While your ship is in port in Auckland, combine sightseeing, a boat cruise and sky-high views from the Sky Tower so you can see the city from all angles. A professional guide points out popular attractions such as Quay Street, the Auckland Museum, and Dominion Parks and Gardens. You’ll visit the Tamaki waterfront and glide under the Harbour Bridge during your 90-minute cruise on Waitemata Harbour. This shore excursion shows you the many sides to Auckland, New Zealand’s premier city.

Auckland city tour, harbor cruise and Sky Tower shore excursion
Tour Auckland’s city-center sights and gardens
See attractions like the Harbour Bridge and Waitemata Harbour, Auckland Museum, Dominion Parks and Gardens, and the Tamaki Waterfront
Enjoy a 90-minute cruise around Auckland's harbor
Admire Auckland from above at the Sky Tower
Browse the tower’s audiovisual displays on the history of Auckland
Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship

What's Included

Harbor cruise
Light refreshments
pickup short walk from port
Professional guide
Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee

Gratuities
Food and drinks, unless specified
Port drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Auckland
Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Departure Point: Bus Stop #1346 outside Price Waterhouse Building Address: 188 Quay St, Downtown Auckland Directions: From your cruise ship docked in Auckland at either Princess Wharf or Queens Wharf please make your way to Bus Stop #1346, in front of the Price Waterhouse Building and beside the M-Social Hotel. – 188 Quay Street, Downtown Auckland. Please look for a Greatsights/Intercity coach but at times there may be a shuttle or taxi to pick you up and transfer to the main departure point. Please get there around 0915am for a 0925am departure. If needed you can contact us directly from any phone in New Zealand on our free call number 0800 484 485 or +64 3 384 0999 Dates: Daily Return point: Concludes at The Ferry Terminal at 3.30pm

Start time

09:25 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

When your ship pulls into port, meet your guide at the cruise terminal to begin your Auckland shore excursion. You’ll experience the North Island’s largest city from multiple perspectives: from the ground up, from Waitemata Harbour and from the top of the Sky Tower.

Begin your sightseeing with a driving tour through Auckland. View key spots like Queen Street, Auckland University, Auckland Museum, Quay Street, and Dominion Parks and Gardens. Along scenic Tamaki Drive, your guide follows the waterfront route past sandy beaches with sparkling views of Auckland’s two island-dotted harbors.

From here, you’re transferred to the 1,075-foot (328-meter) Sky Tower — the tallest freestanding structure in the Southern Hemisphere. From the sky-high observation deck, soak up the Auckland cityscape and harbor views, and discover the city’s history via audiovisual displays.

Once you come down from the Tower you are transferred down to Pier 2B and at 1.30pm embark on a 90-minute cruise. Coast under the Harbour Bridge and see the volcanic cone of Rangitoto Island, one of the dormant remains among 49 surrounding volcanoes. You’ll see Devonport and Westhaven Marina, then enjoy tea or coffee and a muffin before returning to the Ferry Terminal.

Worry-free Shore Excursion: We will ensure your timely return to the Auckland cruise port for this activity. In the rare event your ship has departed, we will arrange for transportation to the next port-of-call. If your ship is delayed and you are unable to attend this activity, your money will be refunded. See our terms and conditions for full details.

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
If your cruise departs before 4pm - this tour is not suitable
For passengers ending their cruise in Auckland and have the day available for this tour option there is a secure luggage storage available on the wharf close to where your cruise ship will berth. Should luggage storage be required full details will be supplied at the time of your booking confirmation
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 7 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 7 full days before the experience’s start time.
Any changes made less than 6 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
For a 50% refund, you must cancel 3–6 full days before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Reviews

4.0

37 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 37 reviews

Absolutely fantastic

Virginia_H, Feb 2020

We had an excellent tour. Simon our driver made extra stops as well, so that we can get the most of our trip. He was very knowledgeable and made this excursion an unforgettable trip. Thank you so much.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thanks for the great review! I'm glad you enjoyed yourself throughout your Auckland City Sightseeing, Harbor Cruise and Sky Tower Tour. It's also great to hear that your driver/guide did such a great job in making in an unforgettable trip and I'll be sure to pass on your kind words to him! Thanks again and I hope you get to return to Auckland someday soon!

Auckland highlights, harbour cruise & Sky Tower.

