Discover New Zealand’s stunning natural and cultural history. Be amazed by its vibrant vineyards and mysterious glowworm caves; all waiting to be explored!
Discover how Christchurch rebuilt itself after a devastating earthquake and explore New Zealand’s Parliament Building – The Beehive (or Beehive in short), or visit Alexander Turnbull Library to view national documents from your country.
Auckland
Discover Auckland’s fascinating cultural heritage on one of our exciting tours. From geothermal landscapes and Maori traditions, all the way back to 1840 when Maori and European settlers signed the Treaty of Waitangi; this will be an experience you won’t forget!
St Patrick’s Cathedral first opened its doors in 1841 as a simple wooden structure to serve a congregation. Today it offers literary walks around Avondale, Balmoral and Blockhouse Bay that showcase their past; take this tour of Mt Eden; learn its history via a walking tour; or see its historic Northcote Point heritage area for yourself on one.
Avondale
Experience New Zealand’s heritage, iconic outdoor activities, and 4-star accommodation on this tour. Learn about central Wellington’s engineering history during a guided walking tour led by local guides.
Reefton holds a claim to fame as being the first town in Southern Hemisphere with electric lights, Blacks Point Museum and Waiuta being New Zealand’s richest goldmine ghost town.
Oamaru, one of New Zealand’s oldest cities, offers visitors plenty of charming historic treasures to see and do. Discover artisan craft guilds, Victorian precinct shops and quirky restaurants while taking in New Zealand flora and fauna all around you.
Balmoral
New Zealand offers breathtaking fiords, golden sand beaches, hidden coves and tranquil waterways that provide the ideal setting for small ship expedition cruising. Additionally, this island nation is home to unique plants and animals found only here such as native forests and marine reserves.
Thousands gathered to witness Queen Elizabeth II’s flag-draped coffin leave her Scottish estate Balmoral Castle for its final journey to Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh after an eight-hour road journey, passing Crathie Kirk Church where she often attended while vacationing at Balmoral.
Blockhouse Bay
Discover the heritage of Blockhouse Bay by taking a short walk around some of its most notable buildings. This suburb boasts over 150 years of New Zealand history dating back to 1860s!
The Blockhouse offers aesthetic value as a simple symmetrical brick building in a hilltop location. Furthermore, its historical significance stems from being one of twelve defensive strongposts planned to defend colonial capital Auckland during 1860.
Historic and architectural significance lie with this cottage as it features gibraltar walls – an outstanding example of early architecture that now houses both the Blockhouse Bay Historical Society and its replica fencible.
Browns Bay
Maori culture remains vibrant today. Visit Tamaki Maori Village to immerse yourself in Maori life; witness ceremonial rituals and unforgettable performances!
In 1876, the Brown family gave the bay its name when they purchased 136 acres covered with tutu, fern, and ti trees. Soon afterwards, steamer transport from cities began transporting holidaymakers out here for vacation.
Join Bevan Climo, son of a paramount chief and master pounamu carver, for an extraordinary cultural experience! You’ll explore archaeological sites, sacred cultural sites and pristine natural landscapes during this tour.
Manukau
New Zealand only retains a handful of precolonial buildings; however, places such as Mangere Mountain with two active volcanoes offer visitors insight into Maori culture and tradition.
Manukau county and Manurewa borough were combined into Manukau city in 1965, which later became part of Auckland City in 2010. Today it’s an urban area featuring large tracts of agricultural land as well as industries including transport equipment manufacturing and food processing. Manukau boasts numerous heritage sites that can be explored with free walks.
Mt Eden
Mt Eden was traditionally known as a residential area during the 19th century and located some distance away from both its business center and churches centered along Queen Street.
Mt Eden Prison stands as one of the most striking heritage structures in its suburb, constructed out of basalt rock from nearby sources and using prisoners as labour. Once home to notable Maori figures like Mokomoko and Rua Kenana from Ringatu prophetage.
Join Edward Bennett on a guided walk of Karangahape Road for an interactive guided tour, taking in many scheduled or registered historic homes in Mt Eden. Please allow two hours.
Northcote Point
Discover New Zealand’s rich cultural heritage on this memorable day trip, from volcanoes and glaciers, rainforests and magnificent fjords – and everything in between – through this extraordinary day tour. Enjoy engaging short walks and learn about their pioneering history from sheep farmers to winemakers!
This Northcote Point walking tour explores its historic landmarks and fascinating past. Led by a resident, this two-hour stroll starts at Bridgeway Theatre where there is parking nearby; costs NZ$5, see map here and costs $5 – see route here for details.
Otuataua Stonefields
Mangere Reserve is the last vestige of an extensive Maori settlement-agricultural system and is classified as Category 2 under New Zealand Heritage Rating System criteria; however it faces being built over by development on nearby Ihumatao Island.
Low mounds of volcanic scoria stone create garden terraces made up of garden terraces made up primarily of kumara storage pits. Polynesians would leave crops lying around until harvest time but this was impractical in New Zealand due to its cooler climate; for this reason kumara would need to be stored away instead in pits like these for storage purposes. These terraces were also used for growing other vegetables like taro, yam and gourds on them.
Papatoetoe
Papatoetoe is the largest suburb in terms of population in Auckland, New Zealand and can be found west of Manukau and southeast of Auckland CBD. Due to its large concentration of Indian residents, it is widely known as Auckland’s Little India.
At 150 years as a separate local body in 2012, a heritage trail was unveiled to commemorate this milestone event. A variety of 118 events such as street parades, ethnic, religious & family festivals, library activities, exhibitions & sports activities took place over this year alone. A commemorative crest with motto Kia mahi tahi (let’s pull together) featuring toetoe grass and wheat sheaves symbolising past accomplishments was designed as part of this commemoration initiative.