14 Sailing Trips in the Bay of Islands Worth the Petrol

1.Bay of Islands Tall Ship Sailing on R. Tucker Thompson Including BBQ Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 361 reviews · from $111Our pick

Review of the R. Tucker Thompson tall ship cruise in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, with sailing, scones, BBQ lunch, island stops, and practical tips.

“Capt Magnus and his crew showed us just how beautiful the Bay of Islands really is! Fascinating to learn the history of the ship’s creation and how this activity directly supports youth development in sailing. Bravo Zulu!”

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2.Island Hopper Day Cruise – sailing to wildlife sanctuary island – 6 hr cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 301 reviews · from $139

Review of Barefoot Sailing Adventures’ six-hour Bay of Islands cruise, with wildlife sanctuary stop, lunch, snorkeling, paddleboarding, and practical tips.

“Nice day great crew. Be sure to hike over the hill to the other cove. It is 10 x more beautiful that the cove they are able to dock in. And the walk is challenging but really nice.”

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3.Full-Day Bay of Islands Tour by Vigilant Yacht Charters

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 219 reviews · from $114

Sail the Bay of Islands from Russell on a small-group yacht with lunch, kayaking, snorkeling, island walks, and local crew.

“Great sailing trip with Nathalie and Anita!!! Wonderful experience and an unforgettable day with two lovely skippers. We really can recommend this tour. Birgit and Dietrich”

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4.Phantom Sailing Bay of Islands

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 177 reviews · from $121

Review of Phantom Sailing in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, with a small group, island walk, homemade lunch, snorkeling, and dolphin sightings.

“We had a great time sailing with Robin and Rick. She fixed us a nice lunch, and he regaled us with stories from his vast, and not only sailing, experience. Sailing went smoothly, and we had some time for swimming and hiking on Robinton Island.”

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5.Bay of Islands: Catamaran Sail, Wildlife Island & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 173 reviews · 6 hours · from $134

Review of Barefoot Sailing Adventures in the Bay of Islands, with catamaran sailing, wildlife, island walks, lunch, snorkeling, and practical tips.

“We had a great time! Luke and Kate were the perfect guides.”

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6.Bay of Islands: Full-Day Tall Ship Sailing Excursion

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 147 reviews · 5h 30m · from $107

Sail the Bay of Islands aboard the R. Tucker Thompson with hands-on rigging, cream tea, BBQ lunch, swimming, and island views.

“Great boat, great crew and a thoroughly enjoyable day out.”

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7.Bay of Islands: Day Sailing Cruise with Island Stop & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 122 reviews · 6 hours · from $128

Review of Bayscapes Charters’ six-hour Bay of Islands sailing cruise, with island activities, lunch, small groups, practical tips, and value advice.

“Loved hanging out on the bean bags on deck while we were under sail, and trying SUP for the first time!”

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8.Bay of Islands: Awesome Day Sailing Tour with Island Stop

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 101 reviews · 6 hours · from $104

Review of Paihia's 6-hour Gungha II sailing tour, with an island walk, snorkeling, lunch, dolphins, and practical booking tips.

“It was an awesome day on Board! definitely recommend This Tour if you are Thinking about doing one! The Island er stoped on was beautiful and er were Even accompanied By some Dolphins for some time.”

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9.Bay of Islands Tall Ship Sundowner Sailing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 100 reviews · from $61

Review of the Bay of Islands Tall Ship Sundowner Sailing, with sailing tips, pricing, itinerary details, accessibility notes, and honest pros and cons.

“It was an amazing trip on the Harbour. Being able to help with the sails and climb the rigging was a great experience. To Wayne and the crew thanks for everything, especially bringing us back to Paihia when the ferry was canceled. Magic.”

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10.Bay of Islands: Late Afternoon Sailing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 90 reviews · 2 hours · from $53Best value

Sail the Bay of Islands aboard the R. Tucker Thompson, help raise the sails, enjoy shared antipasto, and support youth sailing programs.

“Excellent way to spend the afternoon, especially with good wind. Most relaxing.”

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11.Bay of Islands: Day Sailing Cruise with Island Stop and Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 89 reviews · from $133

Sail the Bay of Islands aboard a small catamaran, stop at a remote island for lunch and water activities, and return to Paihia by 3:30pm.

“Fantastic day out with beautiful weather to great location for spending a few hours doing, lovely walk, eat very nice lunch ( husband said the gluten free wrap was delicious) and trying the stand up paddle board. Very nice to have sails up for last part of the journey back. Owners were fantastic!”

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12.Bay of Islands 2-Hour Sundowner Evening Sailing Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 36 reviews · 2 hours · from $56

Review of the Bay of Islands 2-hour sundowner sail from Paihia, with sunset views, swimming, a drink, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Our skipper and his first mate were helpful and fun. Safety was a priority, so first they ran thru all the safety features...then the fun began. Double hulled boat was in Ship shape. Our skipper kept us all engaged while professionally tending to his responsibilities. He was full of information on the area. The two hours went very quickly. It was a wonderful way to spend time on the water...and the price was very reasonable for the experience we got.”

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13.Sundowner Evening Cruise – 2 hour evening sailing cruise with swim stop

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 31 reviews · from $58

Review of Barefoot Sailing Adventures’ two-hour Bay of Islands sunset cruise, with a swim stop, sailing tips, price details, and booking advice.

“Great evening on the water. Had a nice swim before setting sail. So great when Luke turned off the motor and let the wind work for us. So quiet. Lovely evening and great captain.”

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14.Private Luxury Sailing Catamaran Charter in the Bay of Islands

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · from $1,281

Review of a private luxury catamaran charter in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, with sailing, snorkeling, paddleboards, fishing, and island walks.

“This sailing charter was a huge highlight of our trip. Magnus and Adam were great and even though we had some cloudy weather .. we saw the whole Bay, penguins , dolphins and tons of birds . Even caught a fish and chef Adam made Read more”

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