This is a really lovely day out. We loved exploring the area and seeing places we wouldn’t normally have seen. Philippa has thought of everything you need- it’s very very well run. Our picnic at the end was absolutely delicious. I’d absolutely recommend doing this.

Very relaxing and enjoyable. Can be a bit demanding if you have issues with knees as my wife has. The map would benefit from having the locations of a just few sculpture numbers marked around the track so you can identify where you are on the trail.

We had a great time here. The sheep show is great, they ll show you how they shear the sheeps, how the dogs are trained to work there, very interesting information. Then you can buy a bag of food for $1.50, walking around to feed the animals.

Blessed with an amazing day on the water and time on Kawau Island So glad we went on the trip, better than our expectations. The beauty of the bays, the history of the House and the Copper mines. The wekas walking everywhere and even hearing Kiwi birds calling when we eating lunch. Informative crew A great day out

Love this outdoor display of art, we had a great time!!

Enjoyed the sculpture trail very much. Great way to spend time with family and run off your little ones energy

Great place. Doing all the tracks takes about 2 hours. Well worth it on a sunny day. Especially enjoyed the art installations in the Kauri Forrest.

Beautiful place!

We were so excited that we could bring our whole family on a day out, including pup. Beautiful surroundings, such lovely staff and a great selection of wine. We were sad as we didn't book a table ahead of time ( it was a busy weekend ) but the food smelt incredible.

Excellent

A great experience, will definitely go back.

Unexpected surprises around every corner with well-chosen sculptures placed to perfection in their various settings. The entire property was carefully maintained with interesting wilderness areas providing a sense of exploration. We were lucky to experience the visit after a few rain showers. The well-maintained tracks provided safe walking everywhere. Staff were friendly and helpful and we felt it was a memorable experience.

It's a nice walk with interesting sculptures, they also have a cafe

We enjoyed the walk through native bush and found the sculptures and artworks interesting and thought provoking.

It was a wonderful day. Very friendly staff and the weather was fantastic. Great Would highly recommend.

A wonderful and amazing full day trip to snorkel, kayak and swim with variety of sea fishes in a greenish blue ocean water ! Over 8 stingrays in black and one light grey stingray I saw while do snorkelling in a high & narrow sea cave, really unforgettable ! Dolphins ? & seabirds not rare to see! Hope to see whale ? next trip. You definitely won’t miss a chance to have such cool experience in hot hot summer. Solar halo as a credit scenic while heading to Sandspit wharf. So cool ! Joanne & Kelvin Hui from Hong Kong

Really cool to see the different houses and get a glimpse of island life. It's a decent cruise, arriving at mansion house at around 1pm. We had the option to return at 2pm or 4:30pm, the latter gave us time to explore a bit and have a swim. Appreciate the captain's knowledge but would have been great to also hear precolonial and geological history of the island, native flora and fauna. Why it was fought over by Māori, why these minerals were found here exclusively, etc. Kawau was named after a bird that we saw many of around the coast but there was no mention of that at all Overall great experience on a perfect day, remember a hat and sunscreen!

And be prepared to just relax. Even with COVID-19 Alert Level 2 restrictions, we had a great day out travelling on the Kawau Island Ferry doing the Royal Mail Run Return Cruise. Sitting on the top deck, chatting to strangers, listening to the short, but informative skipper explaining the highlights of the tour was just right for us. Based upon my previous trips (more than 25 years ago), I knew to pack plenty of snacks, drinks and sunscreen. We boarded the Ferry at 1030h and stayed on board until almost 1300h at Mansion House. As we had other obligations that afternoon, we could only stay until the 1400h return sailing so opted for the Mansion House Tour. Had we taken the later 1630h ferry back, we would have also done one of the recommended hikes around the island.

Lovely day out calling in to lots of the mainly privately owned jetties dropping people & frieght, so no trip will be the same. Dropped at Mansion House by 13.00. As the 16.30 ferry was running that meant i had plenty of time for lunch at the cafe & a walk to the copper mine. You could have got off at Mansion House on the first stop just before 12 if no 16.30 ferry running and you more time on land.

This cruise was perfect. After dropping off goods at various bays along one side of the island we disembarked at Mansion House Bay at lunchtime. There was a cafe open for those who didn't order the BBQ lunch option onboard. For $10 Mansion House was open to wander around and imagine what life was like a couple of centuries ago. Some tracks were open to go walking along the cliffs for amazing views or through the native bush and pines - birdlife could be seen or heard including peacocks and wekas. The track to discover old relics of the copper mine was a relaxing walk, following the coastline along the cliff, down and around a bay when the tide was out, then back through the pines and bush. Afternoon tea back at the cafe, a dip in the bay to cool down, then back on the 4.30pm boat to Sandspit.

Fantastic day out. Loved the whole trip. We had BBQ lunch which was perfectly cooked both the meat and fish.... salad dressing was very tasty. The whole trip is well worth it. This is something you can do once a year..

Took the city kids to the sea and an adventure on an island . Great day out

I cannot fault the boat company at all. But I can fault DOC. We turn up at the island to the museum being closed, the cafe closed, and no way to use the two bbqs there. The electric one was disconnected and the gas one had no bottle attached. We walked around all day with uncooked meat in our bag. Lucky we packed chips so had sandwiches instead. Really let down by that. The boat offers a bbq lunch but as we read there were bbqs on the island we didnt take advantage of this but wish we did. I've rated the experience great as it was nothing the provider could have done the issues are with DOC which was highly disappointing. Make sure you get your facts sorted before you go or you could end up like us. Would of booked the onboard lunch if we knew. Hindsight!

Very interesting and comfortable ride in the mail ferry. Make sure to book the bbq lunch and do one of the trails.

I was mildly excited to go to Kawau Island because I wasn’t sure how much I would have to do but I was pleasantly surprised!! It was soooooo beautiful and I was in awe. I was never bored, the staff were nice. The water was such a gorgeous color, I couldn’t look away. 10/10 would recommend!

Great day out for the whole family. You can make it as adventurous or relaxing as you like.

We had a great time we also went "out" of season witch in fact added to our experience as we were the only people walking around the island.

Awesome trip with my Husband and kids! Beautiful day, and friendly and knowledgeable staff on the boat. We felt valued as customers and can't wait to go back. Brilliant weather, and just an overall fantastic experience.

Friendly people and the place is spectacular.