Hole in the Rock Cruise & Bay of Islands Tour

Escape the crowds on our small group cruise ship excursion, exploring 144 remote subtropical islands. Enjoy scenic cruising, island stopovers, wildlife spotting, bush walks, and snorkeling.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Bay of Islands - * Scenic Cruise through the Bay of Islands
  • Custom Vessels for Beach Landing
  • Two Remote Island Stopovers
  • Walking Trails & Breathtaking Views
  • Marine Wildlife / NZ Bird Life
  • Informative Commentary & History
  • Snorkelling
  • Personalised & Smaller Group Tours
  • Motuarohia (Roberton) Island Track - Stopover on Motuarohia…
What's Included
  • Smaller Group Tours (49 Guests Max)
  • Visit the famous ‘Hole in the Rock’ and Cape Brett Lighthouse
  • Remote island stopover (Roberton Island)
  • Scenic Cruise among 144 Islands
  • Wildlife spotting, commentary and information throughout the day
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Lunch
  • Alcoholic beverages
Additional Information

Discover the Bay of Islands, and take a scenic boat cruise through the 144 subtropical islands.
Visit the famous “Hole in the Rock” and Cape Brett Lighthouse.
Stopover on Roberton Island to take a short walk to the lookout point over the Twin Lagoons
Keep an eye out for our unique New Zealand sea birds and marine life, take a short walk along some of the…

Location
Paihia Wharf
Check-in at Pier 10, on the Paihia Wharf at least 20 minutes before your departure. Arriving on a cruiseship? Cruise ships will tender you into Waitangi Wharf, or Paihia Wharf. FREE shuttle buses are provided by the cruiseship company to transfer you from Waitangi to Paihia Wharf. (5 minutes)
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(37 Ratings)
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Chris_k
Mar 3, 2025
Great tour, but skip the lunch - Great tour. The boat captain was very knowledgeable and funny. We were lucky enough to see 2 dolphins as well. Well worth the cost.
Review provided by Viator
Voyager25705380232
Feb 10, 2025
Joke in the Rock tour with Cass and Adam - We went to 4.5 hours Hole in the Rock tour yesterday. Everything was more than what we expected to be, the scenery, the crew members, the trip arrangement including stopping at one of the beautiful island for lunch. I would like to especially mention our speed boat crew Cass and Adam, both are fantastic! Knowledgeable and friendly. Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larastockil
Feb 6, 2025
Perfect tour - We highly recommend this tour. Zack was a great guide and we were blessed to have perfect conditions which allowed us to go through the hole in the Rock and see dolphins, penguins and seals- it was an amazing day.
Review provided by Viator
Loula6337rp
Feb 4, 2025
Hole in the Rock!!!!!!! - Hey Nick! We know Grant won’t read this! Adam and Cass were funny, friendly and fabulous! They deserve 2 beers a piece! We will hunt you down if you don’t deliver! Just kidding😆 We loved the tour! Thank you~Kevin, Kelly, Susan and Lou
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roam48367846904
Feb 2, 2025
Simply the best! 10/10 recommend. - We were upgraded to the 4,5 hour cruise and it was fantastic. What an experience we had, I will definitely do this cruise again. The weather was superb, got to see little blue peguins, a pod of bottlenose dolphins (who followed us to shore) and got to go through the hole in the rock. I would 100% recommend this cruise, especially with the Island Getaway Tours team, they are so friendly and give you a more personal feel to the whole experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary_w
Jan 18, 2025
Trip was informative and... - Trip was informative and amusing. Some great views and we're lucky enough to encounter the local pod of dolphins near the end of our cruise.
Review provided by Viator
Jcnzl
Jan 2, 2025
Amazing experience - We were stuck with ideas on what to do during our stay in Paihia, we decided to go on an excursion into the bay. We were fortunate enough to be aboard a boat with an AMAZING skipper. Captain Zac Sparrow was the highlight of our month long trip in NZ. His knowledge and humour was absolutely outstanding. My children fell in love with him. We learnt a lot about the history of the area and was sad when the trip was over. Time flies when you’re having fun! I would highly recommend this tour to absolutely everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Generalshamu
Dec 20, 2024
Half Day Well Spent - We did the tour our to the hole in the rock and bay of islands and absolutely loved it. It was worth every penny and they were entirely accommodating to having a baby in toe with us. The boat is not that bad in choppy waters and has both indoor and outdoor seating. Restrooms were clean on site. Disembarkation was fully dry so no wet feet involved at any point. They also have an option to get off in Russell on the return, so you only need a separate one-way ticket to get back to Paihia. Had we known we would’ve done this but we had a helicopter tour with SALT Air just after (they partners with each other).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Onchira_s
Dec 18, 2024
Great Tour! - Beautiful islands and scenery. Very friendly and informative guides and driver. I would highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Denisemain
Dec 11, 2024
Fun trip - Lovely crew. It is nice to be on a smaller boat. Although it rained, we had a wonderful trip - saw dolphins, were able to go through the hole.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
March 2025
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