.

Stop number three out of five during our Auckland food tour, the Hotel DeBrett has a rich history,…read morestarting out as Auckland's first hotel in 1841, to now being a luxury boutique hotel with a fabulous bar. It has a great history and ambience, and served a decent cheese platter for our group to share. The hotel has 25 unique rooms, and its indoor atrium used to be an outdoor alleyway, It was really mesmerizing to see how the architects chose to incorporate the old, while bringing in necessary modernities. I thought the cheese plate (including some NZ cheeses, nuts, and fruits) was OK. New Zealand is proud of their cheeses. What really made the trip was this room/atrium...definitely worth a place to stop in for a social drink.

A very unique place to visit while in NZ. I enjoyed my bar tour and I am glad our tour guide…read morebrought us here.

The Oyster Inn is a totally fine option located in the main village close to the ferry (~5 min bus…read moreride). We ordered the grilled broccolini and cos salad, Mac and cheese, fish and chips, and half a dozen oysters. The oysters were massive, maybe the largest I've ever eaten, which was interesting because our waiter described them as medium sized lol. The food was decent and with huge portion sizes - in retrospect we could have skipped the Mac and cheese. Our food was quite slow to come out to a point where we had to speed through the rest of our visit to make the ferry in time. This plus the average food made it a totally ok stop, but I'd likely pass if I visit the island again.

Super great great Little island love the menu. The people that work. There were great places really…read morecute. It's right in the middle of town doubt many people are gonna make it to this place cause specifically to get to. Make the attempt is worthwhile. Don't forget to have an espresso and dessert too bye

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.

Location and views alone are 5-stars. Booked my trip back in December. To gain more airline points,…read moreI booked the hotel through the airline portal. After reviewing the map of the Auckland central business district (CBD) and where the Sky Tower was, I knew I wanted to stay by the harbor, with a view and reasonably priced. That's when I came across M Social Viaduct Harbor. From Google Maps and looking at YouTube videos, the hotel was in the midst of it all. My first encounter with them was a few weeks earlier when I learned that M Socials last check-in time was midnight. Unfortunately, because my flight was schedule to land at 9:45 pm, having to get through customs and waiting for Uber, we'd be cutting it close. So I emailed M Social and they assured me that we could check-in after midnight, no rush since they knew how long customs could take. What a relief. When we got there, a little after 11 pm, I was told our room was upgraded to the 12th floor which is the highest floor. I was told "The harbor view is great up there." And it is!!! All the rooms face the harbor and all rooms have a view!!! The higher you are the better the view. And when we got to our room, we had a signed card from the employees along with Easter candy because I didn't realize it was Easter weekend when I booked our flights. The room was clean with modern and youthful aesthetic. And the price? I can't believe it is one of the least expensive hotels along the harbor. It was between $129 - $189/night. Of course, Weekends are higher price. And, laundry is free. We just had to pay for laundry detergent. No dryer sheets in Auckland, though. People in NZ said I had an American accent. But they're the ones with accents... lol. Auckland is also a melting pot. The front staff were mainly Filipino, Vietnamese, and Chinese. So they had their native accent along with the English accent. But everyone was so kind to us. And they have a restaurant that is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night socializing. Although we only had apps and drinks, the food was really good and non-alcoholic drinks were refreshing. As much as I want to gatekeep M Social, I also want to praise the staff members and hope everyone can enjoy your time staying at this wonderful establishment.

It's located in a very convenient location to a bunch of shopping and the viaduct. No one was by…read morethe hotel door to help us with luggage and when we checked in, the staff members seemed distracted while checking us in. The room is clean and bright. The gym is quite small and had one broken treadmill that didn't have a sign so I'm not sure if staff are aware of it. Our rooms didn't include breakfast, but we were excited to try it. We ended up disappointed because the hostess gave us two menus and told us to sit anywhere. There's prices for a la carte and buffet and we opted for the buffet and just went up to get food. A staff member stopped us and asked if we were doing the buffet and then told us she'd bring us the bill so we could sign our room. It felt like maybe a staff member should have brought us to our seat and asked us what we wanted to prevent being stopped at the food counter and having guest and staff play a guessing game. The breakfast selection is mediocre. Another table was sat and the staff member who stopped us was quick to go to their table and explain the menu choices to them so I'm not sure if it's a lack of consistency or if they need more staff during the breakfast shift because it seemed like it was just her and the hostess working. Staff was also slow to clear tables.