Alan_L, Feb 2020

Everything was fine and my wife and I enjoyed the tour. 1 star deducted for lack of information of the harbour cruise. We were asked to wear the sticker on our clothing and make our way to pier 2 ticket office for exchange of tickets. When we got there, the staff didn’t know anything about it and asked if we had paid etc and eventually we pilled the sticker out and he saw a serial number which must have been the booking number and staff was able to trace our records and then it was fine. Otherwise perfect.

A hurried tour that did not live up to the description

Sherry M, Nov 2019

There was a lot of construction and traffic in Auckland and the directions to our meeting place were pre-construction! Our bus driver was almost 30 minutes late which added to our frustration and confusion. We toured the city and then the driver told us she would be giving us tickets for the harbor tour and the Sky Tower and would not be returning us to our ship. We would have to make our own way back from the Sky Tower. This was not what our paperwork stated and we were very concerned about this change. We had to hurry because the harbor tour finished at the time the paperwork indicated we would be returned to our ship.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

This excursion took place the day after a major fire in central Auckland which closed streets and created traffic congestion. There were delays on the day of travel which were explained to the customers. This was only for a few days and things have now been returned to normal. There is a free shuttle from Sky City back to the cruise ship.

City tour was good, but cruise was canceled

Sarah_H, Nov 2019

The tour of the city was great as we had a great tour guide. We didn't realize that it would be a large group (30). The cruise was canceled due to weather and the view from the Sky Tower was not very good due to the rain and fog.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thank you for the review, it is always our intention to meet and wehere possible to exceed our customers expecations, however, bad weather can casued disruptions which are beyond our control and I am sorry to learn that the weather did affect the quality of the tour on the day of travel.

City tour

Lynne D, Oct 2019

This tour was very uncoordinated as compared to others. Bus pick up stop said it was in front of a building, beside another at a bus stop numbered. Well due to construction, bus stop had been moved to a temporary spot, bus was late and then we find out there are many different tours on same bus with different expectations from each. Female bus driver was not very pleasant, You need better explanations of just what is included ie bus did not return us to pick up spot and that was not included in our paperwork.

Response from Host, Oct 2019

Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. From time to time, construction, road works and events can distrupt our tour schedule. Although this can be frustrating you must appreciate that you are touring through the centre of a major city and like any major city in the world disruptions will from time to time occur and are unavoidable.

OK Tour of Auckland

jeffho56, Apr 2019

The tour hit all the highlights as advertised- guide was nice and friendly, but the tour was nothing special.

The city sightseeing portion of this...

Harriet S, May 2018

The city sightseeing portion of this tour was on a Gray Line bus that picked up passengers from hotels as well as a few people from our ship. It was an okay tour, but not what I'd come to expect from Viator. The bus dropped people off downtown with passes for both the Harbor Cruise and the Sky Tower, so we were on our own for the rest of the day. Not really a tour since we could have done most of this on our own.

The Harbor Cruise was very nice, as...

StanleyF_E, May 2018

The Harbor Cruise was very nice, as was the Sky Tower. However, the City Sightseeing Tour was not so impressive. The bus was nice, but made many stops to pickup passengers before the tour actually started. The driver was not very personable and made only a few rushed stops for pictures but then took us to a side-street shopping area for over 30 minutes so that he could take his break. The area may not have been such a waste of time if anything but a couple of small cafes had been open. The price of the excursion was worth it for the Harbor Cruise and the Sky Tower, but the Sightseeing Tour seemed a waste of precious time.

We enjoyed this excursion very much...

Pamela_O, Apr 2018

We enjoyed this excursion very much - it was a great way for us to learn about the city and make a note of areas we wanted to explore further. Our bus driver, Brian, was friendly and knowledgeable.

We had a really good day out and...

Alexander D, Mar 2018

We had a really good day out and allowed us to see as much of the area in the short period of time that we had. We started with the Auckland city tour which game a good overview of the city and the history behind it. We changed our itinerary at this point and visited the Sky Tour which is a great experience especially if you are up there when someone does the jump. Spectacular views in all directions from the viewing platforms. We then returned to the itinerary and went on the harbour cruise which was really good with a knowledgeable commentary and also a sense of humor.

Very poorly organized. No one was...

