Northern Beach Explorer

This unique on-water sailing and dining experience is not to be missed while you're in Auckland. Enjoy smooth sailing on the Waitemata Harbour - then watch this photogenic city come alive with twinkling lights. Enjoy your meal as you sail around the beautiful Auckland Harbour taking in the view as the sun slowly sets. You'll be treated to canapes and a drink as you set off towards Westhaven Marina. Choose between dining in the downstairs cabin or on deck to take in the iconic sights of the Auckland Harbour. To finish the evening off, savour your dessert course as you leisurely sail back to Auckland's vibrant Viaduct Harbour.

See what it takes to make, shape and be an All Black. Experience first-hand the excitement and emotion of game day. Discover the stories behind some of world rugby’s most famous players, moments and matches.
This guided experience introduces you to the game of rugby before being lead through state-of-the-art displays combining sound, images, interactive technology and hands-on activities. Discover New Zealand’s deep passion for our national sport, experience the full force of the All Blacks haka, tackle interactive zones where you can try out your kicking, catching, line-out and accuracy skills against legendary All Blacks.

Explore worlds of horror, sci-fi and fantasy in the making. An exciting, realistic, and authentic experience, with three fully developed and original film concepts: A nail-biting horror Fauna, a fantasy epic Age of the Ever-Clan, and the mind-bending sci-fi Origins.
A 90-minute guided experience through fully themed environments, including immersive horror, fantasy, and sci-fi story worlds. Be immersed by a specially-created unique sweeping cinematic soundtrack, animatronic creatures, physical and digital interactives, hyper-realistic sculpted giants and characters, a horror house experience, and much more.

The Pinnacles Track is one of New Zealand’s most popular overnight walks that offers spectacular views of the Coromandel Peninsula. It can also be completed as a day walk. Located upriver from Thames in the stunning Kaueranga Valley, the track follows original steps constructed in the early 1900s for packhorses transporting natural resources through lush forest. The track remains rich with history from the days of kauri loggers, gum diggers and gold miners who plundered the area for many years.

The track is 12km in total and should take 5-6 hours to walk. The Pinnacles hut is located 5km in and is a modern, serviced, Department of Conservation hut situated on one of the highest peaks in the valley. The hut has 80 bunks as well as cooking, heating, showering and toileting facilities. Make sure to book the Pinnacles Hut ahead of time. A small charge applies to sleep in the hut.
 

The Coromandel Peninsula is most well-known for its white sandy beaches and idyllic bays.  But if you head inland you’ll also find large tracts of rainforest with rivers and spectacular gorges.  There are also many remnants from the historic gold mining boom and kauri logging industry.  There are endless walks located on the peninsula for all abilities, so for a complete list of walks and to find some located near where you are staying visit the Coromandel Tourism website or the Department of Conservation website.  Here are a selection of the more popular.

Cathedral Cove Walk (near Hahei)
This is one of the must-visit destinations on the Coromandel Peninsula and is only accessible by foot or by boat.  The track begins in Hahei and takes you to some of New Zealand’s most spectacular coastal scenery. This walk takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes and is 2.5km.

Shakespeare Cliff Lookout (near Cooks Beach)

For fantastic views of Mercury Bay take the short walk to Shakespeare Cliff lookout.  There are a number of options to extend this walk by leaving from Ferry landing and following the Maramaratotara Track.

Broken Hills Recreation Area (near Pauanui and Tairua)
Located 19km from Tairua, the Broken Hills Recreation Area is home to many short walks.  This picturesque reserve is located along the Tairua River and was once a bustling gold-mining settlement, so walks follow old wagon routes to historic battery sites.

Kauaeranga Valley Short Walks (near Thames)
The Kauaeranga Valley is located east of Thames and its most famous walk is to the Pinnacles which is usually done as an overnight hike.  There are many shorter walks in the area which take less than an hour or the Billygoat Circuit which takes 4-5 hours.  The walks take you through regenerating native forest and past historic relics from the logging days.

