Auckland Free Walking Tours
If you love being in the city centre but would love to know more about Auckland's colourful history, why not join in on one of the great walks with Auckland Free Walking Tours. It's one of the most convenient and insightful ways to explore the City of Sails. The walk leaves from the Queens Wharf Village every day at 10am and 2pm. Be prepared to embark on a 2.5- to 3-hour history lesson that traverses through Auckland’s most important landmarks and hidden gems. Taking off from Auckland’s downtown, the walk heads up through Britomart Transport Centre, taking you through the city’s pedestrian laneways and right up to the recently renovated Auckland Art Gallery. You’ll then wander through the historic Albert Park and University of Auckland, before heading back down to Auckland’s famous viaduct precinct and across Te Wero Bridge, concluding among the hustle and bustle of the always-interesting Silo Park. A simple Koha or donation is recommended if you if you feel enlightened or enriched after your experience.
Guided City Walking Tours
Auckland Walks takes groups of up to 20 people on 2-hour guided walks of the city centre, exploring our unique natural history, heritage and culture. It commences on the waterfront, heads up through the lower city to Albert Park and returns. There are rich encounters with the city's origins and almost one thousand years of history since Maori first settled what they came to call "the land of many lovers." You'll be given insights into local culture and an understanding of the story of Auckland. For more on their Guided City Walking Tours, click here.
Aucky Walky Tours
Bookings are essential for Aucky Walky Tours, a popular small group tour with a local Aucklander. Discover the city’s diverse beauty, early Māori history and hidden gems with several types of tours to choose from. Depending on the type of tour you choose, you’ll be guided up back streets and hear entertaining stories at the heart of the city. Sights include Britomart, Auckland’s Town Hall, Art Gallery and a wee climb up a secret city volcano to a long forgotten Māori fortress.
AKL City Tours app
If you prefer to explore the city centre by yourself, with the company of a smart device, download the AKL City Tours app. AKL City Tours is a mobile application dedicated to giving visitors and residents of Auckland an excellent variety of tours across Auckland's central city. This app is supported by Auckland Council & Auckland Transport.
Auckland's original shoreline heritage walk
This unique three-hour walk is a fantastic way to learn about the city's original shoreline and the transformation of our nation's biggest city over time. It starts from west to east but can be taken in the direction. It starts from Point Erin in Westmere and finishes at the Parnell Baths, and will have you encounter 25 sites including Freemans Bay, Fanshawe Street, Swanson Street, Lower Queen Street, Fort/Gore Street, Brtiomart Place and more. Information panels showcase past and present Auckland, from 1840 colonial port to a modern city. To download the PDF document of the walk for more information, click here.
Auckland Council's Downtown, Midtown and Uptown Walks
Get to know the city better with these three different walks which each take approximately 90 minutes each. The Downtown trail includes a tour of Auckland's historic waterfront, the original foreshore, key places and people associated with the harbour, wharves and developments in public transport. Midtown's tour will have you get to know some of Auckland’s earliest commercial buildings better, as well as the earliest street network in the city and a compact snapshot of historical and architectural development in Auckland from the Colonial period through to the twenty-first century. The Uptown tour is all about arts and culture - get an insight into the entertainment, cultural, civic and retail hub of the city centre including our outstanding theatres, the Auckland Art Gallery and Town Hall. For more information on these walks, click here.
Te Paparahi Toi Maori - Walks in the City
Te Paparahi Toi Māori – Walks in the City is an inspiring way to learn more about the heart of the city's unique Maori heritage, stories and artworks. With eight walks, each will lead you on your own tour of discovery. For more, click here. You can also design your own path with the interactive AKL City Tours app.