Island Hopper Day Cruise

If lockdown restricts travel & operation of the cruise at the time it is booked, you may reschedule your booking, hold a credit or opt for a full refund of the ticket price. See the Covid Policy page for more details.

We have a maximum of 16 passengers on our cruises.

You will find us on the beach at Paihia. We won’t be hard to find once you get there, just walk along the beach and you will see the boat anchored very close to the shoreline. If you’re not sure, search Google Maps for Barefoot Sailing Adventures and you will easily find us. The crew will be on board getting it ready for our sailing adventures so give them a wave and have a seat on a bench or a nice sandy spot on the beach, they will hop off to meet you on the beach when the boat is ready to board.

Absolutely! But not too wet – you will have to step into the water to get onto the boat. Sometimes it is ankle or calf deep, other times a wave will roll in and it may be up to your knees. So kick your shoes off and roll up your trousers before you step aboard. Sometimes we get the odd wave splash on the boat, it’s all part of the fun!

Just the usual – bottle of water, warm clothing, a jacket, footwear for island walks, swimwear, towel, hat, sunglasses and sunblock – please do not spray sunblock, it eats the paint.

Please do bring clothing that you can cover up with, the summer sun can be intense on your skin so be prepared for this as much as the possibility of cool wind.

Nope, just like the name suggests we are Barefoot Sailing Adventurers!  Kick off your shoes at the shore and experience the Kiwi barefoot culture for yourself, it’s quite liberating!

No, the boat sits flat while sailing which means it is a very comfortable experience, especially for first-time sailors or families with children. There is plenty of deck space and we have bean bags to relax on if you are sitting on the front half of the boat, the back half has seating.

Yes, our skipper loves to get people involved if they want to take the helm or help set the sails. There are some conditions or points of sail that it is not practical to have others helm the boat, but for the most part you are very welcome.

Our delicious packed picnic lunch is all made in a handy picnic bag ready for you to take with you on your island adventures. It includes a delicious freshly made deli sandwich, fruit, muffin/cake, chips and a muesli bar. It’s a nutritious lunch, with some goodies for the sweet tooth. We don’t like anyone going hungry so we’ve made sure it’s a good portion. Vegetarian options are available, please select how many vegetarian lunches you would like for your group when booking.

Please note: special dietary requirements such as allergies, gluten-free, vegan or any specifics should be self-catered for your safety and personal satisfaction.

We are limited to what we can do on the boat with lunches as we don’t have a full commercial kitchen, because of this we recommend that any special dietary requirements such as allergies, gluten-free, vegan, or any specifics should be self-catered for your personal safety and satisfaction.

Yes, we do. We use the motor to get in and out of the beach to anchor. We just love sailing! So we like to sail as much as possible, the boat performs far better under sail than under motor so sailing it is! There are times where if there is not enough wind to reach our destination we will have to use the engine or keep to our time schedule – we don’t like to make anyone late to catch their ferry/bus.

Yes, we often see dolphins, not every day but they are there and if they happen to be where we are sailing it is a lovely experience to see them play around the boat. We like to advise you that the Bay of Islands is a Marine Mammal Sanctuary. The resident dolphins are very sensitive to human and boat interaction, we do not encourage any interaction with them. For this reason, we will not follow them nor do we do any swimming with them. We prefer to leave them to do what dolphins do best – be dolphins in the wild!

We have children of all ages on our cruises, even babies on occasion. An ideal age is 4yo and upwards, however some families are used to being in the outdoors environment with younger children so if this is you then great! The trip is 2 hours sailing to the island, 2 hours at the island, and 2 hours sailing home. This is a good amount of boat time for kids, we find they are usually entertained with all the goings-on and the beach time is great. If your child is exceptionally active this might not be too well suited as we can’t allow them to run around the boat, but gentle play is ok, and we are really happy for interactive kids to join the sailing.

In our experience, if both parents are very nervous on the boat, the kids can be hard to manage. So one confident parent is the key to a good day sailing. If you are unsure, please call and we will be happy to chat with you about it as we’d love you to enjoy an amazing family day experiencing the Bay of Islands with us.

Please note: the maximum number allocation we have for the boat is 16, with young children and even babies considered a whole person and counting towards this number. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to give tickets free/discounted for infants or toddlers.

New Zealand can be tricky to plan for with the weather, particularly when choosing outdoor activities. So to be realistic you just have to be prepared for anything as we can’t promise that every day will be a perfect summer’s day.

