I love the discovery tours because they taught me something. Okay so I managed to snatch a sweet…read moredeal that had a tour of the Auckland Harbor, a stopover at Tongariro and a return trip from Auckland to Devenport. After living in Auckland for 8 years one would think I would know where Devenport was. I remember calling nt boyfriend saying oh baby we are going to Devenport. He started laughing and told me that his house was only a few minutes drive from Devenport. I didn't know that one could drive there. I was so embrassed as we had just started dating, now I look back and laugh at myself. The day was a bit windy but we had so much fun on the ferry. Walking on Tongariro and taking pictures was the highlight. This is a trip that those that want to explore Auckland should make.

While Fullers have a near monopoly on most of the major high-demand ferry routes, 360 Discovery…read moreruns services to all the destinations that Fullers doesn't cover. That means a bunch of tourist-oriented routes (Tiritiri Matangi Island, Rotoroa Island, Motiuhe Island, Coromandel), and a couple of commuter routes too (Beachhaven, Hobsonville). Some of these are truly wonderful destinations, so it's great to have a second ferry operator providing access to them. Tiritiri Matangi is probably the best known, and makes for a great day trip or overnighter - it's a bird sanctuary island with great nature walks, panoramic vistas and beaches. The 360 vessels are generally smaller than the Fullers boats so you need to book for some destinations, but they're fast and comfortable and the service is a bit more personal so that's nice.

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.

The Auckland Ferry Terminal is a beautiful Edwardian Baroque building. It was built in 1912. Its…read moredesign is similar to the San Francisco Ferry Building in California. The terminal connects Auckland with ferries going to the North Shore, West Auckland, South Auckland and the surrounding islands. It is centrally located at the end of Queen Street. It was the principal way to reach the North Shore until the Auckland Harbor Bridge was opened in 1959. Nice place to sit and enjoy the view on a sunny summer day in Auckland.

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.

This company is a scam. I had a tour booked with them and had to cancel and they refused to process…read moremy refund unless I gave them all of my banking information including account numbers which would have allowed them complete access to my account. No customer service whatsoever. They are fraudsters. Avoid at all costs.

Rafael was a wonderful driver! We rode with him on the way to the Waitomo Caves from Auckland and…read morehe told us a bunch of New Zealand history on our drive over. The drive to the Waitomo caves was longer than the glow worm tour there itself but I would still highly suggest it. We booked our tour online on the Intercity Bus website under the Day Tours. If you do not have a car, this seems to be the best way to check out the glow worms from Auckland. The bus left promptly at 730am from the Intercity Bus station at 102 Hobson Street and we arrived back in Auckland at around 215pm. The day tour from Auckland and back to Auckland did not include lunch. We packed our own lunch and were able to eat it on the bus ride back (the other people who booked a different tour were able to eat their included lunch on the bus as well). The Waitomo Caves were beautiful. Our tour guide Maria was so funny and personable and she even sang to our group in the cave (because there are some good acoustics in there!!)! She had such a pretty voice too. The caves were such a sight to see and there were tons of glow worms! I kept hoping that one would fall on me but no such luck. You do have to be VERRRRRRY quiet once you are in the boat to see the glow worms so if you have very young children or babies, this wouldn't be the time to take them. You also are not allowed to take pictures in the caves AT ALL which was a little bit of a bummer but you just have to remember to live in the moment and take a picture with your mind ;) It was very easy to book this day trip on the Intercity website and the tour was just what we were looking for. Def recommend going this route if you don't want to drive and just want to enjoy the scenery!

Who knew Rangitoto's little neighbor was full of walking tracks too?…read more Enter: Motatapu Island. After doing several double takes of the stark contrast between Rangitoto's volcanic rock & Motatapu's rolling green pastures, I decided it was time to go out and explore. We took the Rangitoto ferry* (early bird is only $20 return...sweeeeet). From the wharf, you walk along the coast to across to Islington Bay which brings you to the causeway path over to Motatapu. You then join the Motatapu walkway, including a network of paths which cover a large portion of the island. We followed the path over to Home Bay, which is a beautiful swimming spot and also 'home' (tehee) to a DOC beach campground. From there, you have a number of options through farmland, WWII gun emplacements and tunnels and/or chillin' with the local cattle (these guys have some pretttttty stellar views). Tips: + Give yourself the whole day if you want to start in Rangi and work your way around Motatapu - it's nothing strenuous but it covers some distance. + Signage isn't amazing so I'd bring a map and be flexible in your routes, if you know what I mean :) + Bring water - there's aren't many places to fill up along the way, so make sure you bring plenty All in all, a nice little day trip (especially for those without a car and/or if you don't love "crowds" - Rangitoto is definitely the more popular destination). *They do have a ferry that runs directly to Motatapu, but it's seasonal and not every weekend, so be sure to check out the Fullers website.

Motatapu is Rangitoto's forgotten neighbour. It's not often talked about - potentially because it…read moreis harder to get to - but it's an island that every Aucklander should visit at least once. You can access the island via Rangitoto or get a public ferry from downtown to Home Bay (although, these are less frequent). Once you're there, there's oodles of walking tacks to explore, most with spectacular views of the Hauraki Gulf. History buffs - keep an eye out for the WWII gun emplacements.

This is the main ferry to get to Waiheke from Auckland…read more We booked tickets online ahead of our trip. We found a seat on top of the boat to get better views of the surroundings during the trip. We took off exactly on time. The boat was clean with lots of seating. Staff was friendly. Great way to travel to the island.

Let's be honest, no one's going to Tiri just for the Visitor Centre, but since you're going anyway…read moreyou may as well check it out. Of course the island itself is amazing for its open sanctuary status, its birdlife and its history. And along with DOC it is supported by the Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi and they operate the visitor centre and shop. The shop has an awesome collection of souvenirs, including jewellery, clothes, books, housewares, games and greeting cards, among many other things. The best part is that the majority of the items in the store are also New Zealand made, which goes to show that the Supporters support not only the conservation of this island but locally made products by New Zealand designers. The profits from the store go back into the island so it's a fantastic way to give back as well as taking home some awesome presents for others or for yourself. The visitor centre has heaps of information boards and displays about the wildlife and history of the island. Also plenty of tables and chairs both inside and out to relax on after exploring.

Great way to experience nature and learn from an experienced animal advocate. We did the night hike…read moreand it was thrilling to go thru the forest with Tristan. He provided a tasty picnic dinner near the beach. This was the last night of our 3 weeks in New Zealand and enabled us to end on a great non-touristy note. Highly recommend Tristan's tours.

Looking for a shore excursion off the beaten path in Auckland that would take me into nature and…read moreout of the city and after much research I settled on Habitat Tours. I am so glad I did. Tristan picked up my guest and I in the harbor downtown where our cruise ship was docked and off we went. We had opted for the Waitakere Half Day Tour which included a short hike through the beautiful sand dunes leading up to Lake Wainamu, a walk through the Cascade Kauri Park among the majestic and ancient Kauri trees, and some play time at Bethell's Beach to stroll the sands, wade into the waters, and take it all in (with tea and cookies waiting for us when we finished). It was just my guest and I on our tour so everything was tailored to us and very intimate. We loved chatting with our guide Tristan and we felt great about supporting a local small business. If we had more time we would have done a full day tour. Really just a fantastic day and would highly recommend Habitat Tours to anyone wanting to get out and explore nature around Auckland.