Bay of Islands Tour: Scenic Northland Adventure

Discover Bay of Islands with a guided tour and cruise from Auckland. Enjoy wildlife, cultural sites, and the famous Hole in the Rock.

Duration: 1 day, 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Auckland Central - Begin your journey in New Zealand’s largest city. As the tour departs from the city, the guide will set the stage for the day’s adventure and highlight some of the area’s top attractions.
  • The Kauri Museum - Leaving Auckland, the tour heads west through Dargaville, known as New Zealand’s kumara capital. The first stop is the…
What's Included
  • Small Group and Fully Guided Tour
  • Accommodation in Paihia (if accommodation option chosen)
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Entry to Kauri Museum, the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and Cruise tickets
  • Luggage allowance - 1 large & 1 small per person
What's Not Included
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • On-board restrooms
Additional Information

Discover the wonders of Northland with Cheeky Kiwi Travel on this fully guided Bay of Islands Small Group Overnight Tour, highlighting the area’s breathtaking landscapes, rich Māori culture, and coastal allure. Offering flexibility, you can opt for accommodation in Paihia (note: a single occupancy surcharge applies for solo travelers) or arrange your…

Location
Auckland Central
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(51 Ratings)
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Lydia
Apr 27, 2026
Book it now! - This was an excellent tour and I would highly recommend taking it. It showed us the highlights of the beautiful Bay of Islands and our guide Jeff was excellent. We’ve done a couple of tours with Cheeky Kiwi now and they’re a brilliant company who offer brilliant experiences.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Krina
Apr 25, 2026
Spectacular! - If you ever want to spend a couple of days exploring the north of New Zealand, this is the tour to book! It was jam packed with activities (watching a cultural performance and learning the history behind the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, hiking around Urupukapuka island and cruising to the hole in the rock) while being incredibly well-paced and thought out. Despite the rainy weather predicted for the weekend, our tour guide Mark did his best to make the trip just as worthwhile. He was incredibly friendly and helpful, providing ample snacks and water for the trip, and was also super knowledgeable about the sights we were set to see. The accommodation was very spacious, with two double beds, an en-suite bathroom and amenities such as a TV (provides YouTube and Netflix), a mini fridge and toiletries. As a vegetarian, there were some lovely restaurants around the hotel in Paihia, so I was not short on food to eat! The only disappointment is that we didn’t manage to spot any dolphins and couldn’t go through the hole in the rock due to rough weather, but that isn’t always guaranteed due to ever changing weather. Nonetheless, this tour was fabulous - I learnt so much about the history of New Zealand and saw some beautiful landscapes, all the while meeting wonderful people. I would do this tour 10 times over. Thank you very much Cheeky Kiwi for making it so memorable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabethdg2871wf
Apr 9, 2026
A great insight into the Bay of Islands. - Excellent experience. Ark looked after us every well. He knew so much about the area. Nice small group. Good accommodation. Of concern was a lady who was sick at the beginning of the tour. We were likely to catch something, which I did and now I am sick on my next tour. We should have been told she was ill, and we could have cancelled, or she should have not travelled with us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Caroline_s
Apr 5, 2026
We couldn’t do the whole... - We couldn’t do the whole tour because of a storm and a lot of rain. But John did manage everything and brought us back to Auckland savely.
Review provided by Viator
Nomad599025
Apr 4, 2026
Bay of Islands tour - Our 2-day Bay of Islands tour booked through Get Your Guide and with Cheeky Kiwi as the tour operator was fantastic. We wanted to get a better understanding of the Māori culture and history and get to see some of the North Island and this tour hit all the right spots. Our guide Vicki was knowledgeable and friendly, and was ready to answer all our questions as well as provide recommendations on where to eat. She also went out of her way to take us to see Glow Worm caves not too far from Paihia, a definite must-see and suggested tour addition for future tours. I would highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Expedition556503
Apr 3, 2026
Stunning landscape orcas dolphins Maori culture - Matt was a fantastic guide and driver. He’s unflappable as a HUGE bird hit our windshield He effortlessly looked after our group of 7 getting a new vehicle replacement As he drove he informed us of what we were seeing, what was coming and communicated all the logistics clearly Timing for all of our stops and activities was bang on Thanks Matt
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Adswarwickshire
Apr 2, 2026
Fantastic Bay of Islands 2-Day Tour! - Had a fantastic time with Matt on this 2-day tour. Excellent trip with lots of fascinating stops. This was a small group of 7 people, which made things a lot more fun! The hotel we stayed at in Paihia (Scenic Hotel Bay of Islands) was lovely. We were super lucky to see dolphins and orcas on our Bay of Islands tour and the stop over at Otehei was excellent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Reginatu3735tz
Mar 28, 2026
Fantastic Tour - It was a fantastic tour. It was just the two of us and Liam (our guide). He was very friendly and accommodating, and he took our wishes into account. Simply wonderful, including the weather!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dao_h
Mar 28, 2026
This was an enjoyable... - This was an enjoyable trip. The environment was beautiful and peaceful. The tour guide was knowledgeable. He was nice and helpful
Review provided by Viator
Sandycx8167am
Mar 20, 2026
Great experience all around! - Our guide Ben was so great! Personable, funny, and knowledgeable. The tour was amazing and just as advertised; there were only about 7-8 of us in the van, so not crowded at all. Got to see so many great things. Paihia is a cute little resort town with LOTS of restaurants to choose from for dinner, all very walkable, and the bay of islands cruise was amazing; we had perfect weather and saw some dolphins and I saw a flying fish, in addition to all of the islands and the hole in the rock. On the way back to Auckland, Ben took us to see some fascinating architecture at Hundertwasser, and a stop for gelato, and to a pub, and we also stopped under the north edge of the harbor bridge for a great view of the city skyline. Very enjoyable tour, and Cheeky Kiwi is highly recommended for making seeing all the big tourist stuff so easy!
Review provided by Tripadvisor