If you are ever in Auckland I definitely recommend this "Rock the Boat" trip. The "Rock" is a boat offering overnight cruises on the beautiful Bay of Islands in the very north of New Zealand about a 4 hour drive north of Auckland.
The captain and his friendly crew will meet you at Paihia wharf at 5pm or 4pm in winter to give you a bit extra sunlight. As you board the boat, all the crew meet you and ask your name etc and make you feel really welcome! I was actually a bit embarrassed because I didn't remember some of the crew's names even when they knew mine and they had everybody on the boat's names to remember and I only had a few to remember but it really did make you feel welcome! The people on the boat where a mixture of backpackers, holiday makers, singles, couples and people travelling alone so if you are worried about going on your own don't be as there will be plenty of others around. The boat holds around 50 people, when I did it in April there were around 35 people on it so there will be lots of people to socialise with.
Once you are on the boat and leave the mainland, the captain gives you a quick briefing about safety and a brief introduction to
the trip and what you will be doing. It takes about 3 hours to cruise out to the bay where you stay overnight. During this cruise, the crew show you to your rooms which are 4 or 6 berth cabins, and they organise a shooting competition and put some nets out to catch any fish. The shooting competition involves small rifles and you shoot out of the back of the boat at an empty plastic bottle tied to the boat on a piece of string - it is quite tricky as it jumps around over the waves! I didn't hit it once in 3 attempts BUT I did get quite close - honest!
When we arrived at the bay where we would spend the night, there was the option to go fishing. Most people did this and although I find fishing quite boring it was actually really fun and is a great way to get to know other people on the boat. If you catch any fish, the crew will cook them up and you can have it for dinner that night, can't really get much fresher than that can you, and let me tell you if you are lucky enough for somebody on your trip to catch some, they taste delicious! If you don't want to fish, the boat also has a pool table which is free to play on, books, a bar, an open log fire, a piano, a guitar and some sofas so there is lots fo other things to do as well!
While you are fishing the crew will cook up some dinner for you which consists of a buffet style bbq, salad, bread and pasta… and of course fish if you have caught any! The food was filing and there is the option to go back for seconds if you didn't get enough to start with.
After dinner there is the opportunity to go kayaking in the pitch black darkness of night! This is an extra $5 which they will come and get off you before you leave the next day but believe me this is well worth doing! In the dark, you get what is known as a "phosphorescence" - a fireworks display created by fish swimming through the water, paddles gliding through and topped by the millions of stars you can see this really is a brilliant experience! When you sign up you have to tell them your level of kayak experience so don't be worried if you have never done it before as you will go in a group with beginners and the guide will have their light on more to look out for you all. You get about half an hour of kayaking and then the next group will go out. Even though I went in April (well into autumn) and it had been raining during the day the water was actually really warm, I went kayaking in a t-shirt and it felt fine. After we had finished a few of our group even jumped in the water for a swim! It can get cold though so make sure you take a warm jacket, and they do have an open log fire for you to warm up next to. There is also free tea and coffee available at any time throughout the entire cruise.
During the evening there is a great atmosphere with music on, the open fire and great views and sunsets across the ocean and the islands.
In the morning, the breakfast bell rings at 8am and porridge, cereals and fruit is served. After about an hours cruise, you then go snorkelling out to some rocks where you can dive for mussels and feed the mussels to the fish by hand. The stop for lunch is on a secluded beach and when you arrive the captain takes you on a short 15 minute walk to the top of the hill where there are amazing views of the surrounding area and bay of islands. You stop on the beach for about an hour and during this time you are free to use the kayaks and the snorkelling gear to go and explore the surrounding areas. After this you cruise back to the wharf which takes about 3 hours and again you can play pool, read, relax and enjoy the views or whatever you fancy!
Previous trips have seen dolphins, penguins and whales but we didn't get to see any on our trip - keep your eyes open though.
The trip costs $148 (55 pounds) altogether which I thought was quite a lot for an overnight trip at first but after doing it I have to say it is well worth it! There is never a dull moment and always something to do and it is so much more than just a cruise as you get to do all the activities too. You would pay a fair bit to go kayaking or to hire snorkelling gear and this is all included (apart from the night kayaking which is an extra $5 or 2 pounds!!) Also you have to bring your own packed lunch for the second day but if you stop at a supermarket before boarding the boat you can get this pretty cheap too. On the boat they ask that you only take on the things you will need for the trip in a daypack rather than big backpacks as these would cramp up the boat so organise to leave your big packs in your hostel etc. You can not bring alcohol on the boat as it is licensed so you can only drink alcohol you buy on board. You can run bar tabs but make sure you have enough cash on you as they don't accept payment by cards.
All in all a fantastic trip to do if you are up in the Bay of Islands area - fantastic views, fantastic crew and atmosphere and a fantastic time on board!
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