Comfortable, interesting commentary, friendly Captain Peter, lovely views and pleasant time on Lake Taupo, good value for the price.

This was a great trip. We were under sail for most of the time on the boat. Pete was a great host and skipper, full of interesting stories, anecdotes, and information. Highly recommended for an early evening sailing.

If I could give more than 5 stars I would! Great afternoon spent on the lake! Informative cruise learning about the history of the lake and the carvings. Even got to have a swim. Skipper was so friendly and knowledgeable!

Sail Barbary is a beautiful eco friendly electric sailboat excursion on Lake Taupo. The views were amazing and the lake was calm. Our skipper was extremely friendly and witty, and knowledgable. Really amazing tour!

Despite a rainy day we made our way to the port and boarded our ship in the harbour. The skipper greeted us and took us out on the open water. Even though it’s a rainy day, we received some views of a coastline until we made our way deeper into the lake. Things are pretty hazy, but luckily we were indoors. Once we made our way to the Mauri Rock Carving we heard the tales of the local culture, the carving itself and the meaning. It was a lovely way to spend a rainy day.

Lovely to sail wothout the noise of the engine and to feel we were really sailing with the sails up. The Maori carvings are impressive but also enjoyed being out on the lake. Got quite cold so pleased to be well wrapped up. Have warm ponchos to use if required

A relaxed trip to see the carvings with great commentary. The real bonus is that this tour takes a smaller group than other companies take, which makes the transit more comfortable and provides a much more intimate tour experience as well as a better photo taking opportunity. My husband and I went on this cruise and absolutely loved it. I'm very glad we chose this company over the others we considered.

When looking for a tour of Lake Taupo and the carvings, there were a few options. Ultimately I chose Barbary because I’d been on boats similar to the competition before, and a sail boat felt like more like an experience. I was not let down. Our guide Chris was a great laugh, telling stories and anecdotes the entire trip. We spent a good amount of time in front of the carvings and I even got to have a swim! Bering on an open boat so close to the water is as a great feeling. Super happy with the decision I made!

Lovely tour with great skipper. Brilliant and humorous commentary. Very relaxing experience with a chance to dip as well. Thank you very much.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip on LakeTaupo to see the Maori carvings. We were lucky to have a clear sunny day with virtually no wind, but it was an experience to have the sails up for the trip. Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and had a host of humerous stories to tell which made the trip even more enjoyable

Initially our main aim had been to see the Maori rock carvings in an environmentally friendly way by sailing on Barbary. However, the actual sailing - with a little help from the electric(!) motor - and the funny and enlightening commentary of our well informed skipper (whose name I have sadly forgotten) turned out to be the best part.

Highly recommended. Great way to get out on the lake with friendly and informative skipper. Much better than all the other motor driven craft chugging their way along. Were happy to let us switch trip from the original booking to the next day when the conditions were perfect. That was much appreciated.

We have an immensely enjoyable afternoon sailing and swimming of the Barbary under the watchful eye of Captain Chris. He was funny, informative and joyously entertaining.

Mixed feelings on this. Communication with staff was good in regards to changes to the vessel type due to bad weather. Unfortunately the company let us know that another large group would be joining our booking so we could reschedule or refund, neither of which worked with our one-night stay in the area. We were under the impression they knew the group but sounds instead it was a young international tour group and so rather than getting the romantic couple cruise to the carvings at sunset we felt like we were on a party bus with loud music and shots. The captain did offer us drinks to make up for it but even being in our 20s the atmosphere was not what we were expecting or wanted. However the captains daughter was very friendly and amusing, and the short spiel once we reached the carvings was informative. Overall it felt like a generic lake cruise with a party vibe to a tourist trap of a carving with not much historical difference. Hard to tell if that was just one bad cruise or if they’re all like that.

What can I say, yet another amazing trip with Pete on the Kakariki. This has become a regular thing for us and this year we took a whole bunch of additional family visiting from overseas. They loved the experience as much as us. It is easy, relaxing informative and you might just catch a fish or two! If you are in Taupo, this is a must. We will be booking again next time we are there for sure, it is an experience you simply won't tire of. Try it, you won't be disappointed.