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Marine Wildlife Cruise: Half Day Adventure in New Zealand
5.0
6 Ratings
Tauranga
Experience close-up encounters with dolphins, whales, and more on a half-day cruise. Enjoy 360° views and onboard commentary. Capture photos of a lifetime.
Experience close-up encounters with dolphins, whales, and more on a half-day cruise. Enjoy 360° views and onboard commentary. Capture photos of a lifetime.
Duration:
5 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
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120 The Strand - Embark on a cruise to explore the stunning Bay of Plenty coastline and islands, where the diverse marine wildlife will be showcased, including dolphins swimming alongside the vessel. Observe seasonal seabirds, penguins, seals, whales, sunfish, schools of fish, sharks, orcas, and even turtles!
Our dolphin and wildlife cruise is…
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120 The Strand - Embark on a cruise to explore the stunning Bay of Plenty coastline and islands, where the diverse marine wildlife will be showcased, including dolphins swimming alongside the vessel. Observe seasonal seabirds, penguins, seals, whales, sunfish, schools of fish, sharks, orcas, and even turtles!
Our dolphin and wildlife cruise is designed for those seeking an authentic Kiwi experience in nature. It tells the story of human fascination with incredible marine animals and their habitats. Join in by searching from the large top deck for a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter. Passenger numbers are limited for comfort and to ensure a more personal experience. Our spacious boat is perfect for families.
The Captain and experienced crew are eager to share their marine knowledge with you, providing fascinating commentary and pointing out all the sights so you won’t miss a thing. It’s a shared lifetime experience. Don’t forget your camera, as we can get close to the wildlife, making it a photographer’s dream. You’ll return to Tauranga by 2:00 pm and be back in Rotorua by 3:00 pm, leaving you the rest of the day to explore the beautiful Bay of Plenty region.
What's Included
- Half day cruise on an 18 metre vessel with 360° outdoor views
- Onboard commentary with facts on the Bay and local marine wildlife
- Comfortable enclosed seating downstairs and large open sun-deck
- Friendly, professional Bay Explorer Crew
- Encounters with penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, sunfish, seabirds, sharks, turtles, and orca
- Photos of a lifetime
- Best marine diversity in New Zealand
- Half day cruise on an 18 metre vessel with 360° outdoor views
- Onboard commentary with facts on the Bay and local marine wildlife
- Comfortable enclosed seating downstairs and large open sun-deck
- Friendly, professional Bay Explorer Crew
- Encounters with penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, sunfish, seabirds, sharks, turtles, and orca
- Photos of a lifetime
- Best marine diversity in New Zealand
What's Not Included
- Chilled regional wines and local beer from our licenced bar and non-alcoholic beverages
- Chilled regional wines and local beer from our licenced bar and non-alcoholic beverages
Additional Information
Enjoy a half-day cruise aboard our spacious 18-meter vessel, offering 360° outdoor views. Relax in the comfortable, fully enclosed seating area downstairs, or take advantage of the large open sun-deck for exceptional wildlife viewing. Experience some of New Zealand’s finest marine biodiversity. Get up close with seasonal marine wildlife, including…
Enjoy a half-day cruise aboard our spacious 18-meter vessel, offering 360° outdoor views. Relax in the comfortable, fully enclosed seating area downstairs, or take advantage of the large open sun-deck for exceptional wildlife viewing. Experience some of New Zealand’s finest marine biodiversity. Get up close with seasonal marine wildlife, including penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, sunfish, schools of fish, seabirds, sharks, turtles, and orcas. Benefit from onboard commentary and references providing fascinating facts about the Bay and local marine life. Capture photos that will last a lifetime!
Location
Bay Explorer - Dolphin and Wildlife Cruises
The Strand
Check-in is between 8:30am to 8:45am at the Strand Wharf in Tauranga’s CBD, just opposite Starbucks on The Strand
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(6 Ratings)
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1 star
29bevf
Jan 13, 2026
a wonderful experience - It was a lovely day out. The staff were excellent and fun to cruse with. We go to see a large pod of dolphins with their young and we stayed with them for about an hour, which gave plenty of time for photos and just catching them play. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y7134fzjohnt
Jul 11, 2025
OH MY GOD! Emily, the owner/Captain was incredible! - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stan
Apr 4, 2025
Stormed out - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lblakeuk
Jan 31, 2025
Highly recommended - a great cruise - 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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trent
Oct 31, 2024
Excellent trip! - Had an absolutely amazing time, saw hundreds of dolphins (literally!!) and the crew really wanted to ensure everyone had a great time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle_m
Feb 15, 2024
Diolphin Cruise - 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!!
Review provided by Viator
