Auckland City Tour: A Goguided Experience Review

Thinking about seeing Auckland but don’t have heaps of time or you are unsure where to start? Then a city tour could be ideal. The Auckland Goguided City Tour shows a whole lot in a relatively short space of time. What’s it actually like to go on one, and is that a worthwhile way for you to get to know New Zealand’s biggest city? I went along and here’s what I reckon.

First Impressions of the Goguided Auckland City Tour

Okay, so you get to jump on a bus that, frankly, is pretty comfortable and the guide starts chatting right away. Right off the bat it’s apparent this isn’t going to be just a point-and-shoot kind of deal; you get given a decent dose of history and interesting facts that you, perhaps, might never figure out on your own. The guides appear very knowledgeable. Even the route, the way it flows just seems carefully planned, with some pretty amazing views all around. It kind of made me, well, excited for the couple of hours ahead. This isn’t just some bland tour, it promises more, right? So far, very good.

What You’ll See: The Tour Highlights

The tour actually crams in a whole stack of different well-known landmarks, even lesser known sites. Expect to clap your eyes on Auckland Harbour Bridge. We’re talking about a massive chunk of metal without equal, an engineering marvel plus it’s one super cool thing to photograph. Then, you are whisked off to places such as the Auckland Domain, the city’s oldest park, and, seemingly, quite a lush green area which just comes as a surprise right in the heart of things. The War Memorial Museum has that striking presence. Each spot tends to bring a story, that our guide manages to convey well. Everything kind of meshes in a really pleasing way, you get that contrast between buildings of today and historical spots. And yet, that blend, so far, seems pretty special.

The Guide: More Than Just a Narrator

Now, the tour could either make it or break it just depending on the guide. Well it’s such a joy to hear that ours actually added heaps of value. Way beyond just someone stating names, dates. This person has got that spark, it is almost that of an engaging storyteller. You know, sharing bits of history, peppering everything with humorous bits. That passion they have for Auckland? It showed. What may really have stood out for me was their ability to handle any random question thrown at them, often having insightful, cool answers, not simply brushed-off replies. Seems they certainly knew their stuff. This just goes to make the experience something so much better, it is really worth it.

Comfort and Convenience: Riding Around Auckland

City tours can, potentially, mean endless stops, uncomfortable seating, too much hustle and bustle. Well I’m keen to tell you the Goguided tour has everything covered, right down to providing comfy seats. Very, very comfy seats! Air conditioning, I can confirm, worked a treat on what seemed a warmer day and the big windows give you those uninterrupted views; these things do matter a bunch, after all. What struck me was that they really stuck to the schedule; what this did was give plenty of opportunity at each place we stopped, without that feeling that we were really being rushed along. So, a big tick regarding convenience; no stress at all, very organised.

Photo Opportunities: Capturing Auckland’s Beauty

You really get to witness some very good stuff, you can get the camera clicking. Now it isn’t just the famous spots either, which you do see. But also corners you would perhaps just walk on by and not realise their unique character. The tour guides know just those spots. So if it’s a skyline view from up high, or that gorgeous shot across Waitematā Harbour, you get many chances to take pictures you’re likely to keep forever. It goes without saying that there may well be enough opportunity to nail those social media uploads to make folk envious. You’d agree that’s, after all, a huge bonus for loads of travellers, wouldn’t you?

Value for Money: Is It Worth It?

So you think what this comes down to: you are deciding what that actually offers when against the price point. Considering what you witness, the knowledge the tour guide has and the sheer comfort on offer, then I would probably state the Goguided Auckland City Tour provides a lot. Very good. It’s more than only seeing some iconic stuff. With the additional little bits shared regarding the culture, and even some modern life bits, then you walk off that bus feeling that you know Auckland just a little more, and understand the area far better. Very, very useful if this tends to be your initial time there.

Who Is This Tour Best Suited For?

The thing about these tours is, like your tour, sometimes they fit folk and other times not, basically. This, actually, is super versatile though. Solo travellers gain so much, it acts a neat means for introduction into the city. First-timers obtain a brilliant, broad introduction; perfect as a starting point when planning what’s next, yet. Plus, if your legs just aren’t so great, or that the weather may just seem pretty bad, a bus trip could really be just perfect. Families also should reap great benefits as you could keep all amused, while seeing some good stuff with very little effort required.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Tour

Want the tour to seem much, much better still? Try these tips! You should look to get some suitable clothing. That almost goes without you having to mention it, still Auckland weather could change quickly. Layers always tend to be sensible. Keep some water on you, a bit of walking usually will build a thirst. Yet if you’ve some questions then fire those at your tour guide; they’re normally only too very happy to assist you to delve even further. Obviously you must have some form of camera available (fully charged), because as you’ve spotted, you’ll witness vistas that you really will need to capture.

Final Thoughts: My Verdict on the Goguided Auckland City Tour

Okay, winding things up, it would appear the Goguided Auckland City Tour has heaps going for it. So from super comfortable seats and genuinely useful facts shared through the tour guide, everything seemed, in short, very very good. You discover much more in only a couple of hours, saving heaps of time, removing almost every need to start pre-tour studying! If this happens to be your introduction to Auckland then look to take one of such tours soon in your visit, enabling everything you spot soon in that bus journey could make later exploration so much, much better.