Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges
Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges
Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
The Arataki Visitor Centre is the gateway to the Waitakere Ranges Regional park, with more then 16,000 hectares of native rainforest and coastline. Free entry to the Visitor centre for everyone.
Duration: < 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
23 within 3 miles
Attractions
26 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
978 reviews
Excellent
705
Very good
246
Average
23
Poor
3
Terrible
1
leuveen
United Kingdom1,284 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
The centre itself is quite small, it has toilets, a shop and a couple of rooms. No food is available so make sure you bring your own. The paths around the centre are fantastic - beautiful forest full of trees, grasses and other plants.
Written 13 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patricia C
Houston, TX124 contributions
Nov 2022
Make this place your first stop when visiting the Waitakere Ranges. The park rangers will inform which trails are currently closed due to kauri dieback disease. Lots of cool displays and some lovely souvenirs. Then head out to the Arataki Trail located near the visitor center and walk to the Cathedral Grove of kauri trees - absolutely magical to visit these ancient trees. The walk is easy and well-posted, should be easy for anyone of reasonable fitness. Please respect this place by cleaning your shoes going in and out. We sat and scrubbed our hiking boots at the cleaning station. Kauri dieback disease is terrible and has no known cure. You can actually see these wonderful trees bleeding. Totally enjoyed this walk - our very first one in New Zealand!
Written 28 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JoanieM620
Grantsburg, WI197 contributions
Oct 2022
The Visitor Center has a lot of good information about the Waitakere ranges and some Maori stories about the area. The views of Auckland and the water were great. It was a good starting point for our tour of the rainforest.
Written 18 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jo W
6 contributions
Nov 2022
This place is a real gem. We love coming here. Like the title says, its a fantastic, beautiful, informative place to visit.
Written 15 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Happy Travels at Felicity 888
Auckland, New Zealand55 contributions
Apr 2020
One of the places that I would never grow tired of visiting or suggesting to my friends. It's free and it has a tiny space for kids to play. The views are magnificent and you can opt to have a Nature Trail if you have time to explore the plants and trees around.
Written 3 March 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cam T
Birkenhead, New Zealand399 contributions
Jul 2020 • Friends
Great for families with and without kids alike!
Lovely setup and welcoming staff
Definitely worth stopping by and checking out - big thumbs up 👍
Lovely setup and welcoming staff
Definitely worth stopping by and checking out - big thumbs up 👍
Written 26 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KenVicLee
Huntington Beach, CA2,123 contributions
Feb 2020
During our Auckland city tour our tour guide took us up into the Wairaere Ranges describing the flora and fauna. To highlight those things she also took us to the Arataki Visitor Center. where we could look out over the flora and see taxidermied examples of the fauna. Which is to say not only a stuffed possum but also explanations of the damage they had done to the environment as a non-native species.
It was fun to be staying in Auckland but it was very revealing to see what the surrounding area was about. A very pretty drive with some interesting stories along the way.
It was fun to be staying in Auckland but it was very revealing to see what the surrounding area was about. A very pretty drive with some interesting stories along the way.
Written 9 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
floridaherbie
Marco Island, FL223 contributions
Mar 2020
This place offers good information about the Waitakere ranges, good amenities and a stunning view over parts of the ranges. Highly recommended as a start of any activities in the Waitakere ranges.
Written 22 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bob H
Mississauga, Canada17,997 contributions
Feb 2020
My wife and I visited this site and thoroughly loved it especially all the information that is displayed. One can really learn a lot visiting this location.
Written 7 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessie K
13 contributions
Jan 2020
It is a great walk but I was very surprised that Auckland Council has not put up more signs with directions. It is very easy to get completely lost. There are some points where the road forks off in two directions with no signs or indication as to which one is going where. We ran into a lone cyclist at that point who fortunately told us which way to go since he seemed a regular. When we set off in the pointed direction he then called out to us to take a track on the left that branched off from that road that we would not even have noticed. While it is a beautiful walk, I believe that Auckland Council could do a lot better to put up more signs and directions to ensure that people don't get lost. Fortunately it was still daylight so we could at least see the tracks. We were in the ranges walking for about three hours trying to get back to the Arataki Visitor Center where we had parked our car and it was certainly not by choice or design.
Written 28 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DianeS36
Auckland, New Zealand34 contributions
Are the Karamatura and Fletcher tracks presently open?
