My boyfriend and I did this Labour Weekend and absolutely loved it! Ben was a great tour guide,…read moretook loads of pictures and gave us copies. You're able to go under the waterfall in these kayaks which was brilliant. Would definitely do it again!

What a great way to spend a day out on the water! Carino Sailing and Dolphin Adventures takes you…read moreout on the water for about 6 hours exploring the Bay of Islands and they are actually licensed to interact with the wild dolphins. For only $120 per person ( from Paihia docks), you board this family run business catamaran and sail out to sea. At lunch time, they drop anchor at one of the islands where you can swim, hike, snorkel or just relax. A BBQ lunch is served on board and then you return to the docks. Tours begin around 9:30 and return to the dock at 3:30. There are only about 20 people on board and the staff goes out of their way to make you more knowledgeable about not only the area, but also the wildlife that you see along the way. On the day I went, the Dolphins were not cooperating so we didn't get to swim with them but that is more the exception than the norm. We did see a shark ( didn't swim with THAT!), a penguin and a variety of local birds. But I have it on good authority that they see Dolphins about 95% of the time and that you actually get into the water with wild Dolphins! How cool is that?? You do need to be a good swimmer if you plan to swim with the Dolphins so you are asked about your swimming level when you board and on some paperwork you fill out. Also, bring a range of clothing as the weather changes quickly out there. For sure you will need a swim suit, towel, sunblock, and a warm jacket like a windbreaker. A hat is probably a good idea too although the winds are strong so being one that stays on your head! All in all a great way to spend the day when you are in the Bay of Islands!

We would highly recommend Carino Sailing. Even though the morning weather did not promise a good…read more5-6 hour sail, Captain Vanessa's knowledge of the Bay of Islands along with her sailing experience, our day turned out to be quite memorable! There was only only one dolphin sited that day and only by our boat! Vanessa and her crew, Rhonda and Phil did a great job making us feel welcome spending the time to sit and casually chat. They were a wealth of information about the bay and its islands along with the marine and bird life. After stopping at bay midway through our sail and short hike, we were treated to delicious bbq lunch. All in all it was a great time making our first trip to New Zealand extra special. Mahalo Carino Sailing and Dolphin Adventures! Ken & Carolyn, Maui

VISIT: end of February 2020 COMPANY: Great Sights…read moreTOUR: Full-Day Bay of Islands Dolphin Cruise with Hole in the Rock Visit Overall this cruise was beautiful and cool to see this side of New Zealand and we had a GREAT time. They DO recommend sunscreen and even offer it for free on the ship because of the ozone layer you will get burnt. I hardly ever burn and tan easily and I was definitely red the next day! I recommend lining up early, there is limited seating towards the front of the boat and was a bit of a bum rush to get those seats. I also wouldn't sit at the absolute FRONT of the boat as we got seats to the side and the boat turns around often, so you'll get close to all the sights you need to see. ON THE BOAT: there are plenty of bathrooms and snacks/drinks to order. There are also several restaurants nearby the port to stop before the cruise starts One of the major disadvantages of our trip is that it was a WHOLE day tour and the cruise itself doesn't take that long. The way Great Sights structures it is that they pick up from Auckland and some people have an earlier tour, so we get to Paihia and had 2.5 hours to kill, which was fine, but we hadn't really planned for this. So, we stopped at a restaurant to eat, but you get there so early that they're not yet ready for serving lunch, so it was a small bit of a scrambling, as you don't want to go too far, as they start lining up for the cruise soon We both LOVED this tour and it was WORTH it, but to save on travel time, it would have been nicer to stay in Paihia. You have to be at the port for pickup from Auckland so early and it takes 2 hours to get to Paihia...so we had to leave our hotel before 7am for a tour that started at 1:15-1:30pm.

We had a great tour with this company - I highly recommend!…read more We booked our reservation through our timeshare office a couple of days in advance. We were picked up at the condo, which was convenient, and were happy to see that we were the only four people on the tour this time - lucky! Our guide was knowledgeable and tailored the trip to our needs. He was just funny enough without being annoying (you know that can drive you NUTS). The van was clean, comfortable and safe, and we were driven to the places listed on the itinerary. We got a lot of history and info along the way and the guy answered lots of questions (even the weird and random ones), which was super cool. This was definitely worth the money and I would use this company again! We

The Paihia to Opua walk is a really lovely way to take in the sights of the Bay of Islands. It is…read morea coastal walk that goes from the beach in Paihia and follows along the coastline to Opua. From Opua you can catch a taxi back to Paihia or a Ferry to carry on the walk to Russell. The walk is not too strenuous and has plenty of opportunities to stop for a quick dip. You'll walk through some house's back yards and b/c the track is maintained locally it isn't always clearly marked but you can't really get lost off the track either. We parked at Stockyard bay b/c the tide was high and couldn't start it from Paihia beach. Beautiful and free, just like all the great things in NZ.

Located a five minute drive from Paihaia town centre, Waitangi Wharf is where the tenders from our…read morecruise ship docked to drop off passengers wanting to visit Paihaia (since there was no port with deep enough waters to accommodate our giant cruise ship) . The crew of our ship along with locals really made the process very organized. Shuttles were running between the wharf and Paihaia every half hour: it's just impressive to see so many large tour buses come to support the movement of so many people. We were some of the first ones to leave the ship around 07:13, and got into town after all the processes at 07:45. It was only around 10:43 that all the cruisers who were in queue to go into town, could be accommodated. One other thing I noticed is that the crew of our cruise ship used some of our lifeboats to ferry people back and forth. I hadn't seen this before, and was a neat experience (the inside of the lifeboats are very nice, certainly less used than the busy ferries initially used to bring us to land)

Most excursions are ok at best. This one was amazing. Great sailing experience. Anchored at an…read moreisland for a hike and a swim. Lunch was fantastic and drinks were available for sale on board. Very reasonable. Would highly recommend if you are a sailing or tall ship buff. They even let you climb the rigging, bow sprit or man the helm. BZ

The main beach in Paihia, fronting the Bay of Islands on the North Island of New Zealand, this…read moresmall narrow beach has protected waters allowing safe kayaking. It is very close to the town center, and I had the opportunity to walk it from end to end during my day trip to the Bay of Islands from our cruise boat.

Excellent swimming beach, safe and sheltered. Clean with white sandy stretches and plenty of…read morerubbish bins. There are two places to hire kayaks ($15 per hour and small catamarans) and the shops are close by for snacks and drinks. There are toilets and space to change available on the south end opposite Alfresco's Restaurant.

We thoroughly enjoyed our first time parasailing (ever) with Flying Kiwi. Our group was small (only…read more2 other couples besides us just by chance), which made the trip more enjoyable. Our boat skipper and parasailing guide were entertaining and efficient. All in all a great experience with cooperative weather. Just wish the ride could have been a little longer (total actual parasailing time was about 10-15 minutes).