Top 5 St Heliers Car Tours: See Auckland in Style

So, you’re checking out St Heliers and maybe you’re wondering, what are some brilliant ways to take in the sights? Forget cramming onto a bus or sticking to a fixed schedule. The charm of exploring this spot often comes from doing things at your pace, soaking things in, and hitting those viewpoints when the lighting is really something. A car can really open the door to some delightful Auckland moments, you know? We have had experiences exploring, and are happy to report back. With that in mind, we took a gander at what’s on offer for car tours that kick off from lovely St Heliers Auckland. Think coastal drives, views of distant islands, and little cafés just waiting to be discovered, is that exciting or what?

Tour 1: The Classic Coastal Route to Mission Bay and Beyond

For tour one, that is just ideal if you want a breezy introduction, right? Starting in St Heliers, it’s almost impossible to not point your hood towards the coastal road going west, yeah? Think Tamaki Drive—this little ribbon of road is just gorgeous, and it gives you some top notch harbor views as you cruise on by, still. Stopping at Mission Bay? That’s nearly a must. You could grab an ice cream, kick back on the grass and do a bit of people watching, that sort of thing. If you really have some time to spend, keep on going all the way around to the city center or beyond, and see where it takes you; it’s quite relaxing. This way is particularly special early in the morning or just as the sun starts dipping, by the way.

Tour 2: St Heliers to the Summit of Mount Wellington

You want vistas? Ah, so you want vistas. Point yourself south-ish, and after a moderately quick drive from St Heliers, the prize that is Mount Wellington rises up, is that neat? Even better is you could actually drive near its summit—you aren’t getting that climbing workout, yet you’ll still get incredible views, pretty cool, huh? On a fairly good day, like your looking at a panorama stretching from the Waitakere Ranges to the Bombay Hills; Auckland opens out underneath you like a map, and then you just might get your bearings, anyway. Bring a picnic? You probably should bring a picnic. It’s a rather swell place to sit and consider the sheer loveliness of it all.

Tour 3: A Scenic Loop Through Achilles Point and Eastern Beach

So, in some respects, if you really love the coast that much, maybe circle around the other way towards Achilles Point and Eastern Beach from St Heliers, alright? Achilles Point? Oh, that’s almost like a little hidden gem that overlooks the harbor, right? From there, you could cast your sight far off out toward Waiheke and the islands dotting the Hauraki Gulf. It is almost like you could soak that beauty in a bit, you know? From Achilles Point, a jaunt over to Eastern Beach offers quite a contrast—sandy shores perfect just for a dip, yet too. You could stroll along the boardwalk with an ice cream and have a bit of peace, but there’s plenty to look at; that kind of sums up an amazing seaside experience.

Tour 4: Maraetai via the Pohutukawa Coast

Looking to spend a bit more time driving and maybe go see a more secluded spot, and that’s completely possible, still. A slightly lengthier tour takes you down towards Maraetai following the ‘Pohutukawa Coast’. Why ‘Pohutukawa,’ and why ‘coast’? It’s due to it being lined, almost, with those Pohutukawa trees, which explode with these scarlet flowers a little around Christmas time; there is your photo op if the dates line up. Maraetai itself is kind of quaint, too. Grab some fresh fish and chips and sit by the harbor; just picture that. It’s the sort of tour that reminds you, like, just how much untouched loveliness the wider Auckland zone offers. If the season aligns, those crimson blooms just put things right over the top, anyway, is that interesting?

Tour 5: Exploring the Regional Parks – Duder and beyond

Ah, so if you have some craving to get away into the countryside, this really could suit you, so, too it’s almost a quick journey northeast, there happen to be places just like Duder Regional Park that’s awaiting for you with hills and coastal walking. It can seem like you’re in a different location from that city, and it will probably give you some pretty peaceful moments. After you roam there, in a way there could be a winding drive out further towards other spots nearby there that some visitors never get close to, yet, if you are just wandering you’ll probably stumble on cute little local spots to go eat at somewhere, is that appealing?