This 90 minute walking tour led by a local expert will introduce you to Maori Culture, Myth and Monument. On this walk you will visit a functioning Marae - A Sacred Maori Meeting House.
Gain insight into Auckland’s rich cultural heritage through the mediums of art, monument and architecture. This tour will introduce you to Maori Culture- which is alive, evolving and significant to Aotearoa (New Zealand).
The Auckland Cultural Walking Tour begins in impressive Aotea Square, site of many important cultural attractions such as the Auckland Town Hall and the magnificent Waharoa Arch. After a short introduction here, we begin making our way down quaint inner city lanes to two well-known attractions rich in cultural history- the St James Theatre and Kate Sheppard Memorial Fountain.
From this location we head to the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tamaki, recently extended in a contemporary style. Here your guide will point out the Maori symbolism in this impressive building.
Passing by two Maori carvings and a number of public sculptures we make our way to picturesque Albert Park a site with many intriguing secrets. Here you will learn of the transformations of this public park, from Maori pa to wartime barracks to beautiful gardens.
Following this, we make our way through the University of Auckland campus, home to a number of important historic buildings and artifacts. We will pass by the barracks wall remnant, Old Choral Hall and Merchant Houses as we make out way to Waterloo Quadrant.
Next, the tour will visit a sacred Maori meeting house. Here your guide will tell you about Maori architecture, cultural practices and the role of Marae in contemporary New Zealand.
Passing through the beautiful Government House gardens full of New Zealand flora and fauna we make our way to Victoria Street. Here the tour will conclude at a great vantage point of Auckland’s Sky Tower and the Albert Park entrance arch. We will finish the tour in close connection to further arts and cultural attractions you may wish to explore after the tour.
Really enjoyed this tour. We were lucky to be the only people on the tour so had the guide to ourselves. She was very knowledgeable and very friendly, and we would highly recommend her. The tour was just the right length and gave us a good feel of the layout of the area.
Review by: Jenny S, February 2017
Our guide, Justin, was very knowledgeable about the history of Auckland. He covered sites and activities of tailored interest to the members of the group. We greatly enjoyed our tour. It was at a pace that we all could keep up with.Highly recommended!
Review by: Barbara M, November 2016
This walking tour was THE highlight of our trip. The woman that was out guide was amazing. Better than I could have anticipated.
Review by: Lisa V, January 2016
Wonderful tour and the guide was very informative and pleasant. We walked around the city for 90 minutes and saw so many wonderful sights. The information that was given by the tour guide was incredible. That night we went to Orbits for dinnerin the Sky Tower on the 52 floorand were shocked at just how much ground we covered in such a short period.
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