I needed assistance and decided to call this business at 18337089019 The response time was decent…read moreand the person on the line tried to help as much as possible. I had to be transferred once, but the second representative handled things better and gave me the correct information. It wasn't perfect, but it was still a workable experience. I'm leaving this review to share how things went for me personally.

I needed assistance and decided to call this business at 18337089019 The response time was decent…read moreand the person on the line tried to help as much as possible. I had to be transferred once, but the second representative handled things better and gave me the correct information. It wasn't perfect, but it was still a workable experience. I'm leaving this review to share how things went for me personally.

We stayed here 1 night in December…read more First, location: the hotel is airport adjacent, not on airport property. You'll take a yellow shuttle bus to transfer to and from the airport. Second, atmosphere: the hotel design seems straight out of the 1970s. The colors and furnishings have been updated but the feel is still like Hawaii in the 70s. We had a double queen room on the first floor that overlooked nothing. There was a large to floor window that seemed a bit unsafe for the first floor - street access with glass that can be easily broken. Room was clean with crisp bedding but the hotel needs some updating. Third, service: did not try any of the food so can't comment on that. The front desk personnel acknowledged IHG elite program status and explained all the benefits that applied. Internet worked well. Overall, the hotel is okay just as a 1 night stopover to/from airport. Stay elsewhere for longer stays.

Pretty standard hotel. Nothing that special or horrible about it. Located about 10 minutes from the…read moreAuckland airport. The rooms were average. The single queen room was pretty spacious, but the double queen room felt cramped. They boast paraben-free shower and bath products in the rooms, but some of the items still did have parabens on the ingredient list. Maybe they're still in the act of transitioning away from the old stuff that has the parabens. The breakfast buffet was pretty good - a wide selection of options, including Asian breakfast items too! We also ate at the bar --surprisingly, the food tasted pretty decent. The club sandwich was solid. Fries were okay. Side salad was decent. Pro tip: instead of paying $6 per person for a one way trip on the "yellow bus" (airport bus that takes you to/from a few of the hotels near the airport), just Uber for about $9 one way.

Thanks to our New Zealand friends (Geoffrey and Margaret), whom we met the year before during our…read morecruise through Southeast Asia, for planning a day of fun, exercise, and good eats in Auckland. We started with a hike up Mount Eden (Maungawhau), a dormant volcano and the highest natural point in Auckland, offering panoramic views of the city from its summit. As we hiked uphill along pathways and boardwalks to the summit, our friends explained that Mount Eden is a culturally significant Māori site, pointing out its historical Māori pā (fortified village) terraces and its sacred 160-ft-deep crater. It took us about 18 minutes to hike up from the parking lot to the summit while following the pathway to the boardwalks. The uphill hike was relatively easy with an elevation gain of nearly 240 feet, and I was sure glad that my osteoarthritic knee wasn't "acting up." We prepared for this hike by taking physically challenging shore excursions and actively exercising pre- and during our cruise. After all, we didn't want to reach the summit wheezing and out of breath, because we truly wanted to enjoy the panoramic views and take in the cultural and historical background from our younger friends. It was very windy atop and along the summit boardwalks, and I had to either hold on or lean into the handrails, otherwise be blown about like tumbleweed. At the summit, we were treated to a 360° panoramic view of Auckland city, its nearby neighborhoods, the iconic Sky Tower, Auckland Harbor Bridge, Rangitoto Island, and a glimpse of the South towards the Auckland Airport. Instead of returning to our vehicle the same way we had climbed up, our friends guided us downhill on a less steep, paved private roadway. Our round-trip hike took about an hour, and it was a beautiful day to spend with friends, enjoying iconic sights and learning about Māori history and culture.

At 196 meters high, Mount Eden, a dormant volcano, is the highest natural point in Auckland. It…read morewas named in honour of George Eden, the 1st Earl of Auckland (a white guy), by Governor William Hobson (another white guy). In the Māori language, Mount Eden is called Maungawhau, which means "mountain of the whau tree". At the top of Mount Eden/Maungawhau is a large, grassy crater 50 meters deep which is sacred to the Māori and must not be entered. Mount Eden/Maungawhau is a popular for hiking, and while it is not a long or difficult hike, there are steep sections. Around the crater are boardwalks that were installed in 2020 for people to take a stroll. Fortunately when we went hiking on Mount Eden/Maungawhau, the weather was nice, although it was quite windy at the top. I took a lot of photos to try and capture the beauty of the area, but it's something you just have to experience in person. If you like hiking and nature, don't miss Mount Eden/Maungawhau. [Yelp collections: NZ/Fiji 2023; New Zealand 2023; Hiking]