What a great day! Pick up was on time from Russell pier, and from the moment we stepped on board it was a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. It's a family crew who make you feel at home and being processed. Tea, coffee, warm scones, amazing fresh buffet lunch (we had green shell muscles, salad, chicken, rice, daal & sweetcorn), afternoon tea with chocolate cake and fresh fruit. Gordon the skipper and his wife also shared some of history of the Bay as we went, and we stopped in a couple of bays to snorkel, kayak & swim (all included). Great day out on the water!

We got to see penguins and a pod of 6 dolphins. Mike and Rob are great hosts. We got to hear some really cool stories as well. Definitely recommend. Thank you guys for one of the most amazing day ever!

Highly recommend everyone to go on Gungha II Bay of islands cruise. A beautiful sailing boat own & operate by Michael & his wife. Michael & his crew gave us a magnificent tour on his boat. We felt like we had a private boat tour to ourselves with a private skipper . Michael is such a fun friendly and accommodating Skipper. 5Star + for our experience. Thank you Mike & Rob!

hilarious and informative commentary and just an overall great half day trip. The bbq was great, it had lots of vegetarian options. Stunning views and getting to see the dolphins so close was awesome! Highly recommended.

Great cruise, loved that we could get off the boat and stay longer if we wanted at the island we had lunch. The free ferry ticket back to Russell was another lovely bonus. You can really make this a full day excursion. Would happily recommend.

Best sailing experience ever!! Would do it again and again!

Had the best time on the Gungha II in the beautiful bay of islands! Such a relaxed, calm vibe to the trip. I really enjoyed the friendly hosts, hospitality and knowledge provided by the crew. 100% recommend this experience - it’s incredible! We even saw a penguin and were lucky enough to have a pod of dolphins join us in revelry swimming, leaping and playing in the water beside the boat. Thanks for a spectacular day! :)

Whole day was fantastic. We had dolphins playing on the bow and the hosts are lovely - feels like you are sailing with friends. Islands are beautiful and the lunch was delicious (albeit a bit small - take snacks!)

Great way to spend a day in one of New Zealand’s wonderful scenic areas. The bus was very comfortable and left on time. The bus driver (Kenny) was very informative and comical at times. He made the trip fly by but still pointed out interesting scenes and historical sights. The cruise was equally interesting with the captain keeping everyone interested in the points of interest including the famous hole in the rock saving the best for last. You won’t believe where the ship will fit until you see it. I would recommend this day trip to anyone wanting to see more of the NZ ocean coast.

This year we travelled Australia and New Zealand for 4 months. At the end of our trip and at the last minute we booked in on Gunga II after being dumped by another operator. Lucky break! We had the most epic day with Mike with stories which were fascinating and memories of dolphins, penguins and tiny islands which delighted us. The snacks and lunch were healthy, tasty and spot on. We didn't want to leave the boat. Back in London now, a piece of our hearts are still there...

Was a shame that we weren't able to go out to the hole in the rock due to the cyclone but we were able to see dolphins! Staff and captain were great. No complaints. Highly recommend it. Looking forward to coming back to New Zealand and doing the cruise again.

Great way to spend an afternoon! Beautiful scenery, knowledgeable and friendly staff and great food. Don't miss the best way to see the bay of islands.

We booked the winter eco experience aboard the Albatross V. Having the dolphins swim alongside our boat for 20 minutes was an amazing experience. Our skipper had a great personality, very knowledgeable and shared lots of stories and information with us. We had a wonderful day out and enjoyed the muffins. Great fun. We would highly recommend this experience.

We visit Paihia yearly. But this is the first time we have enjoyed the bay by sail. Swimming to shore and enjoying everything close up. We will surely repeat this experience in years to come. Mike is a credit to the small operators that have New Zealand's long term biosecurity and sustainability of our wonderful resources at the top of their priorities.

Mike and Robert were amazing. Great yarns and tasty food. The sailing was ok too...it was amazing. Captain Mike is a very experienced captain and had amazing facts of all the boats in the bay and was a privilege to be able to spend the day on his vessel.

What can you say about this beauty!. Beautiful day set the scene for a great day out on the water. Plus a big feed for lunch. Awesome day out on the water. Informative and hilarious boat crew, who made it a very entertaining day. Some awesome photo opportunities with dolphins. Definitely book it!!! Can't wait to do it again!!!

