4 Island Day Trips in New Zealand Worth Boarding

1.Island Hopper Day Cruise – sailing to wildlife sanctuary island – 6 hr cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 301 reviews · from $139Our pick

Spend six hours with Barefoot Sailing Adventures exploring the Bay of Islands from Paihia. Luke and his crew guide a small catamaran among the islands, with time for snorkeling, paddleboarding, swimming, lunch, and a bush walk on a wildlife sanctuary island.

“Highly recommend this sailing excursion! We were excited to explore the Bay of Islands, and this trip exceeded our expectations. Luke and his crew were knowledgeable, professional, and a lot of fun. We enjoyed learning how to sail, and Read more”

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2.Bay of Islands: 4.5 Hour Day Cruise and Island Getaway Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 283 reviews · 4h 30m · from $90

Join Island Getaway’s English-speaking crew, including skippers such as Nick, Hamish, Adam, Blair, and Blue, for a 4.5-hour cruise among 144 islands. You’ll walk on Roberton Island, search for dolphins and penguins, pass through the Hole in the Rock when weather allows, then snorkel, swim, or paddleboard at a second island.

“Fantastic tour guides, passionate about the history of the area and ensuring that all passengers had a lovely experience. Day included korora penguins swimming in the ocean, lazy fur seals flicking an occasional mana wave from the rocks and a pod of common dolphins. Really enjoyed the visits and home growth commentary at Motuarohia , hole in the rock and Otehei Bay at Urupukapuka. 100% recommend booking with Island Getaway LTD....Thanks Hamish & Trish...Awesome Day for the Whanau”

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3.Bay of Islands: Full-Day Tall Ship Sailing Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 147 reviews · 5h 30m · from $107

Join the locally built R. Tucker Thompson from Russell for 330 minutes of hands-on sailing in the Bay of Islands. Help hoist sails, steer, climb the rigging, swim, or relax. The day includes ferry transfers from Paihia, fresh scones, a BBQ lunch, and support for youth sailing.

“Turned out there was only a handful of people that did the sail at the same time as we did. It was an absolutely incredible day!!”

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4.Day Cruise & Island Tour – Snorkel/Wildlife/Paddleboard/Islands

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 121 reviews · from $89Best value

Cruise from Paihia through the Bay of Islands with a small group of up to 22 people. Stop at Roberton Island and a second island chosen for the weather, then hike, swim, snorkel, or paddleboard. Guides such as Zac, Nicola, and Cass share local history and help with the water activities.

“Was an amazing trip, saw some incredible views. Snorkeling was a blast saw some cool marine life Shark, Octopus, Sting ray. Zack was an awesome tour guide, definitely would recommend especially for cruise passengers.”

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