Positives: Crew was friendly and pleasant; ship was clean and very well kept Negatives: Not a dolphin in sight for the entire 6 hours, lol! Not the Company’s fault. My low ranking is completely about the horrible food and no free beverages. Lunch was dry bagged salad, hot dogs and stale buns. We have traveled around the world and this is the first time that ‘lunch’ was offered but you had to buy water, pop or beer. To be fair in the morning they offered coffee (not available with lunch) and they would fill a water bottle for you if you brought your own bottle. Who does that? No one else in the world, including the many 3rd world countries we visited!

Brilliant trip from start to finish. The skipper and crew were welcoming, friendly and brilliant at getting us confidant on the catamaran which enabled us to enjoy the day fully. We watched a pod of dolphins swimming and playing. We couldn't swim with them as they had a baby with its mother, but we watched for the allotted time. The information the crew were able to give us was brilliant. It made the most of the wildlife we encountered during the day. We moored off Motorua Island and were transferred to land by swimming or dinghy. The walk to the top of the Pa gave stunning 360 degree views of the Bay of Islands. Then back for a BBQ'd lunch on board before sailing back to Paihia. Fantastic. When we return to New Zealand we will look forward to sailing with Carino again. Thank you Vanessa and your crew.

Paihia and the far North proved a great contingency plan for me due to a questionable weather forecast (and what would have been expensive lodging) for scuba diving at Tutukaka on a short holiday. Spent three nights in Paihia and one of the highlights was Carino tours. We didnt get to swim with the dolphins since they had babies BUT we got up close and personal and went to the nearby islands. They were almost untouched by pollution, leaving me in awe of the gem that is New New Zealand's northland.

Great guides, great boat and great bbq! But people should not be allowed into the water to swim with the dolphins without a guide. Around 12 people just jumped in the water and were screamed at to swim this way or that way, trying to get close to the dolphins. Without a guide around, there was no control, not much safety and no one checking that people weren’t doing things they shouldn’t (touching the dolphins). However, it was a great day out!

We researched the various options for watching dolphins linked with a boat trip in the Bay of Islands on the internet and with the excellent i-Site office in Paihia. Carino appeared to be the best as they were one of two who had the marine mammal permit and hosted a maximum of 30 people as opposed to 140 by the other company. As it happened there were only 14 of us plus the crew of two. It was a wonderful trip with very interesting commentary on the various islands and the birds, fish and sea mammals which inhabit the area. We stopped at a small island, climbed to the top of it to enjoy the wonderful views and snorkelled in the bay. Although there are not many fish on the rocky reefs we managed to see about 5 different fish species. Following a good bbq lunch we hoisted the sails and tried to find dolphins. None were seen by us or by any of the many other boats out at the time. However our crew spotted some frigate birds dive bombing the sea for their food and a large lone dolphin swam close to us for about 5 minutes. This capped a really good day. We highly recommend this trip.

We had an amazing day with the team of carino sailing. It was a small group of twenty people which made it much more personal. The crew was super nice and chatted a lot with us. Even so we couldn't swim with dolphins because they had baby's with them the money was totally worth it. As it is a sailing catamaran we had the possibility to see the dolphins very close. The trip to the lonely island and the snorkeling was another highlight. So we would do this trip again!

We went with our kids, aged 9 and 14. They loved it, it was the highlight of our 3 week holiday. very knowledgeable skipper, really passionate about the dolphins and very friendly crew. We found the dolphins, they had 3 babies with them so no swimming with them. But we spent a good half an hour around them, they came absolutely close, even rubbing their backs on the rudder of the boat. It was so nice to be almost at same level, rather than on one of the mass tourism boats we also saw, were people were like sardines over 3 decks! We only paid about $20 pp extra and had another hour on board too. The catamaran was spacious enough for us just under 30 people. Lunch was basic but fine. We stopped at Roberton Island for an awesome walk to a viewpoint, great snorkeling in one of the amazing lagoons and then we sailed back home. Just little wind that day but what an awesome trip! Thanks so much guys, we have been with you 15 years ago and will be again! Highly recommended.

