Auckland - City of Sails
Each time I return to Auckland with the groups of 
holiday makers we always have a full itinerary. During our time in Auckland, I find a city tour is a great way to get your bearings. The “Must do four” tour, offers the best way of seeing its four main tourist attractions. We start with a tour of the city’s main attractions by coach, and our first stop is to see the King and Gentoo penguins in Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Expedition, there’s real ice and snow here, we even travel on a snow cat ride through the Antarctic Encounter. It’s a self guided tour as we get up close with the giant stingrays, sharks and fish in the Underwater World.
After time here we rejoin the coach for our journey to Auckland’s Famous Zoo. Once inside, and a quick coffee, we journey through the zoo to see some of New Zealand’s native species. We get to see a Morepork (owl), Kiwi, and a living dinosaur, the Tuatara, all presented by the zoo keepers, who give out lots of information, whilst still keeping it fun. Once again it’s time to rejoin our coach that takes us to our next stop, Auckland’s Famous Waitemata Harbour, here we get to visit the museum, before boarding a "Pride of Auckland yacht", for a tour of the Harbour before setting sail, the sight of the city from the water is great for taking the all important photo’s, and the informative commentary, along with a much appreciated cup of tea, coffee or chocolate and a homemade muffin make it a relaxing time, then it’s time to try your hand at sailing the yacht, a fantastic feeling, just the wind and the sails!
Once back on dry land, we finish our tour at the Sky Tower; our coach leaves us here, which gives us time to explore the Tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, at our own pace. Its 328 meters tall, that’s 1000 feet, and is part of the Sky City, a 24 hour entertainment complex. At the top you can stand on the glass floor, or even go out onto the outdoor observation deck. There’s a lot to do here from gambling, shopping or eating in one of the many restaurants, then it’s just a short stroll back to our hotel. What a day and what a great time.
holiday makers we always have a full itinerary. During our time in Auckland, I find a city tour is a great way to get your bearings. The “Must do four” tour, offers the best way of seeing its four main tourist attractions. We start with a tour of the city’s main attractions by coach, and our first stop is to see the King and Gentoo penguins in Kelly Tarlton’s Antarctic Expedition, there’s real ice and snow here, we even travel on a snow cat ride through the Antarctic Encounter. It’s a self guided tour as we get up close with the giant stingrays, sharks and fish in the Underwater World.
After time here we rejoin the coach for our journey to Auckland’s Famous Zoo. Once inside, and a quick coffee, we journey through the zoo to see some of New Zealand’s native species. We get to see a Morepork (owl), Kiwi, and a living dinosaur, the Tuatara, all presented by the zoo keepers, who give out lots of information, whilst still keeping it fun. Once again it’s time to rejoin our coach that takes us to our next stop, Auckland’s Famous Waitemata Harbour, here we get to visit the museum, before boarding a "Pride of Auckland yacht", for a tour of the Harbour before setting sail, the sight of the city from the water is great for taking the all important photo’s, and the informative commentary, along with a much appreciated cup of tea, coffee or chocolate and a homemade muffin make it a relaxing time, then it’s time to try your hand at sailing the yacht, a fantastic feeling, just the wind and the sails!
Once back on dry land, we finish our tour at the Sky Tower; our coach leaves us here, which gives us time to explore the Tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, at our own pace. Its 328 meters tall, that’s 1000 feet, and is part of the Sky City, a 24 hour entertainment complex. At the top you can stand on the glass floor, or even go out onto the outdoor observation deck. There’s a lot to do here from gambling, shopping or eating in one of the many restaurants, then it’s just a short stroll back to our hotel. What a day and what a great time.
It really is “A PEOPLE THING”