DavidCoyle69
Titirangi, New Zealand29 contributions
Not sure with Kauri Dieback Rahui and haven’t been out for a while.
gaojing
5 contributions
are the walks pram/stroller friendly?
johnmI9975NB
Auckland, New Zealand24 contributions
It's pretty hilly so a sling or backpack type of baby carrier would give you a good exercise routine. The heavier, the more training you'll get :-)
Mui Hui
London, UK
Hi! Is this place elderly friendly? Thanks!
Deborah J
Narrawong, Australia75 contributions
There are older people who are extrememly fit and do a lot of hiking, same as there are young people who are not fit and not used to walking. Good paths, lovely bush. If you know your limitations, wear the appropriate footwear, carry water etc and use hiking poles, I do not see why it is not possible to enjoy a walk.
Wendy K
Singapore, Singapore89 contributions
Is this a good place to go in winter like end July ?
guggetravel
auckland179 contributions
It's great anytime of year. Nice and cool in summer and in the wet weather the bush gives off a really special aroma. But have waterproof jackets and good walking shoes, because you will get everytning wet
LBPiper
Nairobi, Kenya8 contributions
Good day! I am arriving in Auckland late tomorrow evening and leave the following day at 7pm. I have one day (less). I would really like to see Waitakere Ranges. What is the best way - hire a taxi? Time is at a premium. Sounds like I can eat and such there. I would love to see the beach and hike a bit before heading back for some shopping. Is a morning there from 9-1pm a reasonable amount of time? Thanks!
KAMAL72
Bangkok, Krung Thep, Thailand9 contributions
We are going in APRIL 2017 as Auckland city do not have much to do, can we drive to Waitakere ranges and come back in the evening?? Which all spots we should visit or any normal activity which we can do as we have 3 kids 12,11,9
Molly W
Auckland, New Zealand17 contributions
Yes it is a good day trip from the city. The Arataki Visitor centre has a short loop and long loop walk which will give you a good look at the native forest and there are information signs. Allow 45 min for the walk and at least as long to see the visitor centre. Ideas to fill out the day:
1. visit Piha Surf Beach (but only swim beween the flags, or just go for walks). There is a nice cafe, an interesting art gallery with ceramics, and a beach-side take-aways in Piha.
2. Just Plane Interesting junk shop is great to visit too. It is now 2 shops, one on Parrs Cross Rd and the other down the driveway at Artisan Wines. It has some old set props from the Lucy Lawless Xena Warrior Princess series on display and lots of interesting treasures for sale - old records, toys etc. There is a cafe next to it with local art for sale.
3. Titirangi Village has nice cafes and an excellent art gallery Te Uru if the kids are ok with art. It is a short drive by car from Arataki Visitor Centre. If you like bush walking you can walk from the visitor centre to Titirangi in about an hour and there are stories about the history of the area along the way. Or you can cycle it but you need to provide your own bikes. You need retrace your steps to return to the visitor centre.
Debbie L
Auckland, New Zealand2 contributions
◦Will you pick up and drop off at my hotel?
Clarke Beaux
Prince George, Canada129 contributions
You can arrange with a taxi driver about this or resort to something cheap and exciting to travel. Uber and local taxis can help you on this.
2-4travelfun
Placentia, CA5 contributions
If you are staying near Central Auckland and you have no car what is the easiest way to get to Waitakere Ranges for some hikes.
230377
auckland40 contributions
You can take a bus to Titirangi from there it is just over an hours walk along scenic drive to the Arataki Visitors Centre. From there
you can walk under the road and be on a bush track in minutes. They are not long tracks but you can get a great feel for the Northern bush, there are some stands of Kauri and several loop walks with lookouts.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingARATAKI VISITOR CENTRE - WAITAKERE RANGES: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges:
- Afternoon Piha Beach and Rainforest Tour from Auckland (From £91.15)
- Coast and Rainforest Eco-Tour from Auckland with Lunch (From £140.42)
- Auckland Maori Tour (From £194.62)
- Auckland City Highlights, Afternoon Piha Beach & Rainforest Tour (From £133.03)
- Auckland City and West Coast Full Day Tour (From £169.98)
- Hotels near Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges:
- (9.14 mi) Eden Park Bed & Breakfast
- (9.69 mi) Eden Villa Bed & Breakfast
- (9.74 mi) Hotel Fitzroy curated by Fable
- (9.72 mi) Oaklands Lodge Backpacker Hostel
- (7.01 mi) Piha Beachstay Accommodation
- Restaurants near Arataki Visitor Centre - Waitakere Ranges:
- (0.70 mi) The Olive Kitchen and Bar
- (5.17 mi) Goode Brothers New Lynn
- (9.68 mi) One Tree Grill
- (9.65 mi) XOONG
- (6.41 mi) Chikos Restaurant and Cafe