Take in the breath-taking natural beauty of the Bay of Island and its abundant wildlife!
Cruise the sheltered waters of the Bay of Islands and discover whales, dolphins, seals, birdlife and more on this spectacular dolphin eco cruise!
Enjoy a stop at Otehei Bay on the Department of Conservation’s recreation reserve Urupukapuka Island, where you will learn about the natural ecosystems being restored as part of the Project Island Song programme including revegetation, native species reintroduction, education and biosecurity.
Explore the island via the established tracks and spot reintroduced native wildlife including tīeke (North Island saddleback), toutouwai (North Island robin), pāteke (brown teal), Wētāpunga (giant wētā) and more.
Make the most of the day with the opportunity to swim, or experience the thrill of boomnetting, if conditions permit, or enjoy a bite to eat in the sun and relax at the fully licensed café at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island.
Really loved the dolphin cruise. Both for the lovely pack of dolphins we saw, as well as the commentary and the sightseeing in the rest of Bay of Islands. With this small vessel you really get the sense that you are travelling with a handful of personal guides that take you around the waters, into the waters (snorkeling) and on to the land (birdwatching) all at once!
We really enjoyed the tour. The stay in Othei bay was great, cruising around the Bay of Islands was wonderful as we saw a shark and at the very end a playful group of dolphins. The boom netting was a hit in our family.
Unlike the activity description, it is UNLIKELY you will swim with dolphins!! Only 2 trips in the last 12 have people actually swim. Book this trip if you would like to have a boat trip with the chance of seeing dolphins .... there’s less a chance, 1 in 6, that you can actually swim with them according to staff at the main office. We wish we had know this information before we booked!! Before even finding dolphins there were multiple stops at bays - providing photo opportunities of bays and swimming - although this was limited to the back of the boat only! If you want to visit bays go on a specific trip for that.
This was the highlight of our holiday. The weather was great we got to visit otehia Island and have a small picnic and we hired some snorkel gear then after 90mins we were picked up by the ferry and saw a pod of dolphins that were at least 30 in total. We stayed there for about 15mins as the dolphins wouldn't leave. There was even a baby dolphin that was a week or so old. Was very special. We then started back to Paihia however on our way there got the opportunity to try boom netting. Was such an amazing experience. Highly recommend would definitely do it again
Copyright © 2026 Bookme Limited.
This award identifies a business with a high level of professionalism, a keen awareness of the impact it has on the environment and a commitment to a customer centric approach.
This award is evidence of a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Their proactive leadership and management ensure the business's focus on continuously improving their economic, social and environmental performance to create genuine, constantly evolving and sustainable tourism experiences.
This award recognises the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand. It denotes exceptional customer experiences at the heart of everything the company does. This business is leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world class sustainable visitor destination.
When you see the Qualmark logo, your activity of choice is endorsed by New Zealand Tourism's official quality assurance organisation and backed by leaders in the industry. It's your trusted guide to iconic activities and experiences that are awarded for their exceptionally high level of quality, safety and sustainability.
This item will be deleted immediately. You can't undo this action.




Jihye from South Korea wrote on 27 March 2019
춥네요
돌고래를 못 본 것도 아쉬운데 그 대신 받은 상품권은 좀 황당한 느낌입니다. 다시 여기 온다는 보장도 없고 여행 스케줄이라는 것도 있는데 돌고래를 못 본 것에 대한 환불 대신 무료 상품권을 준다는 점 참고해주세요. 그리고 시간 지나면 추워요! 따뜻한 옷 가져가는게 좋습니다.