Bay of Islands

*Popular Cruise Ship Tour* Bay of Islands and Glow Worm Caves Shore Excursion

Badge of ExcellenceBay of Islands, New Zealand
Shore Excursion Bay of Islands Sightseeing Tour
  • 5 hours 30 minutes
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

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Overview

When your ship docks in Waitangi Wharf, explore the beautiful Bay of Islands and see the best of New Zealand’s spectacular North Island. Travel through the Bay of Islands with your guide and take in top attractions including Kawakawa and the Kawiti glowworm caves. Explore the Puketi Forest’s rich ecological diversity, sample New Zealand sweet treats at the Makana Chocolate Factory, and gaze out over the Haruru Falls and the Waitangi River.
  • Tour of the Bay of Islands in New Zealand’s North Island
  • Delve into the subterranean Kawiti glowworm caves with your guide
  • Hike into the Puketi Forest, and learn of native New Zealand animal and plant species
  • Take New Zealand chocolate at the Makana Chocolate Factory
  • Spectacular views over the Haruru Falls and the Waitangi River
  • Includes round-trip travel from Waitangi Wharf

What's Included

  • Driver/guide
  • Port pickup and drop-off
  • Chocolate-tasting
  • Local taxes
  • Bottled water
  • Live commentary on board
  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Food and Drinks

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

  • Bay of Islands, Bay of Islands, Northland Region, North Island

    We will be waiting at the end of the Waitangi Wharf - where your tender boats drop you with a sign saying "Bay of Islands Tours" If you are staying at a hotel - please list your hotel name when booking so we can pick you up from reception.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Please advise what hotel you are staying at if you require pick up from your accommodation. For Cruise ship passengers: We will pick you up from the Waitangi Wharf - this is where your tender boats drop you. If you walk to the end of the wharf we will be there with a sign and your name on the manifest. Please try to arrive 15 minutes before scheduled departure time for check in. We are located outside the Waitangi Yacht Club

What To Expect

Paihia Harbour

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Haruru Falls

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Makana Chocolate Boutique

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Kawiti Glow Worm Caves

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Manginangina Kauri Walk

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Near public transportation
  • Infant seats available
  • Most travelers can participate
  • At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
  • 100% refund will be issued if your ship can't make it into port due to weather conditions.
  • If your ship is scheduled to arrive after 9.30am - the tour departure time will automatically adjust to depart 1 hour after your arrival time - you can email to confirm this after booking.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 35 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Reviews

