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

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!

From the owner: "Our Bay of Islands adventure tourism business is a boat cruise that does kayaking. Our 18 person…read morespecialist boat that we built, allows us to deliver a more personal, informative, safer & warmer all weather adventure, be it in the day or on our sunset - night time safari. Our vessel allows us to do more with ease in the adventurous locations, including, a highlight of kayaking up to and under our white water waterfall where the river meets the sea."

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

Fun hosts with diverse personalities that will make it fun for any personality. Each trip is a…read moredifferent course, so you could "Rock the Boat" several times and have a different experience with a different island, a different activity, and different people. On this one, we went night kayaking, fishing, a hike on one of the many islands, and fed well on every meal. Great value here. Highly recommended.

If you really want to see the Bay of Islands up close, sign up for an all-day with Tom, Skipper of…read moreTe Kaihau, a beautiful red trimaran. Our day started early with a quick ride in a baby dingy out to the tri. In no time, we had cast off, motored for maybe 10 minutes clearing the harbor and hoisted the sails. The rest of the day was under sail across the beautiful seas of the Northlands. Hugging the coastline we tracked southward to a beautiful deserted cove where we were able to swim to the beach and hunt for shells. Tom, the sweetest man ever had a delightful lunch waiting after our swim back to the boat. Tom is incredibly knowledgable about his boat, New Zealand, history, botany, fishing,.... just about anything. On following seas, the tri really showed us what it could do. Back at Pahia by 4:00 with huge smiles; our highlight experience at the Bay of Islands. Sadly, I could only give Sail te Kaihau five stars; they deserve more.

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

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).

From the owner: We are New Zealand's highest Parasailing and Paihia's ORIGINAL! Family owned and operated since…read more1998. 1. We offer Single, Tandem and Triple flights suitable for everyone. 2. NO physical or age restrictions. 3.No getting wet as you take off and land from the back deck of our Parasail boat. 4. Our Crew is EXTREMLY fun and friendly!