I really enjoyed the dolphin discovery. We got to see a pod of 25 dolphins including a 3 week old baby! They came up really close to the boat and were very playful. Unfortunately we didn’t get to swim with the dolphins as they couldn’t locate the other pod, the crew said that they could have been further out but as the sea was too choppy we couldn’t go out there which was a massive shame. But we got to snorkel and watch one of the crew members feed the fish. So overall it was a really good experience.

The team on the boat were fantastic and very friendly, especially Molly and Warren. We saw one pod of dolphins which had s baby with them which was cool, but other than that, we cruised around for a few hours looking for dolphins but couldn't find any more. The trip is great but you are looking for mammals in the wild so it is hit and miss.

We enjoyed a wonderful evening and a delicious dinner abroad Kiss with hosts Karen and Russell! We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel. The boat was comfortable. Delicious snacks were offered right away and our wine that we brought with us was stored in the fridge and served throughout the evening. Russel and Karen hoisted the Sail and we enjoyed a lovely evening sailing around the Bay of Islands. We learned lots! An evening to remember for sure!

Great friendly operation by all staff Really enjoyed our few hours

It was amazing tour. Our bus driver was friendly and knowledgeable able to share little stories at landmark area. It was very organized. We enjoyed it very much.

Customer service on arrival was awesome and easy and these bikes are good fun and a great way to get around and see the sights of Russell. Had a few issues with my bike but my partners was a bullet throughout. Overall it was a good time.

my partner and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in paihia so this was a perfect way to celebrate this milestone in our relationship. Loved every minute of it! ?

It was such a lovely day with dolphins ;) our guides looked really knowledgeable about dolphins! Thank you!

We had a beautiful day! The crew was very friendly and totally caring. We were very lucky and the dolphins followed us a while. Thanks for this experience.

The sun was shining The waters so blue Many sights to enjoy On the Gungha II! Thanks Mike and Melissa for such an enjoyable day!

Amazing experience. Recommend to everyone :)

Mike is a very experienced mariner, he clearly knows the Bay like the back of his hand and he is a great host. The day was absolutely fantastic in all respects, faultless. Thank you Mike

Russell and Karen provide the perfect way to see the beautiful Bay of Islands. From the moment you join them on their yacht it feels like a relaxed day out with friends, who do all the sailing work so you can just relax ..or if you have the knowledge they are happy to let you take a turn at the sails. The food was simply delicious, great coffee and fresh danish when you board,a succulent lamb lunch was cooked to perfection and served with a yummy charred vegetable salad and crusty bread.You can BYO or they provide drinks and afternoon tea was a tasty treat of fresh blueberries waffles,and cream. We sailed through the beautiful turquoise waters saw dolphins, penguins and learnt a lot of interesting local history. We had time to swim and walk .. you can choose how to spend your time ... so much better than a being in a large group on a strict timetable. We had a wonderful day ,way beyond our expectations I would definitely recommend this cruise it was magical.

Do not hesitate to book this sailing trip! The service, lunch and snacks are really nice, the boat is beautiful and Mike the captain is a great storyteller! We had an awesome day, thanks again!!

Very exciting adventure. Lucky to have amazing weather that enabled us to go through the stunning hole in the rock. All topped off with a surprise visit from dolphins.

Staff was very professional and helpful. We had a wonderful time. Highly recommend this!

My boyfriend and I have been wanting to do this for a long time. We had a really great experience. Staff were professional and friendly. Would love to do this again

Both my mum and I enjoyed the tour. It was so nice to see the adorable dolphins！ Lunch was yum too！

Dolphins, penguins, hole in the rock, light house, and the stunning Otehei Bay, plus more all in one great tour - no big crowds on boat, great staff and perfect weather too ☺ could not wish for a better day - highly recommend Discover the Bay with explore!!!!

Nice way to see beauty of islands...duration of trip is 1-1:30 hrs and flight is about 10 minutes, I wish it could have been longer. Staff are friendly and experienced. Thumbs up!!!!

My group loved this activity. The boat ride around the Bay of Islands was amazing. We lazed in the sun and took in the stunning views all around. Then the excitement when our boat actually went through the Hole in the Rock. It was a perfect day of fun and relaxation with a little history of the area thrown in. Highly recommend this experience.

Views were amazing and staff were so lovely. Would recommend

Awesome trip out. Had a funny captain with good commentary, saw dolphins playing and it was pretty neat that the crew knew so much about them and could identify individuals. The bbq lunch was pretty good and the options to extend your stay on either the island or at Russell would have been neat if I'd had the time. Thinking of making a repeat visit at some point, well worth the money.