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Offered languages
- English
Venture to Auckland’s spectacular west coast for a full-day experience combining dramatic landscapes, native wildlife, premium wine, and delicious food.
Travel to Muriwai Beach, famous for its rugged black-sand coastline, powerful ocean views, and impressive coastal scenery. Visit different lookouts offering panoramic views across Muriwai Beach, the Tasman Sea, and Motutara Island, with plenty of opportunities to capture memorable photos.
Continue to the renowned gannet colony, where you can observe these remarkable seabirds and learn about their seasonal nesting and migration. Take in the dramatic clifftop surroundings and breathtaking views along the coastline.
After your coastal adventure, visit a local winery to enjoy a premium wine tasting followed by a delicious lunch in a relaxed setting.
Combining wildlife, coastal sightseeing, wine, and local flavours, this experience offers a memorable way to enjoy the natural beauty of Auckland’s west coast.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Please let us know where you want us to pick you up. We will arrange to pick you up &
drop you off at your doorstep.
Itinerary
-
1Auckland & Beyond Tours
Meet Auckland and Beyond Tours in Auckland CBD to begin your tour
10 minutes • Admission ticket free -
2Muriwai Beach
Discover one of New Zealand's famous black sand beaches on the west coast. Muriwai is an impressive coastline with cliff-top trails to a huge gannet colony, with easy access and viewing platforms that let you get up close. A windswept rugged coastline stretching 60 kilometres, and interrupted only by streams and rivers, makes Muriwai one of New Zealand's most spectacular black-sand surf beaches.
2 hours • Admission ticket free -
3Muriwai Gannet Colony
Muriwai's gannet colony is a one hour drive from the centre of Auckland. About 1,200 pairs of gannets nest here from August to March each year. The nests are just centimetres apart. It's an air traffic controller's nightmare, but somehow the birds have it under control. Those coming in to land must glide over the squawking raised beaks of their neighbours - so getting it wrong can be painful. These two-and-a-half kilogram birds have a wingspan of two metres, and their mastery of the onshore updrafts is impressive to say the least. Once airborne, the young gannets leave the colony and cross the Tasman Sea to Australia. A few years later, surviving birds return to secure a nest site at the colony. The views from the colony are very impressive. Muriwai Beach extends 60 kilometres to the north - a line of black sand between the thundering surf and the sand hills. Far below, enthusiastic surfers look like seals on the large ocean swells.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide.
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
Additional info
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide.
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time.
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking.
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Infant seats must be requested at least 24 hours in advance (extra charges apply).
- A minimum of 2 people is required for the tour to operate.
- Wine tasting is available only to guests who meet the minimum legal drinking age of 18 years.
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Rating
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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