Frederick_K, Mar 2018

Very poorly organized. No one was present at the meeting point designated, until a bus showed up. The driver never got out and only when I approached him, did the people there know he was there to pick us up. Each portion of this trip was separate and disjointed. The driver was very political and was not the regular driver and was unfamiliar with the tour. FIND A DIFFERENT TOUR!

Great way to see the highlights of...

Peter_S, Feb 2018

Great way to see the highlights of Auckland by coach plus a great informative harbor cruise. The Sky Tower was fantastic with 360 degree views of Auckland. This tour was well organised, great communication before our ship arrived and everything went to plan. Highly recommend this tour!

Was quite haphazard to start with as...

JJ_R, Feb 2018

Was quite haphazard to start with as we were given conflicting information about our departure point, shuffling to and fro from the bus stand to the M Social Hotel. Good introduction to Auckland, stopping at various points of interest. Guide was well informed but I did not remember her name. Harbour cruise was interesting but was delayed at the start. At the end of the cruise someone was supposed to meet our tour group and take us to the SKY Tower. No sign of the guide and some of us went walking upp and down Quay street in search of guide or bus! As we had to find our way back on our own if we were to make the SKY Tower tour we decided that we had expended too much time and would run the possible risk of a late return to the ship.

Bus picked us up a bit late which...

Rita M, Feb 2018

Bus picked us up a bit late which made us worry that maybe we were waiting in the wrong place. We loved the tour especially the boat part as we had beautiful views of the city and bridge.

The city tour was very good, the...

Karen_W, Feb 2018

The city tour was very good, the harbor cruise was scenic but covered everything on city tour. The snacks were expensive so bring your own! The description of tour said light snack but none were provided. The sky tower was exciting and breath taking views.

Eric was out guide on the bus and...

DOUGLAS F, Jan 2018

Eric was out guide on the bus and was very knowledgeable and gave us an interesting tour of the city. Our biggest concern was that we spent a large amount of time waiting for shuttles to get from one part of the tour to another, such as from the ships berth to a meeting point, then to another meeting point, then to the harbor for a tour, then another shuttle to the sky tower. Then we found that the tour ended at the sky tower! We had to either walk back to the port, or take a taxi. Good thing the weather was good as it was at least 8 blocks back. It was just an ok excursion, a lot of time standing around waiting...

We had a great driver, guide who was...

Paul_H, Jan 2018

We had a great driver, guide who was friendly and informative. The day was wet and cool. Unexpected for summer in N Z but you can't change the weather. Loved the Sky Tower experience. Had a great ice cream at the top. Unfortunately was not able to do the Harbour Cruise as there was not enough time due to our cruise ship leaving early. I presume we will get a refund for that part of our excursion. Very interesting to get the indigenous perspective from our driver,guide.

The tour is in three part. The...

J.D., Dec 2017

The tour is in three part. The sightseeing tour is disjointed. The stops are partially based on where public bathrooms were more than interesting places to walk around and heaven help you if you brought something to drink back on the bus. The harbor cruise was great and the best part. By itself it was a 5-Star tour, then there was the Sky Tower or getting to the Sky Tower and back to the cruise ship. A different company picked us up after the harbor cruise and dropped us at the central bus station with no instructions, but we had tickets to the Sky Tower from earlier in the day. The Sky Tower turned out was a couple of blocks away, so we walked to it and then were on our own to get back 1 mile or so to the ship. It wasn't the distance as much as no information from the morning tour about us having to be on our own to get back to the ship later in the day.

The bus was 40 miutes late picking...

Steven N, Nov 2017

The bus was 40 miutes late picking us up- even after multiple phone calls- Sandy, our driver and guide was well informed, but we could have used the extra time we lost from the late pickup at several of the stops - we were dropped off for the harbor cruise on time, but the boat was over 45 minutes late - when we went to the pickup point for the SkyCity tour, no one was there - we had seen what looked like our ride as we walked over from the boat, so I went back and found them, they came and picked us up and we finally got to the final destination...but several of the original passengers had given up and return to the ship. Overall, it was an unsatisfactory tour - mixed with moments of real enjoyment and knowledge.

Very informative, but found the...

Robert R, Nov 2017

Very informative, but found the Harbor Cruise and City Sightseeing sights and commentary crossed over. You could have done either the City Sightseeing Tour or Harbor Cruise. Sky Tower had excellent views.