Experience the best way to explore Lake Taupo and choose the most environmentally friendly way to travel – with a scenic sailing tour to the Māori Rock Carvings.
Escape the hectic life and join us on our classical sailing boat Kindred Spirit for a true sailing experience.
Come on board and experience the beauty of a scenic sailing tour to the Māori Rock Carvings, one of the most extraordinary contemporary carvings in the world. Only view-able from the water, the likeness of Ngātoroirangi towers 14-meters above Lake Taupō, surrounded by over 40 smaller carvings.
Escape from hectic life for a while and enjoy the breathtaking views of the lake’s remarkable coastline as you discover the bays and hidden bush. Listen to our experienced skippers and learn about Taupo's history and culture. Give the crew a hand hoisting the sails and take a turn on the wheel or just snuggle under some blankets and enjoy the wide selection of drinks.
Kindred Spirit sails under full sails as much as possible or gently meanders, when it is truly calm, by a quite inboard diesel engine.
Take a dip and swim in the crystal-clear waters of the largest freshwater lake in Australasia. We offer the longest swim stop out of any company on the lake (weather dependent)!
There is a bathroom and changing room facilities on board.
We really appreciate your feedback, Thank you so much. Kind regards Taupo Sailing Adventures.
The guys have 2 boats, one for sunny weather and the other for winds and possible rainfall. Our day was windy and we were informed that we might not be able to see the carvings, if so, we could choose to reschedule or get refunded. We went for it, and had an amazing time, the crew did all they could to comfort us, free hot drinks, cookies, clean toilets, commentary etc. Best part, we even got to see the carvings! 100% recommend!
Thank you for your sense of adventure and braving the conditions. We're glad we made it to the carvings. Kind regards Taupo Sailing Adventures
Beautiful boat and a really friendly crew, didn't make it to the carvings due to the choppy water but we were warned this may be the case before departure and offered a refund, for the price we paid we were happy to just have a spin on the lake in the Catamaran, beautiful boat and a nice coffee as well!
Sorry we couldn't make it this time but hopefully the next time you visit the weather will be a bit nicer. Thank you for your review. Kind regards Taupo Sailing Adventures
We had great time with the 2 gentlemen. Trip was amazing.
Glad you had an amazing time. Kind regards Taupo Sailing Adventures
Was an awesome trip! Staf were so friendly! Would highly recommend, we were upgraded to the catamaran which was beautiful, got really close to the rock carvings and the swim topped it all off!
Sounds like a perfect trip with great weather. Thank you for your review. Taupo Sailing Adventures.
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molly wollaston from New Zealand wrote on 03 November 2025
Absolutely amazing
What a great morning. Weather was perfect. Water was still. Crew on deck were super friendly and helpful. Keep up the great work.