Skip to content
LarkTours

Routes · Europe

Auckland to the Canary Islands: Tenerife and La Gomera

Auckland → Tenerife → La Gomera

Tenerife
"Tenerife,_Canary_Islands_ESA23970088.jpeg" by European Space Agency, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Tenerife, Canary Islands ESA23970088 (Tenerife)
Foto: European Space Agency, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, via Wikimedia Commons

Canaries whales & volcanoes Best season (general guide): Year-round

Tenerife and La Gomera, in the Canary Islands, combine a volcano, whale watching and laurel forest. This route spends four nights on Tenerife and three on La Gomera. From Auckland it is a very long journey, with at least two connections.

Teide National Park, on Tenerife, surrounds Spain's highest mountain. A cable car climbs much of the way, and the summit path needs a permit. Whale-watching boats leave from the south-west coast, where pilot whales and dolphins live all year. La Laguna, a UNESCO-listed colonial town, and the cliffs of Los Gigantes are good day trips.

Take the ferry to La Gomera. Garajonay National Park protects a laurel forest, often wrapped in mist. The island's ravines are dotted with small villages.

The Canaries can be visited all year, and the whale watching runs year-round.

Pacing: after such a long journey from New Zealand, give yourself the first full day on Tenerife with nothing planned. The park around Teide sits high above the coast, so the air is thinner and much cooler there; take a jacket even in summer, and go early, when the light is clear and the car parks are quieter.

Choosing a whale-watching trip: look for operators authorised by the Canary Islands government, and avoid trips that promise to swim with the animals. Mornings are often calmer at sea.

For La Gomera, ferries leave from the south of Tenerife. Hiring a car on La Gomera is the easiest way to reach the forest trailheads and the villages at the bottom of the ravines, but the roads are steep and winding, so allow plenty of time between stops.

Tenerife's north is greener and cooler than the busy south, and the old towns of La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz make a gentle change from the beaches.

Suggested outline

  1. Auckland

    Start

  2. Tenerife

    By air · 4 nights suggested

    Teide National Park, whale watching and La Laguna.

  3. La Gomera

    By ferry · 3 nights suggested

    Garajonay's laurel forest and ravine villages.

    La Gomera
    "(Isla_de_la_Gomera)_La_Palma_&_La_Gomera_Islands,_Canary_Islands_(cropped).jpg" by O.V.E.R.V.I.E.W., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Tenerife — Arrive· Auckland → Tenerife (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Tenerife — Teide National Park
  3. Day 3 · Tenerife — Whale-watching boat
  4. Day 4 · Tenerife — La Laguna or Los Gigantes
  5. Day 5 · La Gomera — Ferry to La Gomera· Tenerife → La Gomera (by ferry)
  6. Day 6 · La Gomera — Garajonay forest
  7. Day 7 · La Gomera — Ravine villages
  8. Day 8 · La Gomera — Travel home from La Gomera· La Gomera → Tenerife (by ferry), then Tenerife → Auckland (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

Each button opens a live, dated search. We don't show stored fares here: check today's price on the booking site.

Showing dates about a month ahead — change them when you search.

Tenerife

More about Tenerife →

Plan the trip: Tenerife

Estas ligações levam a sites de parceiros. Podemos receber uma comissão se comprar através delas, sem custos adicionais para si. Os preços e condições são definidos pelo parceiro.

La Gomera

Nearest airport: Tenerife Search fares · Tenerife ↗

Partner links may earn LarkTours a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, availability and terms are set by each partner.