What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Peaceful sailing.

  Douglas P,Mar 4, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Our day was one of the best excursions we’ve ever had. Weather was perfect and the sail was so peaceful. Thank you Captain Mike for your expert handling and great hospitality. We won’t forget this day. And thanks to everyone who assisted us in assuring we were back on the ship on time. Word to cruisers, be sure you allow lots of time to meet your tour as it is a tender, shuttle to the beach and then a walk to meet up. Took us over an hr. Rachael and Mike were on top of trying to get us back on time also. Wonderful last day to our trip to NZ.

• Real sailing!

  Marlies S,Mar 2, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Real sailing with a catamaran, of course has an engine, but only if you really have to. Small group, there were 6 of us. You will be outside, not in a cabin, so bring warmer clothes! Friendly crew, nice lunch and beautiful trip. Island was beautiful too. We went snorkeling and saw a stingray! Well prepared this is a wonderful day trip!

• Great day out!

  conrad89,Feb 23, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Great day out with the crew. Felt like they really cared for their guests. Felt like family. The have a lot of knowledge about the area and great sailing stories too.

• Wonderful relaxing day in the Bay of islands!

  Marjan V,Feb 9, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Very relaxing day, very well cared for, punctually kept to the agreements! During the sailing trip good explanation. At the stopping point possibility of hiking, snorkeling. Snorkeling had no added value for us: rather little fishing. The nature on the island more than compensated for this. Glad the combination came. Lunch was well catered for. Very friendly captain and hostess!

• A fabulous day underway sailing in the Bay of Islands. Luke made it a happy day- very knowledgeable of this area.

  Scenic44206102773,Feb 8, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Glorious day for sailing. Luke and Marley ran the day very well. Learnt a lot about Māori culture, wildlife and NZ history

• An unforgettable Day on the Water!

  Traveler16918468529,Feb 6, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  A huge thank you to Skipper Luke and crew Brea (Apologise if we got her name wrong) for an amazing 6-hour private sailing charter from Paihia Beach for our group of 12 including kids. We booked over the Auckland Anniversary weekend and were so impressed. Luke was professional and knowledgeable throughout. The trip included a fantastic stopover at Moturoa Island, where we had our complementary lunch, paddle boarding, snorkeling, and exploring. Despite a few passing showers, we had a brilliant and active time on the water and on land. The incredible highlight was spotting a pod of resident dolphins, it was truly unforgettable!🤩 Highly recommend for families and group s looking for a perfect mix of sailing, water sports, and adventure. Barefoot Sailing Adventure is such a hidden gem!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Fun trip, could have been better

  calgeek8,Feb 5, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  This was overall a fun trip for our family of 4 with one issue that unfortunately brought down the experience. The itinerary description is spot on and we were lucky to have good weather. The recent storm activity though had churned up the bay so the water was pretty cloudy but that of course wasn't the crew's fault. We tried snorkeling but the water was just too cloudy to see anything, but that's how it goes with the ocean. The lunches provided were also good and we enjoyed hearing a little about the bay on the way out and back in. The one disappointing thing was that the boat was too crowded. We had booked this because the description says that it's a maximum of 16 people. Our trip actually had 19. This meant that we were seated on the side of the boat in a high traffic area so we were constantly having our view interrupted by people walking around to get their things or put them away as well as needing to move or shift around so that people could get by. And during embarkation and debarkation our area had to be cleared of all the seating so that there would be room for people to get by. Needless to say, this took away a bit from the relaxing cruise. The "About" section clearly states that each cruise is limited to 16 passengers. There's another section of the listing that now lists maximum of 20, but I know this was changed after we booked because on the day we booked I was disappointed that the boat only had 3 spots left when I checked. But then later in the day when I checked again there were suddenly 15 spots available so I figured they had just added a second boat. Turns out they had just adjusted it to get more passengers on the same boat though perhaps they would have added a second boat if there were more. Nevertheless, when we booked it said maximum 16 (which it still does in the description as seen in the screenshot I've attached). The staff, Luke and Freka (sp?), were both good. Luke told some good stories and tried to be attentive even though he was the one driving. Freka was responsible for serving drinks and snacks and she did a fine job though I noticed most people ended up having to get up to put away their cups and trash, which isn't a big deal, but takes away from the full-service, relaxation atmosphere. At the beach, they did a good job of getting us there and back. Oddly they wouldn't allow the kids to wear life jackets while snorkeling but perhaps that's a NZ thing as it's common in the US to do so if you want. Or maybe there was some misunderstanding, we didn't push it. We were also told to snorkel first because that was the first activity so we felt the need to do that right away as the snorkels were subsequently collected and brought back to the boat well before the beach time was up. It would have been nice to have had the option to snorkel at our convenience. Not sure why they had to be collected so early on. Both Luke and Freka stayed on the boat for most of the time we were on the beach. It would have been nice to have at least one of them around to help folks with the snorkeling or the paddleboards or to be able to ask questions about the various hikes. One of our kids had a bathroom "emergency" and so we had to text Luke to ask him to come get us to take her back to the boat, which he was happy to do so they were not out of contact completely. Having been on similar cruises in the US I would say this didn't quite live up to the same experiences I've had there. I think they have the makings of a really good trip but with just a few tweaks it could be great. We still had a fun time exploring the Bay of Islands for the first time and the views, when not interrupted, were fantastic. Highly encourage everyone to get on a boat to experience this beautiful place.

  

• Beautiful, informative and relaxing

  netwidt,Jan 29, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We were in Paihia for three days and this was the highlight of our visit. It was a beautiful day for sailing. We left Paihia sailing for an island and beach whose names I forget. As we sailed, Mike, our skipper talked about the history of the area as well as navigation techniques of the early inhabitants of the area. A good part of the journey was spent quietly admiring the natural beauty of the bay. Once we arrived to the island we snorkeled, hiked over the hill to the other side of the island (about half a mile) and enjoyed our lunches. Our return trip went a little faster because the wind had picked up, but Mike deviated course a bit so we could get a closer look at some of the islands we were passing. Overall a very pleasant and relaxing trip. If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush this probably isn’t the trip for you. We loved it and we highly recommend it.

  

  

  

• Our ship was diverted...

  Rikke L,Jan 27, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  1.00

  Our ship was diverted because of an incoming weather system, and the Bay of Islands stop was cancelled. We had no way to reach the meeting point for this excursion. The operator chose not to refund the booking even though the port was not accessible. Cruise travellers should be aware that there is no flexibility if a ship itinerary changes due to safety diversions.

• Great!

  Gillian W,Jan 26, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  A great leisurely day sailing/motoring across the bay of islands. We were lucky with the weather although more wind would have been better.

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