We had an amazing day exploring Matakana. Everything was so well thought out and organised. Overall a fantastic day, would definitely recommend!!

Awesome experience. Well organised and a lot of fun to do. Highly recommended 👌

We were very excited for our trip and unfortunately got dealt a bad hand with the weather. However, we had an awesome time and would recommend the experience to everyone as a great way to see the area. A lot of fun!

Such a great experience! Loved it so much! If you want to explore a new place or try different things then this is definitely for you! Especially if you're trying to do something different for a date this is perfect and if you make it to the end it's meant to be!

Who would have thought that a picnic in winter would be just as good as a summer one. I surprised hubby for his 50th with a rare day out with just me and told him to put on this thinking cap and go with the flow. With a warm cuppa coffee , map and clues in hand we meander through the nooks and crannys of Matakana Village gathering goodies along the way ending up in unfamiliar spots with breathtaking views and a delightful picnic to remember. We highly recommend Village Picnics for any occasion where you want to connect and explore and escape.

My 2 year old and 6 year old thoroughly enjoyed their trip. The show is about an hour and although my 2 year old struggled to sit still the whole time it was quite interesting. Highlight was def feeding the lambs. Kids enjoyed feeding the rest of the farm animals and theres a 10min discovery trail which was neat. The cafe has affordable food which is quite nice and theres a kids playground too. Would def return again

Loved the experience. It was an enjoyable journey and the ferry was not too crowded too. Food and beverage available upon request. The island was overwhelmed in solitude and serenity. The cooing of various birds freckled the daylight air. The beaches were good. But ladies bay was impeccably awesome. Treading there thru a narrow cleft in the rocks was challenging but the destination was great . Can't stay there much becuse the tide picks up and gettin back on to the cleft to exit would eventually be a swim. So dip in early and dry out quick. Cafe was good and staff was friendly. Mansion was open to viewing between 12 and 3 pm. The old copper mine is an hours walk from the ferry terminal but definately worth it. Looks majestic. Must visit place guys and on the royal main run. Good word team

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

A great experience, will definitely go back.

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

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

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

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

Kurt was amazing. From the time we steped onto the boat he was friendly and accommodating. His knowledge and enthusiasm about Little Barrier and the Eco systems around the island is contagious. The boat was so comfy and spacious. Even in winter Kurt encouraged us to get out on the water in the kayaks and I am so happy I did. We went into a little cave and up close to some seals. Will go out again in the summer to get in the snorkeling and spend more time in the water. So much peacefulness while out in the Kayaks. Thanks heaps Kurt, see you next time

My partner and myself had a great day out with Eco Charter.

Fantastic full day out to the Mokohinau islands. Snorkelling was amazing in crystal clear waters. Wonderful walk upto the lighthouse for amazing views. Lots of fab wildlife. Kurt is a great host & very generous with his time. Lovely lunch provided too. To top of a wonderful day we saw 2 lots of common dolphin on the way back.

We had a great day out with gulf eco adventures. Little barrier was amazingly beautiful, high cliffs, rocky islands & dense native vegetation. We cruised around the whole island stopping for a delicious lunch, snorkeling & kayaking. The water was crystal clear. Kurt was a great host & gave lots of information about the island. We had such a great time we’ve booked ourselves on one of his other island trips! A must do trip!

Would recommend to anyone, must do trip!

We were welcomed by Barbara who was delightful. John provided an hours worth of entertainment for the show which was superbly insightful whilst also being really fun and allowed the children to interact with the animals. The feeding of the animals was great fun. We all had a super day! Many thanks to all at SheepWorld

Our work team loved Kawau island so much that we booked it a second time. Packed our BBQ supplies and picnic gear. Mansion Bay has a BBQ free of charge. Great team building jumping off the wharf and prepping a meal together

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

Friendly people and the place is spectacular.

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!

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!