New Zealand Sailing Vacations

The Bay of Islands is New Zealand's premier cruising ground. You can explore a different island every day. The two islands that make up New Zealand contain perhaps some of the most spectacular scenery in the world and coupled with its mild climate makes for an excellent base for your sailing vacation.

Starting at the top of North Island, the Bay of Islands, is a maritime park with 144 islands and secluded bays. Expect to see wildlife such as whales, dolphins and penguins. It was given its name by James Cook, captain of HM Endeavour, in 1769.

Opua is the gateway to the Bay area and also the gateway to New Zealand, being the first town that yachts crossing the South Pacific reach. Consequently the small town is centered around the recreational Port, Marina and the Wharf. There are charter companies here, as well as provisioning opportunities and boat yards.

Other larger towns in the area include Russell and KeriKeri, where the airport is about 45 minutes flight time from Auckland.

As well as sailing, there are great opportunities for scuba diving and snorkeling

Further down the coast, Aukland is known as The City of Sails so it is not surprising that it is the CountryXML error: not well-formed (invalid token) at line 22