Route 30 runs from the heart of the city down the full length of Manukau Road, through some of Auckland's most distinctive neighbourhoods. It passes the Newmarket shopping district, the leafy suburb of Epsom, the extraordinary Cornwall Park, Royal Oak and finishes in Onehunga, one of Auckland's more historic town centres.
The Civic
Route 30 begins at The Civic on Queen Street — adjacent to Te Waihorotiu Station (City Rail Link, opening late 2026), which will provide connections to all four CRL lines and make this corner one of the busiest transport interchanges in the city. See the Te Waihorotiu station page for more about what's nearby. The Civic Theatre itself is one of Auckland's most spectacular heritage buildings, with its ornate 1929 Moorish interior — check aucklandlive.co.nz for current events. The surrounding blocks on Wellesley Street and Victoria Street have good options for coffee and food before catching the bus.
Newmarket
Newmarket is one of Auckland's premier shopping and dining precincts, with Broadway offering a mix of boutiques, department stores and a growing café scene. The Route 30 passes through the heart of Broadway, making it one of the most convenient ways to reach Newmarket from the city without battling traffic or parking. &black (160 Broadway, a perfect 5.0 stars) is a beautifully curated café with excellent flat whites, matcha lattes and cheese scones — open weekdays from 6:30am and Saturday mornings. Blackdrop Eatery (44 Broadway, 4.6 stars) is a cosy, plant-filled café with rich forest-green walls, a specialty coffee and matcha menu — the banana latte and Earl Grey cookie are local favourites. Open weekdays from 7am, Saturday mornings.
Westfield Newmarket 277 (277 Broadway, 4.3 stars) is one of Auckland's largest and most modern shopping centres — two buildings connected by sky bridges, with a cinema, Woolworths, a gym and a large free car park. The top level is home to the Rooftop Dining Precinct, a lively collection of restaurants and bars with outdoor seating and city views — Something & Social is among the anchors, a popular Italian-influenced bar and restaurant with calamari, meatballs, sangria and cocktails, open daily from 10am. Also within the complex is Archie Bros Funland (4.4 stars) — a huge entertainment venue with arcade games, bowling, dodgems, cocktails and a kids' party venue, open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Newmarket is also home to Newmarket Station, a major rail interchange connecting the South and City, and Onehunga and West lines.
Epsom
The bus continues south along Manukau Road through Epsom — a leafy, well-established suburb with good schools, tree-lined streets and a quietly excellent café scene. Café Noa (9 Manukau Road, 4.8 stars) is a charming French Polynesian-influenced café right at the top of Epsom — raw fish, crêpes, grilled fish burger with kumara fries and a boutique island atmosphere. Open 7 days from 7am (dinner Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday evenings). Steam Wand (237 Manukau Road, 4.9 stars) is a tiny Japanese-owned coffee house with melt-in-the-mouth cookies, beautifully smooth coffee, a gorgeous heritage interior and a reputation that punches well above its size — open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Flour Mill Café (409A Manukau Road, 4.5 stars) is a boutique all-day café with a great cabinet, salmon avocado smash and good potato roast — open 7 days from 7am.
Manukau Road through Epsom is also home to some of Auckland's most prestigious schools — Epsom Girls Grammar, Auckland Grammar and Auckland Normal Intermediate — all served by this route.
Greenwoods Corner
Greenwoods Corner is a quiet neighbourhood crossroads at the southern end of Epsom where Manukau Road meets Greenwoods Corner Road — a cluster of good local spots within easy walking distance of the bus stop. The Emerald (581 Manukau Road, 4.6 stars) is one of the area's best evening spots — a stylish bar and restaurant with T-bone steak, venison, risotto, gnocchi, a strawberry-fields-forever cocktail and a lovely interior. Open daily from midday (until midnight Fri–Sat). The General (600 Manukau Road, 4.7 stars) is a beautifully fitted-out neighbourhood café with excellent coffee, a curated cabinet of apricot Danish, banana bread and savoury options, and a small selection of boutique homewares — "elegant yet cosy." Open Tuesday to Saturday from 7am.
Cornwall Park
Cornwall Park is one of Auckland's great green spaces — 170 hectares of parkland, ancient trees, grazing sheep, heritage farm buildings, the Stardome Observatory and at its heart, Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill, one of Auckland's most significant volcanic cones and a place of deep spiritual significance to Māori. The obelisk at the summit, erected in memory of the Māori people, stands at 182m and offers sweeping 360° views across the isthmus. The park is freely open dawn to dusk, with the inner areas closing at varying times depending on the season.
The park is easily reached from the bus stop on Manukau Road at the park entrance. The summit of Maungakiekie is approximately 1.5km from the Manukau Road bus stop, all the way through the park — a pleasant walk with the grazing sheep and ancient trees as company throughout.
