Kawau Cruises
Kawau Cruises
4.5
Boat ToursPublic Transportation SystemsDolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife Tours
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Escape for a day to beautiful Kawau Island, home to a pristine wildlife reserve surrounded by the calm clear waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Kawau Island Super Cruise takes you from Sandspit, just a short drive North of Auckland city, to follow the Royal Mail delivery route around Kawau - the longest mail run by watercraft in the Southern Hemisphere. This is the perfect way to take in the Island's many stunning bays and gain insight into what life is like for the 70 or so permanent residents who call the road-less Island home. Learn about the history of the Island and take in amazing views while your experienced skipper points out significant landmarks and sights of interest. Watch Gannets and other seabirds on the hunt for their lunch. Don't forget to keep a close eye out for Dolphins, Penguins and other interesting sea creatures that might show up for a visit. Arriving ashore at Mansion House Bay there is plenty of time to explore your beautiful surroundings. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy, visit the historic Mansion House and stroll through the stunning subtropical gardens alive with native birds such as Tui, Kereru and the cheeky Weka. Proud Peacocks and shy Wallabies call the gardens their home so keep your camera on hand to catch a unique photo opportunity. Enjoy the numerous walking tracks that beckon you to beautiful beaches. Along the way, discover and explore ancient Maori Pa sites and the ruins of a seashore copper mine once worked by early settlers. Pack your swimwear and some snorkeling gear in summer to explore the crystal clear waters teeming with marine life. Return Cruise Price: $68 Adult (16+) $34 Child (5-15 years) FREE Preschool (0-4 years) Please note: The Department of Conservation charges a small fee on the day for entry to the historic Mansion House ($4 adults, $2 Children, Under 5s free) Departs Sandspit Wharf 10:30 am daily - Returns from Mansion House 2pm
Warkworth, New Zealand
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
84 reviews
Excellent
48
Very good
25
Average
9
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Sandra S
Auckland, New Zealand75 contributions
Feb 2021
The Royal Mail Cruise was excellent, excellent lunch. The captain gave great commentary, and the staff worked hard delivering mail and goods to the various folk at their jetties. The scenery is lovely - just perfect. Time to go into Mansion House and a gentle walk around. You can a shorter cruise which gives you more time to visit the island, and have a swim.
Written 19 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jules
Auckland, New Zealand245 contributions
Mar 2023 • Family
Fantastic day out on the boat, traveling to Kawau Island. No mail run drop offs though which was slightly disappointing. Great commentary from the captain and really friendly, helpful staff. We chose the bbq lunch option, and this was okay but not good value. For $33, the piece of average steak, bread roll, and salad was underwhelming. Our 11 year old's $20 lunch was an American hot dog (which turned out to be a spicy sausage) and salad, which, of course, she didn't eat. Luckily, there's a lovely cafe on the island.
A real highlight of our trip was visiting Mansion House. There's a $10 entry free for adults and children under 16 are free. It's well worth it. The history is fascinating and the house has been restored beautifully. You feel like you are walking through someone's past and everything is accessible, not roped off from yards away. Another high point was swimming and snorkeling at the beach. It's a really great day out for the family.
A real highlight of our trip was visiting Mansion House. There's a $10 entry free for adults and children under 16 are free. It's well worth it. The history is fascinating and the house has been restored beautifully. You feel like you are walking through someone's past and everything is accessible, not roped off from yards away. Another high point was swimming and snorkeling at the beach. It's a really great day out for the family.
Written 10 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JunkmanNZ
Auckland52 contributions
Dec 2022
We went on the Royal mail run and got the lunch option. We also managed to get a discounted price through a third party which made it quite cost-effective.
The boat trip out was great, but we chose the wrong day, if you want the full experience pick Mon, Wed or Fri as those are the days the mail goes out. But on our day there were still packages to deliver and people to drop-off, so, not a huge loss.
The lunch was very nice, but not very much, I would suggest you take snacks with you.
We got dropped off at Mansion House about 12:30. There are two pickup times from Mansion House, the first at 2 pm which is back on the same boat, and the second at 4:30 by boat taxi, which is much smaller.
We spent our time exploring the Mansion House and taking a walk about the area.
We chose the taxi option as it gave us something else to experience. The taxi that came had a limit of 17 and ended up with about 14 on board, so a little cramped, but also something different.
