We had a fabulous time weather was not the best but we had fun. The skipper- was 👍🏽 we were well informed before our trip. Respect and appreciated that health and safety was paramount at all times. Did not get to hole in the rock but had a very informed trip. Will definitely do it again thanks team.

So glad we booked this tour. Worth every dollar. The 3 crew looked after us extremely well, very knowledgeable. Sea was a bit choppy so decision was made not to go through the rock , did not spoil the trip and and safety is paramount. Seeing the wild bottle nose dolphins playing was amazing. Lovely lunch stop and spectacular views if you fancy a stroll up the hills, or take a towel and go for a swim , water was a little chilly but it is Autumn. If we get a chance to go back to the Bay would definitely go again

this was an well worth it experience definitely be going on this again next time with the children

We visit Paihia yearly. But this is the first time we have enjoyed the bay by sail. Swimming to shore and enjoying everything close up. We will surely repeat this experience in years to come. Mike is a credit to the small operators that have New Zealand's long term biosecurity and sustainability of our wonderful resources at the top of their priorities.

Highly recommended

Very rewarding journey for both adults and children. We get to see different islands, hole in a rock, sea lion and most importantly dolphins! We also get to stop by Urupukapuka island for a short hike to see some sheep. The crew are very welcoming and the cruise is clean. You also get an option to hop off at Russell Island on the way back.

Nice way to see beauty of islands...duration of trip is 1-1:30 hrs and flight is about 10 minutes, I wish it could have been longer. Staff are friendly and experienced. Thumbs up!!!!

We booked the sun kissed evening gourmet dinner cruise after sorting through about 5 or 6 evening cruises around the Bay of Islands and it was a fantastic experience. Communication was superb and Russell was happy to pick us up from our accomodation and as we were allowed to bring our own alcohol it meant I could have a wine with dinner and not worry about driving home. He is a gourmet chef and avid yachtie and has a huge luxury sloop. He limits numbers and there were only 6 of us on board. He introduced us to his partner Karen, and a gorgeous Tibetan terrier called Woody. Then it was 3 hours of unbelievable good food cooked for us on board while cruising and a little bit of sailing around the Bay of Islands. We cast off and motored out of the marina and soon the food started. Soft Brie cheese, hot smoked Marlborough salmon, hot tiny sausages cooked on the Weber bbq hanging in the stern, and more. Downed with a gin and tonic we bought with us. Then as a light breeze in the right direction prevailed it us up with the foresail unfurled and a pleasant sail past russel and along the coast. Once we anchored there was swimming for brave souls and just yakkityyaking for us others. Dinner was a slow bbqed butterflied lamb, green beans, potatoes etc all just perfectly cooked and served by the galley below. The best dinner I think ever at least for a long time. And with a 3 gold Taylor’s Shiraz we brought with us. Delicious. The wine flowed the talk flowed as the scenery turned gold from the setting sun. Soon it was getting dark and we motored back to the marina with Russel producing a special treat to eat a gourmet chocolate blueberry cheesecake smothered with fresh Kiwi cream. Then Russel drove us back too our Airbnb. Without a doubt the best ever experience in my memory bar none. Thanks Woody. Thanks Karen. Thanks Russell

We had a fantastic day; delicious food and wine, Russell, Karen and Woody are terrific hosts, very friendly and knowledgeable; even had delightfully unexpected visitors (dolphins); perfect day. When we come back to NZ we will be booking again. Thank you :)

Value for money experience! The staff are witty but professional, courteous and thorough. We got to see dolphins and even a juvenile humpback whale. Very exciting! The lunch at Otehei Bay was amazing! How beautiful that Bay is. Highly recommend!

Amazing experience, crew was really supportive.

Loved to see the dolphins and be able to get good photos of the hole in the rock. Staff were very friendly.

It was great and an amazing experience.

Very informative, entertaining and educational outing for my family. Friendly staff. Beautiful views of the Bay of Island, lots of Mana in the historical area where we tikitoured. A refreshing hike around at Otehei Bay/Urupukapuka Bay. Plenty resting area, nice clean sandy beach. Got to see the Dolphins that's a bonus. It was a gray kind a weather day but overall we thoroughly enjoyed the trip. It's worth it and would do it again with visitors. Beautiful part of the country. Thank you Skipper for the entertainment.