4.5
177 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 177 reviews
Glow worm cave is very cool.
Jeff_C, Apr 2024
Great tour. The glow worm cave is worth the drive. It looks like stars in the sky. Charlie was a great driver and guide. Bay of Isles is a beautiful place to drive around and see.
Highly recommend
Chevelle_A, Apr 2024
Joe was great! Very positive and positive. Loved his sense of humor. Had a great time. The glow worms were amazing.
Above and beyond
Barbra_A, Apr 2024
Above and beyond service. Very knowledgeable. Easy communication. Got us back to the ship early. Saw more than the ships excursion. We love Viator
Highly Recommend Tour of the Bay of Islands
Lawrie_G, Apr 2024
The trip was fantastic from the beginning to the end. Mike was excellent and very knowledgeable. He made it a great day and even went out of his way to show us sites that was not on the itinerary. This tour was by far a better tour than off the ship and being a small group made it even better.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you for your fantastic review! We are so glad you had a great day and that Mike was able to make it a memorable trip for you! We will be sure to pass the kudos on to him. ~ Rebecca
Must have tour.
Sandra_L, Apr 2024
The day was well planned, and we saw everything listed on the tour. Beautiful day and operator made an extra stop for chocolate. Amazing day overall.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
We are so glad you loved the tour, thank you for your wonderful review! ~ Rebecca
Wonderful experience in New Zealand
Charles_M, Mar 2024
Rebecca made our trip possible even though we experienced a delay in our arrival. She kept in touch with us while we were still on the cruise, and her reassuring messages were much appreciated. Rob, our tour specialist and driver, was very friendly and knowledgeable, allowing us to enjoy both the visit to the various places and learn something about them. We were fully satisfied with the tour operator and experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for your kind feedback Charles! You can come back anytime! ;) It can be a bit hectic getting off the larger ships, and your cruise also encountered a delayed arrival into the Wharf which is rare, but happens. We try our best to amend trip departures accordingly to ensure everyone we have booked on still gets to enjoy their day. Having a working contact number to keep in touch on the day is another huge help on everyone's part as well. Thank you so much for being the un-official Bay Of Islands point of contact on behalf of other passengers too! YOU'RE HIRED! ;) Hope you had a wonderful rest of your holiday! ~ Rebecca
Wonderful Time
Tom_B, Mar 2024
We loved the personable and flexible nature of our tour guide. The caves were amazing, the forest peaceful, and the falls were wonderful. A very nice day!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
I'm delighted to see you had an wonderful day with us, experiencing the best of the Bay! Thank you for your review. ~ Rebecca
Good way to see the highlights in a short period
Frances_B, Mar 2024
Seeing the glow worms was fantastic. No photos allowed. Learning about the Kiwi, Forests, culture was interesting
Comprehensive trip
Kevin_B, Mar 2024
Comprehensive and interesting tour Many components , all interesting Glow worm caves, scenery, native forest, chocolate factory, historic settings and a very pleasant and informative guide
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Hi Kevin, Thanks for taking the time to review the tour. We are so glad to hear you had a wonderful experience while on tour with us in the Bay of Islands. Kindest regards, Chloe
Good experience
Mark_D, Feb 2024
Wonderful experience. The glow worms cave was incredible, lit up like stars on a clear night. Forest walk was very peaceful, except for the large number of people. Only complaint was too many people (~30) on the bus. I was hoping for a smaller group.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Hi Mark, Thank you for your lovely review. We are so glad you really enjoyed the tour. We do have our tour advertised as "up to 35x passengers". We are sorry if this isn't clear enough in the listing, we will look to review how it is advertised so there is no misunderstanding. Thank you for choosing to travel with us while in the Bay of Islands. Kindest regards, Chloe
Amazing
Jan_A, Feb 2024
We had a delay in getting our tenders to shore, so we were late getting our tour started. Our bus driver Charlie was so amazing. He offered us different options to make up lost time. We saw some areas that we wouldn’t have seen if not for him. Thank you.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Hi Jan, Thank you for such a lovely review. I will let Charlie know you thought he was amazing. He will be thrilled to hear this. Thanks for choosing to travel with us while in the Bay of Islands. Kindest regards, Chloe
Very disappointed in the...
Judith_H, Feb 2024
Very disappointed in the glo worms. Walking in cave is dangerous poorly organized Our greeter at the dock was 25 minutes late. You’re then the bus was extremely late. Driver was interesting and knowledgeable. It was not what I consider a small group. It was over thirty people. Not what is was advertised to be.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Hello Judith, we are very sorry to hear we did not meet your expectations on our otherwise extremely popular tour. The Glow Worms are normally a highlight for most as per numerous glowing reviews about them. We have you as being on the last vehicle that left on 25 Feb, which was a 35 seater coach to which we only loaded 22 passengers to ensure plenty of room and comfort for everyone. As there were 2 ships in this day, we departed the Waitangi Wharf first where the Carnival Splendor was tendering to, and then to the Paihia wharf where your ship, the Oceania Regatta tendered to. We did wait an additional 5 minutes for some fellow passengers who were messaging us that they were on a Carnival tender to shore at 9.25am. We would hate to leave guests behind who are literally only a few minutes away in a tender. We hope you enjoyed the rest of your day however, and the remainder of your cruise. ~ Rebecca
Ancient forest, a waterfall and glow worms
Linda_P, Feb 2024
We were two couples traveling together on a cruise around N Z. We couldn’t get on a tour from the ship and I decided to try Viator to see if we could replicate the attractions that we wanted to see. We were on a super nice bus, great air conditioning, fabulous driver/ guide with a great deal of knowledge about the area. We got to see some things that the people on the ship’s tour did not. In addition to Haruru falls, Puketi forest and the glow worm caves we had lunch at a local bakery, stopped at a chocolate maker and were treated to a couple of photo stops with sites that were just stunning. It was a great day at less than half the price of the ship tour.
Unique New Zealand experiences
Theresa_S, Feb 2024
We especially enjoyed the glow worm cave, and the kauri forest, both unique to this part of New Zealand
Response from Host, Feb 2024
So happy to hear you enjoyed your tour, thank you Theresa!
Very nice
Lara_B, Feb 2024
The glow worms were very interesting! We loved our guides and their singing at the end. We were fascinated with the beautiful forest! Our bus driver, Rob was the best!
Glow worm and country tour
Jeff_C, Feb 2024
The whole tour was good. The Tour Guide, Mike did an outstanding job. The glow worm tour was very informative. I enjoyed the scenic stops along tge way. It was a good day !
Driver/guide was excellent.
Karen_Y, Feb 2024
Greg our driver and guide was excellent. He gave us lots of information and we could hear and understand him throughout the bus. The Glow Worm Caves were a disappointment as there were to many people in the cave at one time and we were not allowed to take and pictures. My suggestion to the people who own the cave is to hand out a post card with a picture of the glow worms and an explanation of what they are and the life cycle of them to each paying customer. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about people sneaking photos and we could go home with information and a picture.
Excellent tour.
David_K, Feb 2024
Great tour…the glow worms were just one small part of the entire tour. We also visited a couple of shops and a rain forest walk. The guide in the glow worm cave could have spoken louder or used a microphone, but the cave is owned by a private family not associated with the tour company.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Thank you for your review David, we are glad you had an excellent day with us! We will be sure to pass your feedback onto the Caves as well. Safe travels! - Rebecca
Great Overview of the Bay of Islands
Rita_J, Feb 2024
Bay of Islands Glow Worm Caves Shore Excursion with the Bay of Islands Tours Group was a day well spent. We saw the best the area has to offer. We were lucky to get an early start. Our first stop was Haruru Falls, it was a lovely site. Provided a nice photo op. Next we headed to the Puketi forest to see the beautiful big Kauri trees. Amazing how old and big these trees really are with a nice wooden deck path around the park. Definitely worth a visit! Then we went to see a very old mission house in Kerikeri. After that we had a stop for lunch (not covered in the cost of the trip). Next the candy store and the Kauri Workshop. Samples of candy at the chocolate store, made at the store were very tasty. Of course the best was last, seeing the glow worms in the Kawiti Family Glow Worm Caves. It was a good tour but extremely crowded & we could not hear the guide during parts of the tour. It would have been a better tour if the guide had a mic. The guide was associated with the cave, not the tour company. As a surprise, the driver/tourguide drove us to a scenic overlook on Waitangi Golf Course. Also want to add there were plenty of bathroom stops. It was a lovely day at the Bay of Islands.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Thank you Rita for a wonderful and thorough review! We will pass your feedback on to the Caves as well. We are stoked to hear you had such a great day! ~ Rebecca
Great trip, very well organised
Harry_F, Feb 2024
Very enjoyable trip visiting some interesting places unique to the area. Rob was a great guide with extensive knowledge and was very helpful.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
We are so pleased to hear you had a great day and will pass your wonderful review on to Rob! Enjoy the rest of your trip! ~ Rebecca
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From $127.56

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

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