Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise in Tauranga: A Half Day Exploration of Marine Biodiversity

Embark on a half-day Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise in Tauranga and explore the diverse marine biodiversity of the Bay of Plenty. Get up close to dolphins, penguins, seals, whales, and more!

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Bay Explorer - Dolphin and Wildlife Cruises - Our Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise offers an authentic Kiwi experience amidst nature—a tale of human fascination with marine life. Join us in exploring the wonders of dolphins and more. We limit passengers for comfort, ensuring a personal touch, ideal for families.
    Your half-day Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise…
What's Included
  • Half-day cruise aboard an 18m spacious vessel with panoramic views.
  • Encounters with wildlife including penguins, seals, and whales.
  • Educational commentary on the Bay and marine life.
  • Comfortable seating options both indoors and on the sun-deck.
  • Experienced and friendly Bay Explorer Crew.
  • Capture memorable photos with diverse marine life.
  • Explore some of New Zealand’s richest marine diversity.
What's Not Included
  • Pick Up & Return Transfer (Optional)
  • Lunch Box (Optional)
  • Cold beer and chilled regional wines from our licenced bar and non-alcoholic beverages
Additional Information

Your Semi-Day Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise kicks off as we welcome you on board the Bay Explorer at the Tauranga waterfront dock. We’ll journey around the Bay of Plenty coastline, exhibiting an incredible variety of sea wildlife including dolphins that swim alongside our boat. Be amazed by seasonal birds, penguins, seals, whales, sunfish, schools of fish,…

Location
120 The Strand
The Strand
Departure Point: 120 The Strand, Tauranga (Waterfront Jetty across from Starbucks Cafe) Check in is between 8.30am amd 8.45am Return point: Returns to original departure point .
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.6
(68 Ratings)
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Letitia
Jan 3, 2025
One of the best experiences of my life so far! - We had a super memorable trip today! Saw pilot whales and dolphins, and the crew was absolutely the best! I didn't catch her name but one of the girls asked if we wanted to go onto the bow to get the best view as the dolphins swam and played around the front of the boat - an experience I will never ever forget! Worth every penny and 10/10 would recommend this lovely crew for an experience of a lifetime!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Discover466782
Jan 2, 2025
Lovely accommodating staff who really care about your experience! - We had a great trip with Bay Explorer! A slow start to the wild life spotting but you could tell the staff were all trying their best, and were very happy and relieved when we came across a large pod of dolphins of about 100-150. Which we stayed with for a long while. Before that we had three hammer head spottings, and a few of us saw a single flying fish but it was gone before we could show others. In all it was a great experience, the staff were all really friendly and welcoming and we were catered for with snacks and drinks. I don’t understand how people can review them 1 star for cancellations due to weather (or covid???). It gets really choppy out there even in quite light winds. Worth it! 5*
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Discover16197115934
Dec 31, 2024
Great entertainment for the whole family. - Our whole family had a great time looking for any flocks of birds once we were out of the harbour, knowing that the birds would be an indicator of where dolphins would be. Once Captain Jamie and his wonderful crew had located a large pod, we weren't disappointed as the pod we encountered was huge. The pod swam alongside the boat and were frolicking in the waves which made for great photos. Onboard there are beverages and snacks for the whole family. Captain Jamie and crew are super friendly and made us feel welcome and are very keen to answer any questions you may have. Be mindful of the weather ahead of booking your tickets as I can imagine having an outing in heavy winds would be unpleasant. And if you don't have sea legs, then purchase some sea sickness tablets ahead of your trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nseitzman
Dec 27, 2024
LOTS of dolphins! - Most importantly - we saw a lot of dolphins. Found and stayed with 2 different pods each with dozens of dolphins during the cruise, probably for about 60-90 minutes total of the 4.5 hours. There were ~50 people on our cruise and 3 awesome crew who were friendly, great at spotting wildlife, and also managed to man the well stocked bar. The captain told me the boat has capacity for ~140 but even in peak season they won’t take more than ~70 so there’s plenty of space to move around. Lots of seats both up top and down below (where you still have a good view and the windows open to let a breeze in). The other ship we considered (Dolphin Seafaris) ended up out near us in the ocean and it’s a much smaller boat if that matters to you one way or the other (we definitely were glad to be on the larger one given the sea was pretty rough). We also saw a few seals that hadn’t migrated south for the summer, a shark cruising alongside us, and plenty of jellyfish and birds. For our 4 and 6 year old the highlight was getting to sit up with the captain and help bring the ship back into the harbor. I will say that if you have any history of seasickness you should take medicine, especially if it’s a windier day. The sea was ROUGH for the first few hours at it had been raining and very windy all morning and there were several people on the boat struggling with seasickness.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larsf239
Nov 23, 2024
Great experience - We had a great trip!! That is really an understatement. Crew was great, engaged us to look for dolphins, provided great insight into the wildlife we saw. We were the second or third cruise for the season, and they informed us that early in the season it may be a bit of a hit or miss. The trip out was likely a bit longer than usual due to the time of year, but the weather was great, the sea was calm, and people just hung around chatting, taking in the scenery - until we hit the dolphins ;-) and boy did we see dolphins - all around. Really an enjoyable morning. Thank you for a great experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jordanm3011
Nov 6, 2024
Taurangas best attraction - with dolphins - Saw dolphins straight out of the Harbour. Crew were professional and informative. Emily's knowledge being a marine biologist added to the trip. 100% would come on board again . Cheers Emily Jamie and Taylor
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pak
Apr 1, 2024
Fantastic journey meeting the dolphins family - We saw seals and dolphins during our trips. Dolphins are fantastic! The crew is very experienced. Trying their best to give the best experience for passengers. The trip overrun for about an hour but the time spent is well worth. One little helper also join the crew and play with my kid during the long journey. Fantastic tour. Well recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grandtour36383202746
Dec 9, 2024
Dolphins galore - Great day on the water. Jamie and the team made everyone feel at ease and found some amazing pods of dolphins. Trip around Kewira island to see some seals and shags. Altogether a great morning on the water.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julz_luxe_adventurer
Dec 6, 2024
Nice day out on the water - Family had a great time, we were lucky to see a Fin Whale and a small pod of dolphins plus hundreds of jellyfish. Started at 9am and got back to dock at 2:30pm. Was a slightly long day as we were chasing dolphins. Crew were very friendly. Good drink selection on board but you need to bring your own food.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Climber38131880541
Nov 16, 2024
Trip cancelled by vendor due to high winds. - Trip was cancelled by vendor due to high winds. Unfortunately Trip account used has been removed due to wrong email. I need the refund to card account used for booking please.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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