We do try our best and are very vigilant when it comes to weather, the skipper is well informed with different weather forecasting models.

Safety is always our foremost concern, then comfort. We are generally not too bothered by a rain shower here or there. The seating of the boat is on deck in the open air, so we have rain ponchos to cover up and stay warm/dry, or you can pop down into the cabins if you want. If the forecast looks like a serious day of rain, which will make the trip a misery then we will cancel/postpone, as we would like our guests to have a good experience.

The skipper is experienced to make decisions based on the weather, and the final decision will be theirs (keeping in mind that we are reliant on the information that is given to us, we can’t promise the forecast will be 100% correct).

We have a strict operational policy to follow when it comes to weather cancellations. Cancellation of the cruise by the Barefoot Sailing Adventures staff will happen on the morning of the scheduled cruise when we get the latest weather update possible, please check your emails at 8:30 am for any updates. We will try to make contact by phone the day before if we have early warning, but phone communication can be difficult with people travelling and the possibility of bad reception or overseas calling numbers not working, so always check your emails at 8:30 am. If we decide to cancel, a full refund will be given if we can’t make alternative arrangements for another day that suits your travel plans.

We understand that everyone has a different level of comfort when it comes to the weather, and we do our best to make everyone as comfortable as we possibly can. Sometimes people are not used to the wind, the sea state, salty splashes, a bit of rain, or even the sunshine. But as Kiwis, this is all part of our lifestyle, and it is how New Zealand has become so well known for its adventure tourism because we are so good at it!

Cancellations – If you wish to cancel your cruise for any reason, there is a 10% non-refundable fee. This fee covers booking fees and credit card charges and administration which we can’t recoup. 90% of the total price will be refunded to the credit card which was used to make the purchase. Normal transaction times apply.

Cancellations within 48 hours of cruise departure are non refundable. If you do not show for your booking the full charge will apply, this includes if you are late for your scheduled Cruise. Tickets are not transferable for another day in the case of cancellation within 48 hours, or a no show.

We recommend our guests hold a comprehensive travel insurance policy in case of any unexpected changes in their travel plans that may incur a cancellation fee.

If we make a cancellation due to weather, mechanical issues, or any circumstance out of our control we will give you the option to re-schedule, hold a credit for your booking or give you a full refund.

The Island Hopper Cruise is our regular scheduled day cruise that may be suitable for cruise ship passengers depending on the ship schedule. Our departure and return times are set, and it is a public cruise (not dedicated solely to cruise ship passengers).

We advise allowing 1.5 – 2 hours either side of cruise ship anchor/departure is recommended to allow reasonable time to get to and from our departure point at Paihia Beach, which involves getting a shuttle bus from the tender terminal to downtown Paihia, and is a 5 minute walk from there.

We can not make allowances for a change in ship schedule or late arrivals. Please arrive 15 min prior to departure time, we leave on time without exception. Normal terms and conditions and cancellation policy apply.

Risk Disclosure Statement – Barefoot Sailing Adventures

We are committed to delivering a safe and enjoyable experience. We take all care to ensure your safety, however there are inherent risks in the nature of our activity. To ensure your safety, you must follow the
instructions of our time, act in a safe manner, be physically capable of undertaking any activity you partake in, and not be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The following risks may result in serious injury or death:
Boarding and disembarking – slips, trips, falls, crushing.
Sailing equipment – impact injury from moving parts, entanglement.
Changing weather conditions – sea state, moving vessel, exposure to the elements wind cold rain sun heat, unforeseen events. Natural hazards.
Water activities – swimming snorkeling paddle boarding, encounters with marine creatures, cuts & grazes, missing person, person adrift, drowning.
Island walks – uneven terrain, slips & trips, cliffs & steep drop offs, getting lost.
Chemicals – poisoning, burns.
Remote location – medical facilities and immediate access to medical care are limited and may be significantly distant.
Vessel Emergencies – Person overboard, vessel grounding, steering, loss
of engine power, fire, abandon ship, encounters with marine mammals.
Natural Hazards – Tsunami, waterspout, wildfire.
Personal Property – risk to personal property being damaged.

By participating, you signify your acknowledgment and acceptance of these inherent risks, and agree to conduct yourself in a safe manner.
Your safety and enjoyment are our priority, and we appreciate your cooperation ensuring a safe experience. You agree to inform all others in your party of the above risks.