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

Lovely clean site!…read more Lovely clean site on top of the hill overlooking Russell with beautiful views to Paihia. Friendly accommodating staff. Nice spacious pitches, amenity blocks clean and nice. Short walk into the very pretty town and the ferry to Paihia. I would have given this site 5 except we paid for a site with a view and ended up with a very limited view! It wasn't helped by the way people parked their vans to maximise their views and made it difficult to fit in!

I am sorry to say that we were unable to stay at this accommodation. My sister and I became ill…read moreduring our recent travel and notified the motel immediately and within the 24 hour cancellation time frame as advertised on their web page when booking. I am sad to report that no sooner did I cancel our accommodation than they charged my credit card. I have exchanged numerous emails with the management and they refuse to reverse these charges so I have no choice than to contest this with my credit card company. Be very careful with this accommodation as they do not honor their own policy.

Fantastic and pleasant experience all around! Don't let the word "motel" turn you off. While this…read moremay not be the most glamorous of places from the outside, it is modern, clean, functional, and very cozy. Our room was a suite with a living room and a kitchen. It was quiet, comfortable, and everything looked brand new inside. Convenient parking spot is 2 steps away from the door. The hosts were friendly, and very informative. They gave us great tips on thjngs to do, and rescued our day when one of our bookings got canceled. I definitely recommend it and would gladly stay here again!

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

When you look out across the Bay of Islands from the living room, or the decks, or while having an…read moreimmodest breakfast, you will begin to understand why we loved this place. Our room was large, modern, quiet and well appointed. But Angelique and Mark, the owners, really make the experience of Tiki Tiki Ora special. From the warm greeting, to all the helpful recommendations about Russell and the Northland, to the engaging, interesting conversation, these two are hosts of exceptional quality. I cannot think of anything reasonable they wouldn't gladly do for you as a guest- mark even pulled out my stuck rental car ( backup misadventure. Treat yourself and stay here.

A good standard camping ground based just at the bottom of the hill before you get into Paihia…read more Well maintained grounds, standard but basic facilities, with a new toilet and shower block. There a few small self contained units, as well as plenty of sites for tents and camper vans. Some sites are right on the waters edge, so might be a haven for mozzies in the summertime. Well-priced for the budget conscious. There's a little herb garden as well that you can utilise for your cooking, a nice homely touch.

Enjoyed our stay here very much The good: clean & new…read morebathroom facilities Great BBQ & kitchen + dining area Well lit & felt very safe walking around even at night as a female Stunning views Great spot if you were a keen fisherman with a boat ramp & filleting station The not so good: We had a group of four & booked 1 campsite each couple together online the owner/manager called us and said 1 site will be enough for us so we agreed thinking this might save us a little but no we paid the same amount to have half the space leaving us basically no room to park our vehicle & feeling a bit ripped off considering we already had to pay a minimum of 5 nights when we were only staying 3. Pretty expensive to pay $600 for one tiny campsite for 3 nights when we could have had double the space for the same price Quite far out of the town if you plan to go out drinking make sure you have a sober driver or pre arrange a ride

Had a lovely stay here, room was very nice, clean and spacious. Such a good location, easy walk to…read moredinner. The lovely lady at reception recommended to eat at Greens Indian and Thai and it did not disappoint!

We pre booked the Sea Spray for a three night stay using the suites as a base for exploring the Bay…read moreof Islands. First impressions were average at best. The parking was very tight for our four wheel drive, plus we had to lug all our suitcases up the stairs to get to our room. However we found the rooms to be quite large, well equipped and clean. The beds were comfortable. The rooms were in need of a touch of paint here and there. The complex was not full being mid winter so the place was quiet. It proved to be a good choice for walking to the beach, which was just over the road, and walking to the Paihia town centre to shop and to go on our ferry and other trips. There is a supermarket and petrol station close by also. It is not a luxury hotel but it fits the bill for a reasonably priced beachside holiday suite.

The hotel was ok. The room was mostly clean except the carpet could use an update. The bathroom…read morewas clean and that's important. No heater so they gave us little room heaters. Decent hotel for the price. Not luxury living though. The staff was incredibly nice and free wifi. Plus continental breakfast. Very close walk to this very small towns shopping area. The pool looked decent but was to cold to go in.

We recently stayed at the Tanoa Paihia Hotel as part of a Groupon package and we found it simple…read moreand charming. The hotel itself is a little dated, but it was clean and the location was nice. It was a short 5 minute walk to the Paihia Wharf with all the touristy shops and restaurants along the way. Our favorite part of the staying at this hotel was the very friendly and accommodating hotel staff- they were exceptional! The hotel has an outdoor pool and hot tub, restaurant, guest laundry area, and free Wifi.