Perfect, carry on reading to learn what you can expect on the tour (no spoilers, I promise).
At the start of the tour by the Ferry Terminal on the waterfronr
The Auckland free walking tour is a replica of the concept seen all over Europe, where companies fight hard to convince people they’re the best free walking tour.
Luckily for us, there’s just the one free walking tour in Auckland, AFWT.co.nz. And so that’s the company you’ll be joining if you go on a tour as I did.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DETAILS ABOUT ABOUT FREE WALKING TOUR IN AUCKLAND
Rating?1
Any good walking tour has a good amount of history that’s not too complicated. This tour nailed that in delivering facts about New Zealand and Auckland across a number of topics, perfect for both those who have just arrived into Auckland Airport and been in the country for a while.
I understand it’s best (the norm) for walking tours to start in a central place that’s easy to access, but with the current construction projects going on around Britomart they should change the meeting location. The noise can be frustrating for both the guide and the guests…it was impossible to hear some of the introduction. Also, a lot of people showed up, 30+ and there wasn’t another guide to split up the group making things easier for everyone. The tour itself and the guide? Awesome.
WHERE YOU WALK
Start: Next to the downtown Ferry Building
- Queen Street
- Imperial Lane
- Fort Lane
- Vulcan Lane
- High Street
- Women’s Suffrage Memorial
- Albert Park
- Settlers Walking Route
Finish: Britomart
io>*some guides may alter the route to fit their personal taste/opinions
HOW TO GET THERE
With the starting location on the Auckland waterfront by the ferry terminal (you can start the Coast to Coast walkway from here too), in most cases you’ll be able to walk to the starting point from the Auckland CBD, or you can catch public transport to Britomart.
RELATED POST: 14 AWESOME THINGS TO DO IN AUCKLAND
AUCKLAND FREE WALKING TOUR REPORT
Walking in Albert Park, a slice of greenery and volcano facts on the walking tour.
I’ll give a super brief rundown of the tour before letting you know if it’s worth it, in my opinion.
Starting off at the ferry terminal our guide, Louise, spent five minutes or so with an introduction while battling the noisy construction. I didn’t hear everything she said, but it was letting us know what the tour was going to entail and asking where we were all from. Oh, and she made sure that everyone had sunblock on which was nice.
It was then onto Fort Lane via Queens Street where we walked through the sneaky cool, Imperial Lane, which I never would have spotted if I was on my own. This ends up on Fort Lane where we started to start to learn about the origins of NZ and the various phases of Fort Lane.
A view of the pub on Vulcan Lane
We then made our way up to Vulcan Lane where we started to learn about how Auckland came to be today, and why an Irish Pub that still exists today.
A walk along High Street was next, a hotspot of small independent businesses that our guide clearly loved as she pointed out some of the shops with a quick bit of information about them before we got a chance to see someone leap off the bungy from the Sky Tower.
NZ was the first country to let women vote. You’ll learn more about the story behind this occassion at the Suffrage Memorial on Khartoum Place.
Khartoum Place is home to a memorial to Women’s Suffrage, oiffering an insight into the progressive side of NZ.
The short walk to the Auckland Art Gallery is where we had an introduction to some Maori words used in everyday in NZ (not to be confused with New Zealand slang).
After a short walk to Albert Park (beautiful) and the former Governors House it was back towards Britomart where we finished the tour.
Is the free walking tour in Auckland worth it?
See the red lights? Oh, the stories!
Yes, you’ll learn a bunch of interesting info about New Zealand and Auckland. While the tour is advertised as 2.5 hours long you’ll likely be finished well sooner than that (I think 2.5 hours for a free walking tour is too long). And while there’s no commitment to make a donation, you should really as it is a job for the guides, who would probably love to host the tours for free but NZ ain’t cheap! Also, I’m not sure if all guides have the same tour routes or not, so keep that in mind.
Expected donation range per person? I asked AFWT if they have an answer to this. This was the response:
“We don’t really have a suggested koha for the walk. We let our walkers value their experience and give their guide what they feel is appropriate.”
Most people who travel around NZ will say you should skip Auckland, and while I can understand what they’re saying, it’s not the end of the world if you end up here for a few days (day trips galore). And you likely will spend at least 24 hours here given it’s the largest hub in and out of the country. Therefore, you should do the free walking tour, Auckland might just impress you more than you expect.
What to read next:
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.