Paihia

Island Hopper Day Cruise - sailing to wildlife sanctuary island - 6 hr cruise

Badge of ExcellenceBay of Islands, New Zealand

6 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

The Bay of Islands is made up of 144 islands, and the best way to explore them is by boat. On this island-hopping day cruise, you can relax on board a comfortable catamaran while admiring the beautiful views of the sea, islands, and maybe even some dolphins. Snorkel, swim, or paddle board, and stop on land to visit a wildlife sanctuary. This is the easy way to see the bay, as it’s difficult to travel here independently without a boat.

All activities, and use of snorkel equipment, are included
Morning tea and lunch will be provided
Learn about the area through live on-board commentary
A fun day out for the whole family

What's Included

Lunch
Coffee and/or Tea
All activities
Live commentary on board
Local guide
Use of Snorkeling equipment
GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Bottled water

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Barefoot Sailing Adventures
Marsden Road, Paihia Beach, Paihia 0247, New Zealand
You will find the Barefoot sailing catamaran anchored on the shore line at Paihia Beach, it won't be hard to find, it has Barefoot Sailing Adventures sign written along the side, and it is usually anchored at least 30 min prior to departure.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Bay of Islands

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
This trip requires a reasonable level of physical ability to safety board the boat, this can be challenging for people with knee problems
Specific dietary requirements for allergies or food preferences should be catered by the customer
CRUISE SHIP CUSTOMERS be advised that 1.5 - 2 hours either side of cruise ship anchor/departure is recommended to allow reasonable time to get to and from our cruise. We do not make allowances for a change in ship schedule or late arrivals. Normal terms and conditions apply.
Near public transportation
A maximum of 16 people per booking
A moderate amount of walking is involved if you choose to do the island walks, please wear appropriate footwear

Due to uneven surfaces, and a moving boat, this tour is not recommended for those with walking disabilities or unstable in the legs
Operates in most weather conditions, please dress appropriately, and be prepared
Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of cruise ship
Snorkel participants must be able to swim competently in open water for a distance of 200m
Most travelers can participate
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 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

Featured review

Andrew_H

Our family really enjoyed the cruise out to the islands. If you are looking to see all of the islands as fast as possible, then this isn't the activity for you. This is for a relaxing trip out to one of the islands with great hosts in a beautiful setting. Thanks for the day, guys.

Reviews

5.0

229 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 229 reviews

Fun activity!!!

honghai_l, Mar 2024

The crew were amazing and awesome. The beach was gorgeous. They did the best of it despite the unforeseen rain. I did snorkeling but waters were too cloudy from the rain. There is a limited four hrs street parking in front of the beach at your own risk of a ticket and the crew doesn’t recommend it since the activity is six hrs. It is highly recommended to park in the paid parking lot ($2.5nz/hr) about five minutes walk away. Lunch was an egg salad sandwich (definitely need to tell them if you have allergies or don’t like egg salad)

Wonderful all female...

Gary_R, Mar 2024

Wonderful all female crew, gorgeous island (definitely do the walk to the other bay!) we saw a huge stingray while snorkelling and fell asleep as we sailed by wind home. A perfect day

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hi Gary, thanks so much for the excellent review! Glad you enjoyed the experience and got some good relaxing in too :)

An absolutely enjoyable trip in a stunning environment.

Gunter_K, Feb 2024

We particularly enjoyed the casual chatting on board, snorkeling and the island walk. We were very well catered for- we loved every minute…

Excellent day

Sharyn_G, Feb 2024

Great day with great people. Expert sail guides and wonderful scenery. Yummy lunch and plenty of time to snorkel and swim

Paradise

Gillan_P, Feb 2024

A fantastic relaxing day in the company of like minded people. Luke & Michelle were very engaging and looked after us well. A tasty lunch was provided. The weather was perfect and the walk on the island was worth it for the beautiful scenery.

A beautiful day out on...

Dennis_K, Feb 2024

A beautiful day out on the bay of Islands with Luke and Kate. They were outstanding hosts and very knowledgeable about the area. We love the excursion and had a wonderful day.

Best sailing day!

Wendy_T, Feb 2024

Beautiful sail! The crew was amazing and it was a very personable experience with great conversation with them. Relaxed, informative about the area, absolutely perfect!

Would recommend!

Magdalena_L, Jan 2024

Lovely crew, well equipped with lunch and activities, very chill to sit on the bean bags. Also learned some interesting fact about the nature and culture.

Friendly fun day on the water

Rachel_E, Jan 2024

Comfortable boat, friendly crew and great views made for a lovely day. We were picked up on the beach, ( I think there were 14 of us) and had a great experience sailing to a nearby island with the option to hike to another beach, paddleboard, snorkel, swim or laze on the beach before returning to Paihia. Would definitely recommend over larger more impersonal trips.

Day on the water

Amy_E, Jan 2024

Loved our day with Luke on his boat. He was very informative about the waters and the marine life. We had plenty of time to relax and enjoy some boat time. Thanks to Kate for being a most excellent first mate.

