Island Hopper Cruise – Bay Of Islands
Join the Island Hopper Cruise for a unique and unforgettable day sailing adventure!
Come spend a day with the Barefoot Sailing crew for a magical day sailing cruise to a fantastic island destination. If you’re looking for something a little different, you’ve found it! This small group tour is designed to suit the active/adventurer, but equally relaxing if you’re looking for an easy going day. There is something for everyone on our all inclusive Island Hopper Cruise and with plenty of deck space to spread out and relax, so grab a seat and chalk up some leisure time.
Enjoy a day of sun kissed skin, windswept hair, and salty smiles!
SAIL – SNORKEL – SWIM – PADDLE BOARD – PICNIC – HIKE – WILDLIFE
Highlights
- The Ultimate Bay of Islands Sailing Cruise
Experience the magic of the Bay of Islands on our premium, all inclusive sailing cruise, with plenty of action and loads of relaxing. We’ve taken care of the details so all you have to do is turn up with a sense of adventure, and a smile. This really is the Ultimate Bay of Islands sailing cruise
- A Great Sailing Experience
Explore the Bay of Islands under sail, cruising among the many islands we take you on a journey like no other to enjoy the stunning scenery of this sub-tropical archipelago. Enjoy an exceptional sailing experience in the Eastern Bay of Islands with the Island Hopper Cruise, which offers the most sailing of all our cruises, up to 4 hours in total. Sailing is what we are all about and we’ll do our best to make sure you get the best sailing experience we can give you.
- Island Stopover
The jewel of this cruise is the 2 our island stopover for lunch and optional activities. Snorkel the rocky reef and sandy beaches, have a go at paddle boarding in the sheltered bay, or take a swim. Explore the island, there are great bush walking trails, bird watching, enjoy a beach combing adventure, or simply dig your toes in the sand, kick back and relax.
- Wildlife Sanctuary Island
Visit a wildlife sanctuary island, where you can take a walk in the native bush and experience some of New Zealand’s rare endemic bird species in regenerating native bush. Kakariki, Kiwi, Saddleback, Robin, Whitehead, Pateke, have been re-introduced here and are thriving with the protection of predator free islands, thanks to Project Island Song.
- Something For Everyone
Whether you are a solo traveller, a couple, family or group of friends, you will be well entertained with a range of activities to suit different interests. There’s something for everyone on an Island Hopper Cruise.
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THE IMPORTANT STUFF
PRICE: $155 Adult – $135 Child (12 & under)
DEPARTURE TIME: 10am sharp! Please be ready to board the boat at Paihia beach by 9.45. Returns 4pm
MEETING POINT: Paihia Beach, Marsden Rd Paihia
SAILING SEASON: October to May
AVAILABILITY: Daily by demand (please ensure your booking is made in advance)
DURATION: 6 hours, with lunchtime island stopover for 2 hours
GROUP SIZE: Max 16 people
INCLUSIONS: Morning – Coffee/tea Lunch – Delicious packed picnic lunch Afternoon – refreshing cold drink
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES: Snorkelling, Swimming, Paddle Boarding, Island Bush Walks, Bird Watching, Beachcombing
Join the Island Hopper Cruise for a unique and unforgettable day sailing adventure!
Departing from Paihia beachfront, the boat pulls right up to the beach where you can step aboard from the shore line. We set sail for our day’s adventure to a beautiful island destination of Ipipiri, the Eastern Bay of Islands.
With 144 islands, we really are spoiled for choice with spectacular destinations for our day sailing adventures. We have our favourites of course, and we can’t wait to share one of our top destinations with you, we will choose from either Urupukapuka, Motuarahia, Moturua, or Waewaetoria for our island stopover.
During our morning sail, enjoy a morning tea cuppa and bikkie along the way and we’ll share some great conversation with you, along with insights to the Bay of Islands geography and history. If you’re a keen sailor, or wanna be sailor please let us know we’d love to include you if you want to take part, we’ll even reserve VIP seating with the captain & crew. It takes approx 2 hours to sail to our island destination.
There’s nothing better than exploring a remote island after sailing into a beautiful bay – it’s all part of the adventure!
During our 2 hour island stop over, the boat anchors right up close to the beach where you can step off and enjoy some great water activities like snorkelling and paddle boarding for the water babies. And for those who prefer terra firma under their feet there are great hiking trails for find picturesque views, soak up the sounds of the birdsong.
Enjoy a delicious packed lunch at a stunning picnic spot of your choice. Take a refreshing swim or simply dig your toes into the sand and relax – the choice is yours.
Once we’ve finished our island adventures we set sail again, making the most of our beautiful sea breezes on the home run. So watch the wind fill the sails, kick back, relax and enjoy the peace and tranquillity – a perfect end to our Day Sailing adventures.
The Barefoot Crew offer you a great opportunity to experience day sailing at its best, in a world-renowned sailing destination. So grab some friends, bring the family or simply take some time out for yourself.