What an amazing day. Vanessa, Rhonda and Tim were fantastic and their knowledge and passion the area and wildlife certainly and enhanced our experience. Cannot fault this tour. Have been in many boat trips particularly in Australia and this is our best experience ever. My husband is a very nervous sailor and he loved it too. Great value and cannot recommend this highly enough. If you only do one trip whilst in this beautiful area, choose this one

We were lucky to meet up with dolphins very early in to our trip. Most of the passengers got into the water to swim with them. It was entertaining as skipper Vanessa called out instructions on which direction to swim as the dolphins surfaced. Great photo action as the dolphins repeatedly jumped out of the water. The island stop and short walk uphill to the lookout platform was also very good. On return to the kayak well cooked sausages and onions were welcome before the sails went up for a leisurely sail back. A very rewarding trip.

We had a perfect day with Carino with beautiful weather. We were so lucky to see dolphins not once or twice but three times - including dolphins cruising along the shore and around our boat in the bay where we anchored for lunch. Our captain Vanessa was very professional and friendly and knowledgeable about the bottlenose dolphins. Enjoyed the day very much!

We have done the sailing/dolphin tour with Carino 4 times. Our first time was 12 years ago and we try to do it every time we visit NZ. The Captain, Vanessa, runs a classy operation. Unlike many of the other dolphin watches in Paihia, there is a small group on board, so you don’t feel like a mob and there is plenty of room on the boat to spread out and enjoy the ride. Dolphins are wild animals, but they are often in the Bay of Islands. We had one trip in 2008 when we did not see any dolphins, but on the other three trips, we saw loads of them and they were magical encounters. The dolphins played along the boat and showed off their babies. They jumped and tail slapped the water. Vanessa is considerate of the animals and will not chase them or allow swimming with them if there are babies in the pod. I admire her integrity for giving us a quality experience without disrespecting the wildlife. Other wildlife we have seen on the sailing trips: sharks, stingrays, gannets, terns, little blue penguins. After the dolphin viewing, we anchor at an island where you can swim, snorkel and/or take a walk to a gorgeous viewpoint. When you return to the boat an hour later, there is food on the BBQ waiting for you. Then, there is a leisurely sail back to Paihia. The day has all the elements of a perfect outing: sailing, swimming, wildlife viewing, gorgeous vistas, eating and nap time. We highly recommend this activity. Thanks to Vanessa and the crew of Carino for giving us many happy memories.

I quickly booked the Carino Boat trip a couple of days before, hoping I would have good weather and that the reviews here were realistic. I am glad to say my expectations were not only met, but exceeded. We had it all - perfect weather, plenty of dolphin action, blue penguins, landing on Motuarohia Island - it was just a perfect way to get a Bay of Islands experience! Diving with the wild dolphins was definitely a highlight - they are amazing creatures. The crew is also the absolute best - they have a great sense of humour, always happy to share stories about the place while also making you feel at home. The BBQ lunch was very welcome (a couple of tasty hot dogs and salad - more than enough!). After a half-day out packed with activities we had a long sleepy sail back in during the heat of the day, sheltered under the unfurled sail. All in all, a great choice, and one I absolutely recommend. PS: They provide snorkeling gear and flippers, so no need to worry about getting those.

We are a family of 5 with 3 teenage girls and we all had a blast. We got very lucky with the weather, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, it was a gorgeous day. We saw 2 pods of dolphins, the first had a baby so we could not swim with them but we were able to get close and take some great pics. Then surprisingly, we saw a second pod and we were able to quickly jump in and swim with the dolphins. It was awesome! We spent an hour at a remote beach where you could swim to shore, climb to the top of the island where the views were incredible and snorkel. The snorkeling isn't great which was kind of a bummer. I think I saw 2 fish. The crew was amazing. Very thoughtful, warm, friendly and enthusiastic. A bit of feedback would be to not charge for soft drinks. I found that odd after you pay for the entire day that includes lunch. I understand charging for alcoholic beverages though.

We swam elsewhere with dolphins, so the fact that we could not swim with wild dolphins was not a problem. You cannot swim if the pod has babies, which seems to happen quite a bit. So be prepared for a viewing experience with many dolphins 🐬 and even a hammerhead shark that led our boat for a long period. The water is very cold, even in summer.

A fantastic day on the sea. A large pod of dolphins including young, jumping. diving and crossing the bows many times. Then a great sail across the bay in the afternoon.