Highly recommended Bay of Islands trip

Neil, Dec 2023

Very enjoyable day out on a catamaran with Luke and Kate who not only were great hosts but had that sense of humour that makes the day all the more fun Picnic was great Wind was strong so sailing out to the island was good but necessarily on way back had to use motor

Excellent day

Kristina_Q, Dec 2023

We spent an excellent day discovering the bay of isilands. Luke gave many information about sailing, nature and history. During the 2 h lunch break we were walking on an island discovering the birds, swimming, snorkelling and stand up paddeling. I recommend this trip

Cruisy day in the Bay of Islands

Andrew_H, Dec 2023

The skipper was amazing....

Liz_H, Dec 2023

The skipper was amazing. The boat was simply beautiful. The snorkelling was not cold and heaps of fish. Best day in NZ

10/10: would recommend....

Edward_L, Nov 2023

10/10: would recommend. Shawn and Luke crushed it, made us feel relaxed and at home. Had a great time on the boat and island.

One of the best experiences of my entire life

Alex_W, Oct 2023

This was the best experience I had in the Bay of Islands, by far. Luke was very friendly and knowledgeable, not a single dull moment was spent aboard. It being a single boat, not run by a huge company, and with only a limited number of spots, makes a very intimate experience which adds to the whole package. The opportunity to do things and learn about sailing the boat is also awesome, seeing the effort it takes to hoist the sails or how a slight pull of the rudder changes your course. The time spent in the bay itself will be a memory for me as long as I live- the snorkeling is unmissable, no matter the temperature of the water, you'll get an unforgettable insight to a pristine marine environment (and it's not as cold as it seem, due to the sheltered nature of the bay). The island itself is also and incredibly beautiful nature reserve, and fully deserving of its own exploration, once you've tucked into the delicious lunch included in the price. If you have to choose one trip during your time in Paihia, this is the one.

Debating which tour? This is the one!

Delaney_G, May 2023

We LOVED this tour!! When we boarded we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was a very small group - only 10 of us in total!! We were comfortably sat on beanbags while our friendly instructor sailed us away. He took the time to get to know each of us and really made the day special. We were able to snorkel, hike, and paddleboard and had time for all three. Thank you for a lovely day!

Best day on the Bay

Barbara_J, Apr 2023

This was a fabulous day on the bay with Luke. He was extremely articulate and knowledgeable as well as a very capable sailor and great host. Would recommend this outing to anyone

Beautiful day, but was expecting more wildlife from a wildlife reserve

Alicia_C, Apr 2023

Had a pleasant sail. It was a nice small group, so really enjoyed the intimate nature of the trip. Some really gorgeous views along the way. Some nice scenic and peaceful walks on the island. Lots of birdcall, but not a lot of visible birds. Was hoping to see a lot more wildlife than we did. Went snorkelling as well. The water was freezing and I was disappointed not to see anything interesting on my snorkel. Enjoyed having a beach picnic with beautiful scenery. Had a brief paddleboard around and that was very nice too. Waters were calm. Overall still a very nice day, despite not seeing much wildlife.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Hi Alicia, thanks for your great review, we're pleased you enjoyed your day sailing and island adventures with us! We sure have a beautiful place to explore. We're sorry to hear you didn't get to see much wildlife on the day, we do find people's experiences varies vastly depending on the conditions on the day, and often what peoples expectations are. The water is cooling off a bit now being autumn, and if you're cold while snorkeling often you can't stay in long enough to discover the best parts of the bay. We have a very unique wildlife sanctuary in the Bay of Islands, and archipelago which has been protected and pest free for 14 years now. The sanctuary is independently managed by Project Island Song. We anchor at the island and people can go for a walk in the regenerating native bush trails and enjoy the peaceful nature of the island. Previous to becoming a sanctuary the islands were rat infested, which didn't leave much chance for our native birds to thrive. Since New Zealand doesn't have any native mammals (other than the bat) our endemic wildlife evolved without having to protect themselves from many predators. With the arrival of humans also came many pests which have basically decimated our wildlife, and as a result almost half of our species are now extinct. The sanctuary is a result of years of planning and hard work, mostly by local volunteers. It is undergoing fairly intensive pest control, habitat restoration, weed control and since 2011 species translocations began. 7 of our most endangered species have been re-introduced here, and there are about 20 more species identified as being suitable for the habitat. So in the grand scheme of things, the wildlife sanctuary is still young but it is very successful. In fact some of the species have never had such great success in translocations. This is ground breaking work being done here, as humble as it may seem. This wildlife sanctuary leaves the species to natural survival once they have been translocated here. There is no human interaction with them, so no feeding stations where the birds congregate therefore they are not attracted to people expecting food like you may experience in other sanctuary's and as a result may not be as "used to people" in their habitat. What you are experiencing here is truly natural species in their habitat. The sanctuary project is completely funded by private donations, funding grants, and countless hours of volunteer work to make it possible. We donate part of your ticket price to the project, and also offer the boat for volunteer transport, as well as being involved with the team managing the project. So you have contributed to the sanctuary by joining us on the cruise, and your supporting our business allows us to help in other ways by giving our time to the project, and use of the boat during the off season. Thank you for your contribution!!

Day in Bay of Islands

Jackie_B, Apr 2023

What a lovely day, very chilled and beautiful scenery. Luke is so knowledgeable. Very comfortable beanbags. Great lunch . I would totally recommend this experience. What more could you want from a great day out.