Listing ID: 76672
Day Trip To The Black Sand Beaches Starting From Auckland
Auckland's most adventurous day trip to the black sand beaches including Piha, Muriwai, Bethells, Whatipu and also to the iconic Kitekite Falls in the Waitakere rain forest. This tour includes swimming, hiking, scrambling and active exploring of these amazing locations. Duration: 6 Hours (approx.)Easy Cancellation - Cancel 3 days before for a full refund
Printed or mobile voucher accepted
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Black Sand Tours are aimed at hikers, surfers, backpackers, families and anyone with a sense of adventure. None of our photos are marketing – we take hundreds of pictures every single tour, and make them available to our customers for free.
We collect you at 10:00am from the central Auckland. You will spend six hours with us (drop-off between 3:30 – 4:30), visit two of the locations above in a day. Customer preference for locations is heavily weighted in choosing the locations.
Lunch is not included, but we stop on the way to let you purchase sandwiches / coffee etc and we eat in amazing scenery. Activities vary at each location, depending on the weather conditions (surf, tides, wind, rain) and the group capabilities (fitness, swimming level, etc) but may include them.
The tour is fine for Children over 4 – we promise they will sleep well at night! The tour is fine for elderly people but being able to walk for 30 mins on hills / etc is a requirement so if there are health concerns, message us for a private chat first.
- What Will You Do
- Be taken to amazing places you would never find without us- Have a safe trip as you explore this beautiful coastline
- Get a complete photo-log of your trip with us, included in the price
- Swim in caves, waterfalls, rivers or lakes, cross rivers, snorkel lagoons, hike and practice cliff diving
- Explore caves, tide pools (crabs, sea anemony, jellyfish, shellfish), do some rock scrambling and bouldering
- What Is Included
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off (central Auckland only)- Guide
- Transport
- What Is Not Included
- Food and drink- Any other personal expenses
- Transfers
We will pick you up and drop you off in your accommodation in central Auckland or one of the following locations:- Peter Pans on Fort Street
- The Stables on Elliot Street
- Sky City Hotel
- FAQ
Do I need to be able to swim?
No, we will adjust the tour to suit you if you can't swim at all. We have a chat about swimming capability before we leave. Many of our customers haven't been able to swim.
Why is the sand black?
The Black Sand is very different to beaches in Hawaii or Iceland. It is still Black from iron, but it is a mixture of iron and silicon. It is for some reason the softest and finest sand in the world. It is more like dust, or powder snow... Powder snow that is warmed from the sun! It is the most amazing sand to play in / lie in / roll down / etc.
I heard you can swim the Keyhole at Piha. Do you do this?
Yes. But only in certain conditions. Big surf, large sand-dumps and weird tidal movements are things that can rule it out. It isn't always a good idea. But if it is on the day we take you, we will definately do it.
I have heard your guides take free photos of us as we are exploring?
Yes. Our guides take typically 200+ photos a day of our groups. We try to get you swimming, climbing, scrambling, in amazing scenery, rather than just posing. We operate a strict no-duckface policy. Duckface is banned on BlackSand tours! Only kidding. Make duckface if you must.
What will we eat on the tour?
We make a pit-stop (15-20 mins) on our way to the locations, at Titirangi. This gives you the opportunity to buy a packed lunch, if you don;t already have one. Or get water / sunscreen / etc.
OK. So what should I bring?
Togs. Togs are Kiwi for SWIMMING CLOTHES. Even if it's winter and you think you wont swim, you will likely cross rivers, pools, get splashed by surf. Togs are essential for maximum fun on this day. You may not swim, but you will want the option.
Jandals - this is Kiwi for FLIPFLOPS or what the Australians bizzarely call 'Thongs'. Footwear that is easy to take on (when the sand is hot, or we are walking on rocks) or take off (when we wade across rivers, pools, etc).
Track shoes can also work. Some people prefer them on rocks.
Water - there is no drinkable water in any of the places we go.
Sunscreen - you can burn in NZ much faster than anywhere else in the world (hole in Ozone Layer) - bring sunscreen.
A raincoat. NZ has 4 seasons in one day. Even if the sky is blue - bring a raincoat. It will protect you from the wind.
Camera - especially waterproof cameras are awesome. If your camera isn't waterproof, don't panic - we will be taking lots of pics of the day and they are free!
How long is the tour?
We say you will be back between 3:30 - 4:00pm, so a solid six hours. It isn't impossible that we are not back on time - it happens. If you are on a cruise ship let us know and we will make the finish time a priority. Otherwise, if people are having fun, so are we. :)
Why start at 10:00am?
Two reasons. Traffic. Yuck! And letting customers have a little sleep in!
What time does the tour depart?
The tour departs at 10:00am from central Auckland. Central Auckland goes from the Skytower outwards 2kms roughly. We can pick you up from most places in that radius. And drop you back.