- A hat and sunglasses
- Swimwear and towel
- Bottle of water to keep handy – we can re-fill it for you
- Suitable shoes or sandals for the beach or walking tracks
- Sunblock – please don’t use spray sunblock as it eats the paint
- Comfortable casual clothing – jeans are not recommended, wear quick dry fabric
- Warm clothes and a jacket as it may be windy – as well as a light layer to cover up from the sun
- Don’t forget to bring your sense of adventure – we’ll do the rest 🙂
There’s a wealth of wildlife to see when sailing in the Bay of Islands. During your sail you may get the chance to see a range of seabirds, and penguins are often popping up, and there’s a chance that you might see some dolphins or orca whales too!
The bays are home to stingrays and eagle rays, and fish species like piper, juvenile snapper, parore, hiwihiwi, spotty, tripplefin, leatherjacket, sandangers wrass, red moki, octopus and many, many more. You may experience some of these during a snorkel.
The beaches are home to some of our most endangered shore bird species like the New Zealand Dottrel, featured above, the Variable Oystercatcher, Pied Shag, Pipit, Black Backed Gulls, Red Billed Gulls and more. When you reach the shores of the islands keep your eyes peeled and your ears tuned, listen to the sound of nature to for some of these beauty’s can be hard to see. On the beach, nests are easily destroyed by careless feet.
Learn about Project Island Song wildlife sanctuary as we reach our island destination. The group of 7 islands of Ipipiri are being restored, replanted and many endangered bird, lizard and invertebrates are being relocated here to create a thriving eco-system. You will experience rare and endangered bird species on your island adventures, thanks to the effort of Project Island Song we are blessed with abundant birdsong in the beautiful regenerating native bush, including our rare kiwi, kakariki, saddleback, robin, whitehead, pateke, and many more. Barefoot Sailing Adventures donates a portion of your Island Hopper ticket price to Project Island song, so every one of our visitors is contributing to this great conservation initiative.Save
- The trip is scheduled to depart most days by demand. A minimum number of bookings required for the trip to go ahead, because of this please ensure your booking is made in advance. It is possible to book on the day of the cruise if there are already bookings, but if it is not already booked in advance the boat can’t be prepared at short notice.
- The boat departs right on time at 10am, please be ready to board the boat at 9.45. We will help you on board, get you settled in, and start the day with an introduction and safety briefing before we depart at 10am. Please don’t be late for boarding 🙂
- The island we visit is a pest free wildlife sanctuary. Please check your gear BEFORE you board the boat, check your shoes are clean of mud and weed seeds, ensure there are no ants or other pests in your bags. Biosecurity at the islands is very important to keep our endangered wildlife safe, and it is everyone’s responsibility
- This cruise is designed with the active traveller in mind, however this doesn’t mean you must to be able to climb mountains, but a reasonable level of physical ability is required to board the boat safely and to be able to move around the boat while it is underway. This is not difficult on a calm day, but if there is a bit of wind and waves this can be challenging for some people, particularly if you have mobility problems in the knees or legs. If you are unsure whether it will suit you, please don’t hesitate to give us a call, we are happy to help.
- The water temperature ranges from 18 degrees in October, warming up to around 20 degrees in December and makes it’s way up to a peak in February of around 23 degrees, before slowly cooling off to around 20 degrees again in May. People swim or snorkel all season long on this cruise, depending on their version of “warm enough!”
How many people on the boat?
We have a maximum of 16 passengers on our cruises.
How do I find the boat?
You will find us on the beach at Paihia. We won’t be hard to find once you get there, just walk along the beach and you will see the boat anchored very close to the shore line. If you’re not sure search google maps for Barefoot Sailing Adventures and you will easily find us. The crew will be on board getting it ready for our sailing adventures so give them a wave and have a seat on a bench, they will hop off to meet you on the beach when the boat is ready to board.
Will I get wet?
Absolutely! But not too wet -you will have to step into the water to get onto the boat. Sometimes it is ankle or calf deep, other times a wave will roll in and it may be up to your knees. So kick your shoes off and roll up your trousers before you step aboard. Sometimes we get the odd wave splash on the boat, it’s all part of the fun!
What should I bring?
Just the usual – bottle of water, warm clothing/ jacket, footwear for island walks, swimwear, towel hat, sunglasses, sunblock (please not spray sunblock it eats the paint) and please do bring clothing that you can cover up with, the summer sun can be intense on your skin so be prepared for this as much as the possibility of cool wind.
Do I wear shoes on the boat?
Nope, just like the name suggests we are Barefoot Sailing Adventur-ers 🙂 Kick off your shoes at the shore and experience the Kiwi barefoot culture for yourself, it’s quite liberating!
Does the boat lean over?
No, the boat sits flat while sailing which means it is a very comfortable experience, especially for first time sailors or families with children. There is plenty of deck space and we have bean bags to relax on if you are sitting on the front half of the boat, the back half has seating.