Royal Oak
Royal Oak is a busy suburban crossroads where Manukau Road, Mt Albert Road and Onehunga Mall converge — a proper neighbourhood with good local eating and drinking. The Zookeeper's Son (715 Mt Albert Road, 4.4 stars) is a popular gastropub with a buzzy atmosphere, excellent BBQ pizza, steak cooked to order with herb butter, and solid drinks — a well-regarded local with a big following. Open daily from midday (until 1am Fri–Sat). Oak Eatery (691 Manukau Road, 4.3 stars) is the neighbourhood café — good cakes, a decent brunch menu and a relaxed local vibe. Open 7 days from 8:30am. Ollies Ice Cream & Eatin' House (802 Manukau Road, 4.4 stars) is a Royal Oak institution — an old-school diner and ice cream parlour with the Big Ollie burger, cheese toasties, wedges, milkshakes, arcade games and Hokey Pokey scoops in waffle cones. Open daily from 11am. The Takashi (774 Manukau Road, 4.6 stars) is an excellent neighbourhood Japanese restaurant — unagi eel over rice, summer nigiri sets, cold soba, katsu chicken don and a warm family-run atmosphere. Excellent value lunch sets. Open daily except Wednesdays from 11am. Chatori Gali (713 Mt Albert Road) is a vibrant Indian street food restaurant with colourful umbrella ceilings, excellent dahi kebab, a $25 per person vegetarian chat buffet that's extraordinary value, pani puri made fresh to order and a party atmosphere late into the night. Open from 5:30pm (Saturday and Sunday from 11am).
Onehunga
Onehunga is one of Auckland's oldest town centres — a historically significant suburb that has seen genuine renewal in recent years, with excellent cafes and bars appearing alongside the established shops of Onehunga Mall. Koffee Bar (21 Brays Rise, 4.8 stars) is a warm community café tucked off the main strip with exceptional service, superb coffee and a KB breakfast that hits the spot. Open daily from 8am. Dill Pickles (259 Onehunga Mall, 4.4 stars) is a well-regarded all-day café with chilli scramble with prawns and crab, pork ribs with seasoned chips, and a chunky choc chip cookie that regulars return for. Open 7 days from 7am. For evenings, The Rusty Morris (120 Onehunga Mall, 4.2 stars) is a characterful bar and eatery in a former post office — smash burger, rusty platter, good beer and a friendly atmosphere. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:30am.
Japanese Sashimi Bar Ajimi (2/258 Onehunga Mall, 4.5 stars) is a highly regarded Japanese restaurant with an authentic atmosphere — the sashimi is exceptionally fresh, the deep-fried squid tentacles are crispy and not oily, and the beef steak don is outstanding. "Felt like being in Japan." Open daily from 11am. Bookings recommended at peak times.
Dress Smart (151 Arthur Street, 4.3 stars) is New Zealand's largest outlet shopping centre, just a short walk from the bus terminus — over 60 brand stores including Nike, Adidas, Kathmandu, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Levi's, all at outlet prices. Open daily from 9am (Monday–Thursday from 10am). A great reason to come by bus — no parking stress.
Beachcroft Reserve (Onehunga Bay Reserve, 4.5 stars) is a beach on the Manukau Harbour — a peaceful waterfront reserve with walking paths, a lagoon, playground and sweeping harbour views, approximately 15 minutes' walk west from the bus terminus along Princes Street. Dog-friendly, free, open 24 hours.
Onehunga connects to the Onehunga-West Line (after the CRL opens in late 2026) at Onehunga Station, just a short walk from the bus terminus. The Te Tō Waka Onehunga Foreshore is a short drive or longer walk away — a landscaped waterfront park on the Manukau Harbour with views south and walking paths. Onehunga also has good connections to Māngere and the Airport via Route 38.
Fares
Route 30 crosses two fare zones end to end (The Civic to Onehunga), so a full journey costs $4.90 for an adult or $2.90 for children (AT HOP or contactless). Shorter trips within a single zone — city to Newmarket, Epsom to Royal Oak, or Cornwall Park to Onehunga — cost $3.00 for an adult. Free transfers are available if you board another service within 30 minutes of alighting, which makes it easy to combine with a train connection at Newmarket or Onehunga.
Cornwall Park in particular is exceptional value — a two-zone fare from the city gets you to the park entrance, with the park itself free to enter. A perfect day out for under $10 return.
🚌 Using this guide: Route 30 runs frequently — get on anywhere along Manukau Road with AT HOP or contactless, and get off when something catches your eye. The full journey from The Civic to Onehunga takes approximately 41 minutes. On Friday and Saturday nights, a late night bus continues from Onehunga through to Otara at 1:25am and 3:10am. Plan your trip at at.govt.nz →