Bay of Islands Tour: Scenic Views & History

Waitangi

Create lasting memories on this half-day tour of the Bay of Islands from your cruise ships arrival at the Waitangi Wharf.

The Bay of Islands is a popular tourist destination in New Zealand. This guided tour shows you an abundance of breathtaking picturesque views giving you plenty of fantastic photo opportunities. The area is often referred to as \

Create lasting memories on this half-day tour of the Bay of Islands from your cruise ships arrival at the Waitangi Wharf.

Duration: 5 hours, 30 minutes

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Paihia Harbour - See the Paihia harbour as we drive through
Haruru Falls - View the waterfalls
Makana Chocolate Boutique - Sample some of the finest chocolates
Kawiti Caves - Stunning guided tour of the glow worm caves
Manginangina Kauri Walk - A beautiful short walk

What's Included

Bottled water
Expert driver/guide
Exquisite chocolate-tasting experience
Comfortable in-vehicle air conditioning
Convenient port pickup and drop-off
Engaging live commentary on board
All local taxes included

What's Not Included

Food and Drinks

Additional Information

At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information at time of booking: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
100% refund will be issued if your ship can’t make it into port due to weather conditions.
If your ship is scheduled to arrive after 9.30am - the tour departure time will…

Location

P3HJ+8V Waitangi

We will be waiting at the end of the Waitangi Wharf - where your tender boats drop you with a sign saying "Bay of Islands Tours" If you are staying at a hotel - please list your hotel name when booking so we can pick you up from reception.

Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings

4.5

(296 Ratings)

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Nicky_b

Nov 13, 2025

Must see tour - Fantastic experience. The glow worms were amazing, the forest was beautiful as were the waterfalls and the chocolate from the chocolate shop was delicious. Mike was a brilliant driver, so knowledgeable and got us where we needed to be and back to the tender on time. Highly recommend this tour.

Review provided by Viator

Jamie_s

Nov 10, 2025

Glow worm cave, waterfall and chocolate factory - Our guide Dyson took us to many stops and gave us ample time to see the sites. He gave us much info on the area. It was a great excursion and I would recommend it.

Review provided by Viator

Barbara_r

Oct 28, 2025

Glow Lityle Glow Worm. - Traveling through New Zealand was amazing. The scenery is beautiful but best of all was seeing the Glow Worm Cave. Without lights you could see little points of light all over the cave ceiling. It was quite an experience.

Review provided by Viator

Onair57293562209

Oct 27, 2025

Very memorable tour which I would highly recommend without a doubt - We did this tour and it was just perfect! Our driver was so friendly and knowledgeable! We seen so many things and places on the way to the Glow worm cave! But the Glow worm cave was the highlight of this tour! Simply amazing

Review provided by Tripadvisor

A4768zggregs

Oct 22, 2025

Excellent Tour - The tour was easy to find at the tender dock. We saw the sites efficiently and had plenty of time to get back to the dock. I would recommend this tour which was much cheaper and just as easy to book as the cruise line's identical tour.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Elizabethbo6169rg

Oct 20, 2025

Bay of Islands Ship Excursion - We had a great day on our Bay of Islands excursion. We had a good driver/guide who was knowledgeable about all our stops. We got back to the port in plenty of time to get back to the ship.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Sdtraveler033

Nov 2, 2025

Interesting - It was interesting but not what I expected. When we were in NZ the last time I wanted to go to the caves but didn’t get there. Some of my friends went and said it was great. I think they went to different caves because they rode in a boat and we just walked. The cave we went in was very small.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Chet_w

Oct 20, 2025

Very good tour. Dyson is... - Very good tour. Dyson is knowledgeable and experienced. Glow worms and old growth forest were very unique. Falls were nice but not spectacular. Only issue we had is it took almost the entire time we had off the cruise ship. Considering we had to tender in and out, almost no time to explore the town.

Review provided by Viator

Kandy_b

Oct 20, 2025

It was ok - Glow worm cave was cool. The other stops, like the waterfall, was 5 minutes for a picture, then back in the van. I thought we were doing chocolate sampling but it is just a chocolate store where you can buy stuff. The guide at the glow worm cave was very knowledgeable.

Review provided by Viator

Passenger735102

Nov 10, 2025

Needed to spend more time at the glowworm caves and less time everywhere else - We got on the bus at 9:30. Our first stop for 45 at 10:15 for lunch was way too early. Next stop was chocolate factory where we also had more time than needed. We saw a beautiful waterfall at the next stop. By the time we arrived at the glowworm caves we only had 30 minutes which wasn’t enough time. Overall, very disappointed in this excursion.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Check Availability

From $129

up to 15 guests

1 - Adult