Can I help sail the boat?
Yes, our skipper loves to get people involved if they want to take the helm or help set the sails. There are some conditions or points of sail that it is not practical to have others helm the boat, but for the most part you are very welcome.
What is included in the picnic lunch?
Our delicious packed picnic lunch is all made in a handy bag ready for you to take with you on your island adventures. It includes a delicious freshly made deli sandwich, fruit, muffin/cake, chips and a muesli bar. It’s a nutritious lunch, with some goodies for the sweet tooth. We don’t like anyone going hungry so we’ve made sure its a good portion. Vegetarian option available, please select how many vegetarian lunches for your group when booking.
PLEASE NOTE: SPECIAL DIETARY REQUIREMENTS SUCH AS ALLERGIES, GLUTEN FREE, VEGAN OR ANY SPECIFICS SHOULD BE SELF CATERED FOR YOUR SAFETY AND PERSONAL SATISFACTION.
Do we have a motor?
Yes we do. We use the motor to get in and out of the beach to anchor. We just love sailing! So we like to sail as much as possible, the boat performs far better under sail than under motor so sailing it is! There are times where if there is not enough wind to reach our destination we will have to use the engine, or to keep to our time schedule – we don’t like to make anyone late to catch their ferry/bus.
Will we see Dolphins?
Yes we do see dolphins, not every day but they are there and if they happen to be where we are sailing it is a lovely experience to see them play around the boat. We like to advise you that the resident dolphins in the Bay of Islands are very sensitive to human and boat interaction, we do not encourage any interaction with them, we will not follow them nor do we do any swimming with them. We prefer to leave them be to do what dolphins do best…be dolphins in the wild !!
Will my children be ok on the sailing boat?
We have children of all ages on our cruises, even babies on occasion. An ideal age is 4yo and upwards, however some families are used to being in the outdoors environment so if this is you then great! The trip is 2 hours sailing to island, 2 hours at the island, and 2 hours sail home. This is a considerable time for kids, but we find they are usually entertained with all the goings on and the beach time is great. If your child is exceptionally active this might not be too well suited as we cant allow them to run around the boat, but gentle play is ok, and we are really happy for interactive kids to join the sailing.
Our experience is if both parents are very nervous on the boat the kids are hard to manage, so one confident parent is the key to a good day sailing. Please consider the enjoyment of our other guests too when deciding whether it is a suitable trip for your family. If you are unsure please call we are happy to chat with you about it, and we’d love you to enjoy an amazing family day experiencing the Bay of Islands with us.
Please note, the maximum number allocation we have for the boat is 16, so young children and even babies are considered a whole person and count towards this number so we can’t give tickets free/discounted for infants or toddlers.
What about the weather? Aaah, the million dollar question!
New Zealand can be tricky to plan for with the weather particularly when choosing outdoor activities, so to be realistic you just have to be prepared for anything.
We do try our best and are very vigilant when it comes to weather, the skipper is well informed with different weather forecasting models.
Safety is always our foremost concern, then comfort. We are generally not too bothered by a rain shower here or there. It is an open boat, so we have rain poncho’s to cover up and stay warm/dry, or you can pop down into the cabins if you want. If the forecast looks like a serious day of rain we which will make the trip a misery we will cancel/postpone, as we would like our guests to have a good experience.
The skipper is experienced to make decisions based on the weather, and the final decision will be theirs (keeping in mind that we are reliant on information that is given to us, we can’t promise the forecast will be 100% correct).
We have strict operational policy to follow when it comes to weather cancellations. Cancellation of the cruise by the Barefoot Sailing Adventures Staff will happen on the morning of the scheduled cruise when we get the latest weather update possible, please check your emails at 8.30am for any updates. (We will try to make contact by phone the day before if we have early warning, but phone communication can be difficult with people traveling and possibility of bad reception, so always check your emails at 8.30am) If we decide to cancel a full refund will be given if we can’t make alternative arrangements for another day that suits your travel plans.
We understand that everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to the weather, and we do our best to make everyone as comfortable as we possibly can. Sometimes people are not used to the wind, the sea state, salty splashes, or a bit of rain, or even the sunshine. But as Kiwi’s this is all part of our lifestyle, and it is how New Zealand has become so well known for it’s Adventure Tourism, because we are so good at it!
What is your cancellation policy?
Covid Cancellations- if there is a lockdown preventing Barefoot Sailing Adventures from operating sailing cruises, or if lockdown in another region is preventing you from traveling to our location then you may opt to re-schedule your booking, hold a credit for your booking, or receive a full refund.
If you wish to cancel your cruise for any other reason, there is a 10% non refundable fee. This fee covers booking fee’s and credit card charges which we can’t recoup. 90% of the total price will be refunded to the credit card which was used to make the purchase. Normal transaction times apply.
If we make a cancellation due to weather, mechanical issues, or any circumstance out of our control we will give you the option to re-schedule, hold a credit for your booking, or receive a full refund.
