Educational Cruises

The ocean covers 71% of the earth’s surface. Let us cover it in your curriculum.

Bring your school to enjoy a fun, educational experience in Tauranga harbour. Cruising on the calm waters of the inner harbour or exploring the ocean on a Dolphin & Wildlife ruise, we have a long history of running educational field trips for schools and holiday programmes.

Our staff provide strict guidelines to always keep everyone happy and safe.

Making Learning Fun!

We will work with your school or holiday programme organisers to tailor the day to suit your requirements. There is an abundance of wildlife to see on the ocean, including penguins, a wide variety of sea birds, fish and occasional marine mammals. It’s all just waiting for our young (and older!) learners to discover.

Our crew come with backgrounds in marine science and can provide commentaries on subjects such as marine biology as well as the local history of the harbour area and port. Get up close to wildlife, cruise ships, container ships, tugs and more!

Depending on the weather, we can also look at a stop off at Matakana Island beach for lunch and some extra fun water activities like use of our kayaks and SUPs.

Safety First

Our boat is licenced to operate with school groups, we have a survey provision from the Maritime Safety Authority. We carry child lifejackets for up to 80 children. Lifejackets are not required to be worn on our charter cruises, they are for safety only. Our vessel is also fully enclosed and there is no open access to the water.

Bay Explorer cruises include:

• A half day cruise on our spacious 18 metre vessel with 360° outdoor views.
• Comfortable fully enclosed seating downstairs and a large open sun-deck for wildlife watching.
• Some of the best marine diversity in New Zealand.
• Close-up encounters with seasonal marine wildlife – penguins, seals, dolphins, whales, sunfish, school fish, seabirds, sharks, turtles and orca.
• Drinks and snacks bar – EFTPOS available.
• BYO lunches or take advantage of our on board BBQ!
• Onboard commentary and references with facts on the Bay and local marine wildlife.
• Our friendly, professional Bay Explorer Crew
• Photos of a lifetime!