Dolphin & Wildlife Encounters

Overview

Available languages

English

5 hours

Mobile ticket

A half day cruise on our spacious 18 metre vessel with 360° outdoor views.

Comfortable fully enclosed seating downstairs and a large open sun-deck for wildlife watching.

Some of the best marine diversity in New Zealand.

Close-up encounters with seasonal marine wildlife – penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, sunfish, school fish, seabirds, sharks, turtles and orca.

Onboard commentary and references with facts on the Bay and local marine wildlife.

Photos of a lifetime!

Additional Info

Specialized infant seats are available

Service animals allowed

Public transportation options are available nearby

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Wheelchair accessible

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

A half day cruise on our spacious 18 metre vessel with 360° outdoor views.

Onboard commentary and references with facts on the Bay and local marine wildlife. 

Comfortable fully enclosed seating downstairs and a large open sun-deck for wildlife watching.

Our friendly, professional Bay Explorer Crew

Encounters with penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, sunfish, seabirds, sharks, turtles and orca. 

Photos of a lifetime!

Some of the best marine diversity in New Zealand. 

Chilled regional wines and local beer from our licenced bar and non-alcoholic beverages

What To Expect

You will spend the cruise exploring the pristine Bay of Plenty coastline and islands where we will showcase the amazing diversity of marine wildlife including dolphins swimming along side our vessel. Watch seasonal seabirds, penguins, seals, whales, sunfish, school fish, sharks, orca...even turtles! Our dolphin & wildlife cruise is tailored to those wanting a genuine kiwi experience in nature. It’s a story about our human intrigue with amazing marine animals and their habitat. Participate by searching on the large top deck for that once in a lifetime wildlife encounter. We have limited our passenger numbers for comfort and to enable a more personal experience. Our large spacious boat is also ideal for families. The Captain and experienced crew lust to share their marine knowledge with you and will provide fascinating commentary and point out all that they see so you won’t miss a thing. A shared lifetime experience. Don’t forget your camera as we are able to get up close to wildlife, making it a photographer’s dream. You will return to Tauranga by 2:00pm and will be back in Rotorua by 3pm so you will have the rest of the day to explore our beautiful region, the Bay of Plenty.

Options

Dolphin & Wildlife Encounters

Reviews

5.00

5 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

OH MY GOD! Emily, the owner/Captain was incredible!
Y7134FZjohnt,
Jul 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Being a former commercial fisherman and diver from Canada's west coast I was BLOWN away at the variety of species and the clairity of the water. As a Capt. Cook fan the fact that we got to hang out with Emily in the Bay of Plenty was off the charts eh! I used to dive for urchins on a small trooler called The Bounty and had spent lots of time in Friendly Cove where Cook and his Spanish counterpart brokered a peace treaty. And what can one say about her fantastic boyfriend Jordan? What a great guy. We have way too much in common yet from different worlds. But they say New Zealand and my province of British Columbia are very similar and I now know first had having experiences with Emily and Jordan that this is in fact very true. We flew directly to Auckland and only spent the night as we, I mean myself, was so excited to get back on the ocean and this adventure will not soon be, if ever forgotten. Thank you to the crew also for their professionalism and attention to detail and how they anticipated our needs especially as a former marine guy I can be way to critical of how the deck is run. Captain Emily is 1 in a million. My wife and I will definitely return and tell our friends to enjoy the company of Emily's crew. Warmest regards from John and Anut.
Stormed out
Stan S,
Apr 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Due to stormy weather, our trip to see dolphins & wildlife had to be canceled. The Bay Explore team did a great job of alerting us to the cancelation.
Highly recommended - a great cruise
LBlakeUK,
Jan 31, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
From the moment we arrived at the boat the crew were so friendly, helpful and welcoming. The captain did a quick welcome presentation before we set off, which was fun and interesting. He also shared interesting info as we head off through the harbour to the sea. Once out of the harbour the other two crew members were quick to start their looks outs for dolphins and any other marine life, and between the three of them they kept everyone aware of what was going on. They spotted some little blue penguins, which were a bit of a distance from the boat. It was a bit choppy out on the water the day we went, and a few people were suffering with sea sickness, but the crew did all they could to help everyone, including providing clean buckets for people to be sick in, as needed. There had been a big storm go through the area recently when we went out so nobody had seen any dolphins for a few days, as it was believed they had maybe gone out to deeper waters due to the storm. However, the captain and crew did a great job on covering as much area as possible looking for dolphins, and just before we should have been starting to head back to shore they spotted a pod. The captain did a great job of making sure we all got to see the dolphins without impacting on the dolphins too much. The dolphins were happy to come to and around the boat which was great for everyone to enjoy time with these wonderful creatures. It felt like nothing was too much trouble for the captain and crew, and we even stayed out an extra half hour, since the dolphins were spotted towards the end of the cruise, to allow us all as much time as possible watching the dolphins. If you're reading this before planning a trip, do bear this in mind if you're parking a car, give yourself extra time when you're paying to park, because if you're lucky and get a slightly longer cruise it's good to know you're not going over on your parking! Would highly recommend Bay Explorer Dolphin and Wildlife Cruises for a great experience. Thanks to the captain and crew for a great day!
Excellent trip!
Trent R,
Oct 31, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Had an absolutely amazing time, saw hundreds of dolphins (literally!!) and the crew really wanted to ensure everyone had a great time!
Diolphin Cruise
Michelle M,
Feb 15, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
The crew was very professional. They were very diligent about locating the dolphins’ they allowed ALL of us on board the opportunity to see them from different parts of the vessel. They did not rush us. GREAT EXPERIENCE AND EXCURSION!!