The boat trip out was great, but we chose the wrong day, if you want the full experience pick Mon, Wed or Fri as those are the days the mail goes out. But on our day there were still packages to deliver and people to drop-off, so, not a huge loss.
The lunch was very nice, but not very much, I would suggest you take snacks with you.
We got dropped off at Mansion House about 12:30. There are two pickup times from Mansion House, the first at 2 pm which is back on the same boat, and the second at 4:30 by boat taxi, which is much smaller.
We spent our time exploring the Mansion House and taking a walk about the area.
We chose the taxi option as it gave us something else to experience. The taxi that came had a limit of 17 and ended up with about 14 on board, so a little cramped, but also something different.
Written 18 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Suzanne G
3 contributions
Dec 2022 • Family
We had a beautiful sunny day for the mail run cruise to Kawau Island. The skipper of the boat was excellent; smoothly gliding up to each jetty for the drop offs and providing interesting commentary about each location. Unfortunately the staff were not so professional. From the young woman at the ticket office to the staff on the boat, they all spoke to us in big loud voices using a bossy condescending manner as if we were five year olds on a school trip. A large family from an ethnic minority - who were struggling to understand English - were told in no uncertain terms, “you’ve already been told three times” when politely enquiring as to where they could picnic. Whether this was racism or ignorance about appropriate behaviour I don’t know but either way it was unpleasant and uncalled for. At the onboard bbq lunch we were yelled at about how to line up, told not to touch our food plate until we’d selected our drink, and so on. As a New Zealander returning home with my family from the UK it was embarrassing that they were treated like imbeciles. I hope this post will prompt the company to sort it out.
Written 27 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Warrick L
Auckland, New Zealand8 contributions
Mar 2020
We took the Royal mail cruise in early March, fortunately the weather was fine and the water was flat making for a smooth ride, the Captain's onboard commentary was very informative as we stopped at several places to drop off supplies, the staff are friendly. The Island is just beautiful, We swam at Ladys bay, a short walk from Mansion house and the walf, The walking trails are well maintained and easy walking for reasonable able people. We would definitely recommend this activity. 👍🙂
Written 7 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynne A
Auckland, New Zealand107 contributions
Jan 2021
We had a great day the weather was perfect. The boat trip was interesting dropping off supplies at the different jetties. Great commentary from the skipper.
My only concern was that there were people standing on the boat which meant they had over sold the seats, which is a safety issue.
Mansion house was definitely worth looking at, also the cafe had lovely food.
Nice flat walks, lady's bay nice for a quick swim very safe.
Would recommend this tour.
My only concern was that there were people standing on the boat which meant they had over sold the seats, which is a safety issue.
Mansion house was definitely worth looking at, also the cafe had lovely food.
Nice flat walks, lady's bay nice for a quick swim very safe.
Would recommend this tour.
Written 5 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Greg W
Budapest, Hungary2 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
The cruise was good but as many others have stated, the BBQ is totally underwhelming. There is no way this can be considered a traditional Kiwi BBQ, and for $33, the meal was overpriced. One small piece of steak, a ciabatta bun, a small salad and a watery Charlies Orange juice. The food at the Mansion House cafe looked to be a far better deal and a good sized portion.
Written 29 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Woodham05
Hamilton & Waikato Region, New Zealand30 contributions
Mar 2022 • Friends
Great mail trip cruise . Captain very informative and lovely chap. All staff pleasant. BUT the lunch at $30 per head was very disapponting. Steak so tough bread roll huge with very little butter. Salad its only saving component. Only wish they had told us we could a lunch on the island at mansion house
Written 30 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Yvonne O
Durban, South Africa2 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
Great daybout, ferry trip was beautiful. Kawau Island had heaps of places to sit and enjoy a picnic, swim or even go to the little Cafe. Museum was amazing to learn more as well. Would do it again for a day trip.
Written 4 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jo
Auckland Central, New Zealand6 contributions
Dec 2023 • Friends
The cruise itself was totally lovely. The commentary and history was interesting, and tacking on the extra mail run portion was a lovely way to spend an extra hour on board. I would give it five stars if it weren’t for the meagre bbq lunch provided, not at all worth the additional $33 :(
Written 31 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Interested in doing the Royal Mail run. Could you please tell me what meat is served on the BBQ?
Written 1 January 2020
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