Highlights
- Walk among 500-year-old kauri, one hour from downtown Auckland
- Picnic at Karekare Waterfall, then swim beneath it or at Piha
- Finish on the Mercer Bay clifftops above the Tasman Sea
- Private tour for your group only, guided by Paul
- • From short forest walks to a 16 km day: the route is shaped to you
Description
Tahi is a private day tour from Auckland into the Waitākere Ranges and West Coast: kauri rainforest, native birds, waterfalls and the black-sand beaches of Karekare and Piha. Your day includes Auckland pickup, a private guide and a picnic lunch, with the route shaped around your group.
We pick you up at 9:00 am and drive west to the Arataki Visitor Centre, gateway to the Waitākere Ranges, with views over the forest and the story of Te Kawerau ā Maki's guardianship of it. From there the day is yours to shape.
A relaxed day is three or four short walks of 10 to 45 minutes on formed tracks — the Arataki Nature Trail past 500-year-old kauri, Karekare Waterfall, Te Piringa through a valley of kauri, kahikatea, rimu and tōtara with kererū, tūī and pīwakawaka overhead. A full day out is 15–16 km with up to 800 m of climbing on the Comans and Mercer Bay tracks or the Montana Trail. Most groups land somewhere in the middle, with time for a swim at the base of a waterfall or between the flags at Piha.
Lunch is a gourmet New Zealand picnic in the forest. Late in the day we swap rainforest for the clifftops of the Mercer Bay Loop, with the Tasman Sea breaking on black sand below, before dropping you back in Auckland around 4:30 pm.
Every Takahē Adventures tour is just your own party — we never combine bookings. No hiking experience is needed, children are welcome, and we set the pace to the slowest legs in the group. We follow strict kauri-dieback hygiene at every track entry and leave-no-trace practice throughout.
Includes
Auckland pick up and return
Private tour guided by Paul
Gourmet picnic lunch
Excludes
Restaurant meals (Aryeh in Piha or The Olive Kitchen and Bar can be added on request)
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
