I`ve been in New Zealand for 4 weeks now and I am really overwhelmed by the beauty of this country.

Because it is difficult to summarize the whole time I just want to tell you about my favourite day which I`ve had since my arrival.

During my time in Auckland I searched for a one day tour which is a little bit different from the normal commercialised tours with large buses and heaps of people. I wanted to see the nature and the beaches and at the same time learn something about the history of these places, especially about Maori history. I found the company Potiki Adventures which offer Maori one day excursions for small groups in Auckland. I booked a day with them and haven`t regretted it…

On a lovely and sunny Thursday morning Melissa, the owner of the company, picked me and the other two persons up from our hotels and we first stopped at One Tree Hill. At the summit we had a gorgeous view over the city and the sea and learned a lot about the origin and history of this place and the surrounding area. It was very interesting listening to the stories about this volcanic mountain which is also called None Tree Hill because there isn`t a tree anymore. Next we went to Kingsland, a small and beautiful suburb of Auckland, had lunch at a café and visited some Maori arts shops. Then we continued with my favourite part of this tour. We drove to the west coast and to the rain forest where we stopped to do a bush walk. It was amazing walking among these plants and trees with their beautiful green colours and getting information about their history and Maori uses. We finished our day with a visit to a famous black sand surf beach - Piha Beach. Here we could swim, refresh or just relax and absorb the beautiful impressions.

I really enjoyed the day and recommend it to you if you are interested to half an awesome day in Auckland!

Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2009