Perfect trip, nice food, highly recommended on Sunny day

Thon that's correct, if you do not see a marine creature on the day you can go out any other day until you see one! Well it didn't take long until BAM, dolphins then seals came out to play. The day was so calm, the sea was clear, the lunch was just right and the option of staying on the island and being picked up by the later ferry was taken up by us as suggested by the captain. Visit Sunset Beach was the suggestion and yes it is well worth the visit, a swim and a beer back at the island venue awaiting the ferry.

Absolute must do experience!

Both my mum and I enjoyed the tour. It was so nice to see the adorable dolphins！ Lunch was yum too！

We loved this cruise. We saw quite some dolphins and they came really close. The crew is very friendly and relaxt (yet professional). They we're also very good with our 3 year old daughter. She had fun with them and loved seeing the dolphins. Compared to other ships, our boat was less crowded (on purpose). The bbq was great and yummie and at a beatiful island. Would recommend this experience to anyone. Booking it throug bookme, gave us just over a 60$ discount - which was nice too! It was definitely a highlight of our holiday!

We just loved this cruise. Overall the experience was great. Great commentary and information by the guide. And we also spotted Dolphin which was awesome.

We saw everything expected on the tour. Great commentary, friendly staff and the captain tried hard to make it a good experience. The lunch and the stop at the island was good. The walk to the top of the hill is well worth the short walk for a great view.

A must do if in the bay of islands such a great day out cruising over to hole in the rock we heard about the area from Andy and the crew and learnt a lot about it and its history as well as seeing the beautiful islands and of course the hole in the rock which we got through. Saw a variety of wildlife seal, penguins, snapper and best of all the dolphins swimming into the bay with us was absolute highlight. The stop at the Cafe on the island was such a great experience and affordable tasty food and drinks. Highly recommended experience and thank you bookme for the great rates. I had almost though forgotten I'd booked so insure if you do put a reminder somewhere so you don't almost double book like me 🤣

From the moment we stepped aboard we felt welcomed! The skipper was absolutely hilarious with his commentating & the crew were awesome answering our questions. Lunch at urepukapuka was fabulous, beautiful & fresh, lots of variety & delicious! Took us through the hole in the rock with was awesome as we went expecting that... Then we boosted home at an awesome rate! Thoroughly enjoyable!

great staff , very friendly , informative and funny ..... we saw so many dolphins ... it was amazing .... we even saw a dolphin jumping out of the water ... unforgettable and good value for money .. we will be back

Absolutely amazing experience

It was overall fantastic experiance... nine boat.. knowledgable and helping staff... and on top of it vary nice location

Captain and crew were awesome, Weather was a bit rough but added to the fun of the trip, we were told the conditions before we went and that we may not get to the hole in the rock and given the option to get off and rebook, we made it to the hole in the rock, had an amazing stop at Otehei Bay for a fantastic lunch and walk, we had our kids 9 & 13 they loved it! Totally recommend doing this trip and will be back to do another one.

Absolutely fabulous day out on the water

A must do in Paihia no matter what. You get really close to dolphin pods, the Hole in the Rock cave is spectacular, and the Otehei Bay stopover meets more than expectation. An experience worth every penny!

A great trip! The crew were fantastic and even though weather wasn’t ideal we still were spoilt with gorgeous dolphin sightings and glorious food and breathtaking views of our beautiful bays. Thanks Team Explore!

A day well spent that you won’t regret, very informative staff and stunning views. The wildlife was beautiful and walks along Otehei Bay are a must! It’s a must do experience.?

It was an amazing trip, a little upsetting didn't get to see any marine mammals, overall would recommend it.

Great commentary, even with the dad jokes

The weather is beautiful, the Captain and his crew are nice and knowledgeable. We were able to cruise though the hole in the rock. Highly recommend and we would go again.

Got lucky. Stunning day. Saw dolphins on the way out and spinner dolphins on the way back. Shout out to the skipper, Taylor, who was entertaining for the entire trip and took us through the hole in the rock. All other crew lovely too. Great walks to be had on Urupukupuku.