The 11 Best Hauraki Gulf Island Tours from Auckland

1.Sunset kayak tour to Rangitoto Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 168 reviews · from $152Our pick

Join Auckland Sea Kayaks for a six-and-a-half-hour evening adventure to Rangitoto. You’ll paddle about 5 kilometers each way, eat a Kiwi barbecue, hike to the summit, and return after dark with guides such as Daniel, Byron, or Eric.

“Tom was a great tour guide! There was a bit of a headwind on the way over but upon arrival we were prepared a tasty bbq dinner. The hike to the top was reasonably easy and the views were stunning at sunset. We got a bit of some history of the island and the surrounding areas. You are supplied with everything you need for the trip but I would potentially bring your own headlamp or torch, some water, and a warm fleece for arrival at the island. Overall this was an excellent trip for an extremely reasonable price!”

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2.Auckland to Rangitoto Island Ferry

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 109 reviews · from $37Best value

Ride the Fullers360 ferry from downtown Auckland across the Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto Island. Walk the boardwalk to the 260-metre summit, explore lava caves, or add a guided tractor-pulled tour if available. Bring food, water, sunscreen, and sturdy shoes.

“Very nice trip, lovely views and helpfull quider. I can recommend this trip everybody who want to know something new about nature in New Zealand”

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3.Day sea kayak tour Rangitoto Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · from $152

Kayak from St. Heliers across Waitemata Harbour to Rangitoto Island, then hike for about an hour to the volcanic summit before a catered Kiwi barbecue. Small groups, experienced guides such as Daniel, Eric, and Chloe, and no kayaking experience required, but you need moderate fitness.

“Are you in Auckland? This is a MUST-DO experience! Informative and friendly guides took us to the island and back, and despite some interesting weather on the way back we had an incredible time!! Kayaking was moderate exercise and the hike was very scenic with incredible views. Zero regrets, 10/10, a perfect addition to our trip to New Zealand.”

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4.Sunset & Night Sea Kayak Tour to Rangitoto Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 60 reviews · from $138

Paddle from St Heliers Beach to Rangitoto Island with an English-speaking guide, hike 2.5 km to the summit, eat a Kiwi BBQ, and kayak back after dark. First-timers are welcome, but you need good fitness and spare dry clothes. Guides such as Daniel, Kobey, Dan, and Eric have led recent trips.

“Dan top notch guide, entertaining, reliable, knowledgeable, confident and great cook!”

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5.Motukorea / Browns Island Sea Kayak Journey

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · from $121

Paddle from central Auckland to Motukorea, also called Browns Island, in a small group of up to eight. Auckland Sea Kayaks supplies the gear, safety briefing, guides, snacks, and hot drinks. No kayaking experience is needed, but you should be reasonably fit for a short, steep summit walk.

“Everything was perfect. My sister and I had an amazing experience from the kayaking, snack, and hike around browns island.”

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6.Auckland City & Hauraki Gulf Scenic Flight

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 34 reviews · 45 min · from $178

Join a small group of up to nine for a 45-minute flight over Waiheke Island, Auckland, and Rangitoto. Expect coastline, vineyards, the Sky Tower, Harbour Bridge, and a close look into Rangitoto’s crater, with English commentary from your pilot or local guide.

“it was a great flight!! loved learning more about the area!”

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7.Rangitoto Island: Sea Kayak & Summit Hike Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 31 reviews · from $144

Kayak from St Heliers Bay across Waitematā Harbour with an English-speaking guide, hike about an hour to Rangitoto’s summit, then enjoy a barbecue lunch and drinks. The group is limited to nine, and guides such as Tony, Ben, Daniel, and Eric have led past trips.

“Excellent trip, Ben our guide was great. We laughed and had a fun day., We were lucky with calm water for the kayak trip and nice walk up to the crater. There are other trails on the island so it would be nice perhaps with more time on the island to walk longer.”

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8.Browns Island (Motukorea) Sea Kayak Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · 4 hours · from $89

Paddle from St Heliers Beach to uninhabited Motukorea with an English-speaking guide. You get a 30-minute safety briefing, 45 to 60 minutes each way on the water, a short island walk, and views across Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf. Guides include Ryan, Legend, Ben, and Hailey.

“I had a great day out paddling to and exploring browns island. Our guide Legend was a Legend, very knowledgeable, answering any questions we had. Would 100% recommend this tour.”

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9.Hauraki Gulf Eco Sailing Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · from $403

Join Captain Bruce and the Terra & Tide crew aboard the Pacific Star for a seven-hour Hauraki Gulf outing from Waiheke. Expect sailing, a guided walk on a pest-free island, seabirds, possible dolphins or whales, swimming, snorkeling, SUP boarding, lunch, and time to relax on deck.

“Wind and sailing were excellent. Captain Bruce let us sail quite a bit. We also had a walk on Tiritiri Matangi island that had amazing birds and views. His lunch spread was also top-notch.”

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10.Tiritiri Matangi Island Discovery – from Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 17 reviews · from $68

Take a return ferry from Auckland Viaduct or Gulf Harbour to pest-free Tiritiri Matangi. Spend about five hours on foot among kōkako, takahē, tīeke, tuatara, native bush, cliff-top tracks, beaches, and New Zealand’s oldest working lighthouse. A guided walk is available on the island.

“Today was a fantastic day. I think everybody should go out there and I recommend doing the guided tour as well. You can book that when you get to the kiosk to check in.”

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11.Half-Day Sea Kayak Tour to Motukorea Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 4h 30m · from $116

Paddle from St Heliers Beach to Motukorea Island with a friendly English-speaking guide, then walk to the volcanic summit for wide Hauraki Gulf and Auckland views. The small group has up to eight people, with instruction, equipment, snacks, and optional museum pickup included.

“This whole experience was awesome! We actually ended up going on the Rangitoto kayaking trip because the Motukorea one fell through on the day we had planned, so they put us on the more expensive tour with no additional costs! They were so accommodating. We had Bennet as a tour guide and he was so awesome, he deserves a bonus!! He was so easy to talk to, knowledgeable, and such a joy to spend the day with. Even though our tour was on a gloomy day, he adjusted our plans to make the day just as exciting and fulfilling as we had hoped for! He was such a fantastic guide.…”

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