Amazing Experience - I have been wanting to explore Northland and the Bay of Islands for a while, and this tour did not disappoint. Matt is a wonderful tour guide who is eager to share his knowledge of his homeland with others. I learned so much about the history of New Zealand. A big thank you to Matt and Cheeky Kiwi!

A great way to see the stunning Bay of Islands - The Bay of Islands is one of New Zealand's most popular destinations for good reason. It's stunning natural beauty. I'm so glad I found this tour. I am too afraid to drive on the other side so needed to get there somehow. I can't imagine spending only 1 day there. The 2 day tour was just right. I went Feb 23 & 24 with Cheeky Matt as my guide. He's got great playlists. The tour starts early, so your first stop is breakfast. We stopped at the Tulip Cafe. They had baked items and hot food. Now would be a good time to take a Dramamine if you're prone to car sickness. Next, is the Kauri Museum. You learn about the magnificent Kauri trees and the history of the logging industry. They have real historical equipment moving and on display. They showcase how the old pioneering settlers lived during this time really well. The boarding house was very cool and felt like you'd been transported back in time. I was particularly fascinated with the amber colored "gum" the Kauri trees produce. There's a whole gum room. I now own a piece I got in the gift shop. After learning about the Kauri trees, we took a very windy road to Waipoua Forest to see Tāne Mahuta, New Zealand's largest living kauri tree, known as the Lord of the Forest. It is worth the drive. Just wow. All 177 feet of it. From here, we continued on out of the forest and to the gorgeous coast. We stopped for lunch in Opononi, a very small beach town. Pretty setting at the cafe over looking the water but the food was pretty slow to come out here - even a salad. Next, we arrived at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. It's location couldn't be more scenic. You get a guided tour around the grounds, see the enormous waka tua (war canoe), and experience a Māori cultural performance. At the end of our first day, we checked into our hotel for the night at Kingsgate Hotel in Paihia. It's a waterfront auto lodge, nothing fancy and also not too shabby. It did the job. They had A/C and a pool! Wifi wasn't working but I was way too tired to care. Our group dispersed for the night. I headed down the street to find dinner, there were a couple of options to choose from 5 minutes away. Everyone went somewhere different. I ended up at Holy Guaca-moly. Then, I headed back to the hotel and jumped in the pool. The next morning, I had a quick and easy breakfast at the hotel and checked out before reuniting with the group. We walked down to the dock to board the boat for a 4.5 hour Hole in the Rock Dolphin Cruise. We lucked out with calm seas and a sunny day making the surroundings look extra stunning. We cruised around the beautiful islands. There were so many little places I'd love to explore. We headed past the Cape Brett Lighthouse, to the famous Hole in the Rock, and were instantly greeted by 2 bottlenose dolphins! On a calm flat day boats travel through the hole. There was too much swell when we got there. That's ok. I can live without having done it. I'd rather have swam with the dolphins! We saw a seal too. The boat captain provided amusing commentary throughout the tour. From here, we headed to our last stop, the island of Urupukapuka, a recreational reserve. It's the largest island in the bay. We had 1.5 hours. Here, there are several hiking trails, you can kayak, swim, or just sit on the beach. I saw some rays in the bay near the dock. There is a restaurant & bar. Oh, and they have toilets! The food was good and came out surprisingly quickly considering how many people ordered food at the same time. There's a tiny gift shop with some beautiful artwork. When the boat arrived back at the dock, we headed back to Paihia. We got back in the van and started heading towards Auckland. I'm so glad I did the 2 day tour. Otherwise imagine driving to Paihia for 3 hours, getting on a boat for 4.5 hours, and then driving back another 3 hours. Nearly ever tour I took in New Zealand, made an ice cream stop. We made a quick stop in Whangarei's waterfront Town Basin. What a colorful and unusual place. We watched the dizzying Rolling Ball Clock, saw glass blowing, and peaked into the whimsical Hundertwasser Art Center gift shop before getting our ice cream, and that was the grand finale. Back to Auckland by dinner. I took 7 tours while in New Zealand, and I enjoyed every one of them so, it's hard to rank them, but this one is up near the top, maybe even tied for 1st place. I'd definitely do it again.

2 day Bay of Islands NZ - Fab tour full of history and fun. Tour guide/driver Mark very knowledgeable and considerate of people's needs. Small group so much better than a large coach load of people.

A Special Trip - It was wonderful fun. It's a comfortable drive through rolling hills, with views of the oceans both side. Fish and chips in a glorious bay with turquoise water. Then up to Waitangi and the ceremony on a sunny day. The accommodation was nice and breakfast yummy. The next day on the cruise was relaxing and interesting seeing all the islands. Dean was a great driver, friendly and interesting, he really made our trip a delight. We would highly recommend this tour and company.

A Great Comprehensive Tour - Excellent itinerary, all key points are well covered, professional and courteous driver/guide. We first considered driving ourselves - luckily decided to leave it to the professionals. By ourselves we wouldn't have covered it all. Most certainly recommended. Notes: - in order to cover it all you would have to get up in some ungodly hours. We had to be at the meeting point at 6 a m. on the first day. - they use small buses - 15 people. It keeps the logistics convenient, but: - if you are taller than ~6' don't sit in the last two rows - worse than Ryan Air or Frontier Airlines - the roads in NZ are bumpy, even though they may look smooth, and the little bus' shocks could be rough. Don't plan to read while driving - there are no USB jacks nor AC power available. Take with you a power pack for your phone - the hotel is quite basic (like Motel 6 in the U S ) but serviceable All this notwithstanding, a great tour and a great experience. We are glad we took this tour

Great 2 days exploring the Bay of Islands - This was a great two day tour. The guide was knowledgeable, the van was comfortable and the scenery was fantastic. The boat tour of the Bay was a highlight. We would definitely recommend for anyone who is in Auckland but wants to visit the area.

Excellent tour - This tour was excellent covering all our interest with an exceptional guide Matt Van Veen. Matt was excellent and gave lot of information.

More than 5 stars for this one. - Everything was so great. Our guide Alessandro did the most amazing job. Seeing sites I never would have seen without this tour. Small group of 8 people which were perfect! Really felt like he gave us something xtra special with the stops we did on the was to Bay of Islands and also on the way back. Being very present and what a great accommodation as well. Can only recommend this to everyone! Also traveling alone and being safe at the same time, so grand.

Making memories with Cheeky Kiwi Travels - Fantastic tour - great way to see the beautiful north of New Zealand! Tour guide John was very knowledgable and great company. We had some amazing experiences without the tour feeling too packed. Highlight was the Kauri museum and the boat trip.

Great trip with a fantastic guide (Arani)!!! - Our tour was a fantastic experience and even the poor weather couldn’t dampen our spirits as Arani, our fabulous guide, ensured we got the most out of it!!! The first day was arguably the better of the two and if Cheeky Kiwi were able to tweak the schedule slightly, it would be great to have a little more time at the amazing Kauri museum (it doesn’t look much from the outside, but quite incredible on the inside) and the forest. The treaty grounds were also a wonderful experience and whilst the hotel is ‘ok’, it’s just a bed for the night and there are lots of places to eat in the town. The cruise is harder to comment on because the weather was shocking!! Most people opted against it and those that stayed needed sturdy sea legs, but undoubtedly some beautiful scenery and I’d love to see it again in the sun sometime!! Arani returned us safe and well at a decent hour to Auckland - throughout she was down to earth, great fun and clearly passionate about her people and her country. She was also happy to tweak timings here and there to suit what we wanted to do, which only served to improve the trip further!!