This is a really lovely day out. We loved exploring the area and seeing places we wouldn’t normally have seen. Philippa has thought of everything you need- it’s very very well run. Our picnic at the end was absolutely delicious. I’d absolutely recommend doing this.

Very relaxing and enjoyable. Can be a bit demanding if you have issues with knees as my wife has. The map would benefit from having the locations of a just few sculpture numbers marked around the track so you can identify where you are on the trail.

We had a great time here. The sheep show is great, they ll show you how they shear the sheeps, how the dogs are trained to work there, very interesting information. Then you can buy a bag of food for $1.50, walking around to feed the animals.

Blessed with an amazing day on the water and time on Kawau Island So glad we went on the trip, better than our expectations. The beauty of the bays, the history of the House and the Copper mines. The wekas walking everywhere and even hearing Kiwi birds calling when we eating lunch. Informative crew A great day out

Excellent

A great experience, will definitely go back.

Unexpected surprises around every corner with well-chosen sculptures placed to perfection in their various settings. The entire property was carefully maintained with interesting wilderness areas providing a sense of exploration. We were lucky to experience the visit after a few rain showers. The well-maintained tracks provided safe walking everywhere. Staff were friendly and helpful and we felt it was a memorable experience.

It's a nice walk with interesting sculptures, they also have a cafe

Great place. Doing all the tracks takes about 2 hours. Well worth it on a sunny day. Especially enjoyed the art installations in the Kauri Forrest.

Beautiful place!

Love this outdoor display of art, we had a great time!!

We were so excited that we could bring our whole family on a day out, including pup. Beautiful surroundings, such lovely staff and a great selection of wine. We were sad as we didn't book a table ahead of time ( it was a busy weekend ) but the food smelt incredible.

Enjoyed the sculpture trail very much. Great way to spend time with family and run off your little ones energy

We enjoyed the walk through native bush and found the sculptures and artworks interesting and thought provoking.

Such a great experience! Loved it so much! If you want to explore a new place or try different things then this is definitely for you! Especially if you're trying to do something different for a date this is perfect and if you make it to the end it's meant to be!

We had an amazing day exploring Matakana. Everything was so well thought out and organised. Overall a fantastic day, would definitely recommend!!

We were very excited for our trip and unfortunately got dealt a bad hand with the weather. However, we had an awesome time and would recommend the experience to everyone as a great way to see the area. A lot of fun!

Who would have thought that a picnic in winter would be just as good as a summer one. I surprised hubby for his 50th with a rare day out with just me and told him to put on this thinking cap and go with the flow. With a warm cuppa coffee , map and clues in hand we meander through the nooks and crannys of Matakana Village gathering goodies along the way ending up in unfamiliar spots with breathtaking views and a delightful picnic to remember. We highly recommend Village Picnics for any occasion where you want to connect and explore and escape.

Awesome experience. Well organised and a lot of fun to do. Highly recommended 👌

My 2 year old and 6 year old thoroughly enjoyed their trip. The show is about an hour and although my 2 year old struggled to sit still the whole time it was quite interesting. Highlight was def feeding the lambs. Kids enjoyed feeding the rest of the farm animals and theres a 10min discovery trail which was neat. The cafe has affordable food which is quite nice and theres a kids playground too. Would def return again

A wonderful and amazing full day trip to snorkel, kayak and swim with variety of sea fishes in a greenish blue ocean water ! Over 8 stingrays in black and one light grey stingray I saw while do snorkelling in a high & narrow sea cave, really unforgettable ! Dolphins ? & seabirds not rare to see! Hope to see whale ? next trip. You definitely won’t miss a chance to have such cool experience in hot hot summer. Solar halo as a credit scenic while heading to Sandspit wharf. So cool ! Joanne & Kelvin Hui from Hong Kong

Had the most enjoyable time! Everything were great. From office check in to crews, everyone were so friendly & professional. Would highly recommend it. Keep up the good work! Thank you so much ?☺

Our work team loved Kawau island so much that we booked it a second time. Packed our BBQ supplies and picnic gear. Mansion Bay has a BBQ free of charge. Great team building jumping off the wharf and prepping a meal together

I cannot fault the boat company at all. But I can fault DOC. We turn up at the island to the museum being closed, the cafe closed, and no way to use the two bbqs there. The electric one was disconnected and the gas one had no bottle attached. We walked around all day with uncooked meat in our bag. Lucky we packed chips so had sandwiches instead. Really let down by that. The boat offers a bbq lunch but as we read there were bbqs on the island we didnt take advantage of this but wish we did. I've rated the experience great as it was nothing the provider could have done the issues are with DOC which was highly disappointing. Make sure you get your facts sorted before you go or you could end up like us. Would of booked the onboard lunch if we knew. Hindsight!

Thankyou for the friendly services that include informative educational talks by the Skipper and supurb lunch of your choice (optional) makes a great day out. Well worth the time and money. Thanks, team.

Awesome trip with my Husband and kids! Beautiful day, and friendly and knowledgeable staff on the boat. We felt valued as customers and can't wait to go back. Brilliant weather, and just an overall fantastic experience.

Kawau Island is a amazing adventure. The team on the Mail Run Cruises were friendly and helpful.

Was a fantastic day on water. Perfect way to unplug and unwind for a day. If you're looking for a micro holiday from Auckland, this would be a great option. The weather was awesome and scenery even better!

A great chance to get a closer look at Kawau Island. We chose to get off at Mansion House on the first stop to spend more time and have lunch there. We went on 28th Dec so clearly peak time for the island, if going at this time of year, arrive early to find a car park as the marina is very busy. Walked to Lady’s Bay but as the tide was so high there was no real acces to the beach. Was nice to hang out by Mansion House under the trees with so many others enjoying the day.

Took the city kids to the sea and an adventure on an island . Great day out

We had a bit of and overcast/wet day but it was still a good boat trip. The staff were all lovely and helped us with the pram and toddler while I held the baby. My 3 year old loved going up the top of the boat. I definitely advise talking the later ferry back to give you plenty of time to explore the island and have a swim.

We had a great time we also went "out" of season witch in fact added to our experience as we were the only people walking around the island.

Well above expectations. Well organised, lovely staff, knowledgeable and nice captain who gave a great tour. Fabulous cafe on the island. Mansion house was well worth the $10. Lady’s bay beach beautiful for swimming. Fun for couples and families. I couldn’t figure out how to book the onboard BBQ lunch so assumed you could pay for it on the day - apparently you can’t- still not sure how to get it. Will definitely be doing this trip again. Thanks!

Such a great cruise and got to do some cool sightseeing. Enjoyed the Island and exploring! Food/snacks were a bit pricey so make sure you bring your own food/snacks & drinks for the day. Cool they let you bring your own supplies of food and drinks for the day 🤗.