Karangahake Gorge (Between Waihi and Paeroa)

The natural beauty of the Karanagahake Gorge is visible from the road, but stopping to explore some of the walks will lead you to stunning swimming holes, fascinating relics from the gold mining past and spectacular vistas. Two of the more popular walks are the Karangahake Windows Walk (1 hour/ 2.5km) and the Karangahake Gorge Historic Walkway (2hrs one way).

Kauri Block Track (near Coromandel Township)

Just outside of Coromandel Town this new reserve offers spectacular views in every direction including the coast and inland Coromandel Ranges. Walk takes approximately 45 minutes one way.

Glide through the forest on this unique zipline canopy tour and experience Coromandel's breath-taking native forest from all levels, as you fly above the trees and walk beneath the ferns. Guides will lead you on an unforgettable journey, to learn about Driving Creek’s transformation from kauri logging, gold mining and pastural farming, into a lush hand planted native forest, a haven for regenerating kauri trees and kiwi.

It is important you read and understand the risks associated with this activity ahead of travel. For more information please see here.

Tauranga city and Mount Maunganui cover a large area and is well set up for walkers. Explore the many parks and reserves that are easily accessible throughout the city, many of these tracks and trails are connected which makes it easy to take in the sights of Tauranga. Choose from coastal walks with sweeping views of the harbour and nearby islands, or take a trip inland to check out our waterfalls, scenic lakes and parks.

Mauao (Mount Maunganui) Summit Walk
This walk takes about 40-minutes and requires a good level of fitness. Choose from two scenic tracks to reach the 232-metre high summit. The view at the top is worth the effort.
You can see Mount Maunganui’s iconic mountain, Mauao, for miles around – and when you’re standing at its summit, the view is even more impressive.

Mauao (Mount Maunganui) Base Track
Mauao is an iconic landmark and traversing its 3.4-kilometres base track is New Zealand’s single most popular walk. Allow 45-minutes and plenty of time to enjoy the crashing ocean waves and views across to Tauranga and Matakana Island.
The famous “base track” around Mauao in Mount Maunganui is one of New Zealand’s most popular scenic walks.
The 3.4-kilometres route will take you full circle around this extinct volcano and can be walked in either direction – from the white sand beach beside the ocean right around to the sheltered waters of Pilot Bay and vice versa.

Moturiki (Leisure Island)
This small island sits just off Mount Maunganui’s Main Beach. In the past, it’s been a Māori pā, a quarry, a marine aquarium and a tourist attraction called Leisure Island. Now it’s a protected reserve and a great place to enjoy a walk. This iconic landmark is connected to Mount Maunganui’s Main Beach by a man-made land bridge. A popular walking track will lead you to the northern tip of the island where you’ll find a blowhole which spectacularly shoots water skyward during high tides and large ocean swells. It’ll take you between 5 and 10 minutes to reach the blowhole from Mount Maunganui’s main beach. Follow the well-marked track up the gentle slopes and scramble over the rocks at the top for the best vantage point.

McLaren Falls Park
McLaren Falls Park is 190-hectares of parkland set alongside Lake McLaren and is just 10-minutes by car from Tauranga. The park is popular for camping, kayaking, its disc golf course, bush walks and summertime concerts. It is also home to one of the best botanical collections of trees in New Zealand.
One of the highlights of the park is the waterfall track where you can see glow worms after dusk. Enjoy a short, easy stroll to the picturesque waterfall and spot the glow worms on either side of the track. Part of the waterfall track is also wheelchair and mobility scooter friendly.

Kaiate Falls
Kaiate Falls (also known as Te Rerekawau Falls) is a 30-minute drive from Tauranga. The walking tracks are well-formed, although quite steep in some places. The main track leads to the top, and then to the base of the upper series of falls before continuing downhill to the lower falls. Another track, just below the car park, follows the stream back to the road bridge. Track junctions are well sign-posted.