Bay of Islands Tall Ship Sailing on 'R. Tucker Thompson' Including BBQ Lunch

Bay of Islands, New Zealand

What better way to explore the peaceful waters of the Bay of Islands than by the "R. Tucker Thompson" tall ship. This replica of a 100 year old schooner looks just like a working ship of the 18th century and you can spend the day onboard exploring the bays and beaches of this beautiful Maritime Park.

Catch the breeze and set sail for the day from either Paihia or Russell on board the unique tall ship "R. Tucker Thompson", built in the tradition of 100 year old schooners by local Northlanders. She has sailed the world but today will explore the somewhat calmer seas of the Bay of Islands with you on board.

Help set the sails, take the helm or just lie back on deck and relax. Hear tales of the ship's exploits from the crew. Enjoy the Devonshire tea freshly baked and brewed in the galley each morning.

At lunchtime the vessel anchors in a secluded bay. Step ashore, take a swim or try swinging from the yardarm. With all this sea air and activity you'll have a hearty appetite - taken care of by a tasty barbecue lunch cooked on board. Return to either Paihia or Russell this afternoon.

If departing from Paihia you will need to take the regular ferry (departs every 20-minutes) to Russel wharf to meet the tall ship R. Tucker Thompson. Note return ferry pass is included..

USD $109.00

Review by:   Michael P,    March 2018
Excellent trip, with a simple but superb meal. _br/_ The climb into the rigging was interesting and the swimming / island stop was excellent.

Review by:   John,    February 2018
What a day _br/_ Really enjoyable _br/_ Must for. Bay of Islands Tour_br/_ Will be great memories

Review by:   Katrina L,    January 2018
Totally a must do forget the hole in the rock. This is a totally interactive tall ship, from climbing the rigging to being captain. What a beautiful ship it is. All fully supervised. There was only 11 people with us, which turned out to be another bonus. Great for all ages.

Review by:   yeshe,    October 2017
Great trip and good food. Nothing negative.

Review by:   Cheryl B,    May 2017
Our day sailing on the Tucker was awesome! Crew was fantastic and meal was yummy! The history of the area was presented very well. Truly a beautiful day.

Review by:   Pamela H,    April 2017
I have always longed to sail on a Tall ship, so could not miss the opportunity to do so in one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the world. Captain Tim had a crew of three and as many of the passengers who wanted to get involved with hauling on ropes or climbing into the mast tops. Sailing close to the many islands that give the Bay of Islands it's name, we saw sea bird and sea lion colonies and had dolphins playing with the bow wave. Anchoring in the shallow bay of a deserted island we went ashore to walk through the forest and sunbathed on the sandy beach while the crew prepared a simple but delicious lunch. Making our way back under full sail, I had the opportunity to take the wheel and was trusted to guide this beautiful ship into Harbour. There are many different tours in this area but this one is an unique and unmissable experience.

Review by:   Richard C,    April 2017
Great captain, great crew and great boat. Had a fantastic time. Took the helm while sailing, climb the rigging and swung the the yard arm. All in all a great time was had by the whole family. The weather was great, just needed a little more breeze. Would do again. ,

Review by:   Graham H,    April 2017
Super trip with lovely crew. A must do.

Review by:   William B,    April 2017
Our Tall Ship trip was cancelled due to stormy weather. We were disappointed but the seas were way to rough. We received a full reimbursement. Thanks !

Review by:   Devon K,    March 2017
The staff were really friendly and even returned my brothers jumper when he so stupidly left it on the ship. Thanks team!

Review by:   Samantha H,    March 2017
Best way to see the Bay of Islands! _br/_ Even got to drive the ship for a bit.

Review by:   Karl P,    February 2017
Great day out sailing around the Bay of Islands, Friendly crew, great food we would recommend this trip to anyone

Review by:   Bev B,    February 2017
Although it rained on and off all day we still had a wonderful time on the water. Their was the option to climb the mast, we had a wonderful chicken BBQ lunch and went to an island for a walk too cold to swim and saw lots of marine life on the trip.

Review by:   Andrew k P,    January 2017
Book it now, you will have a truly wonderful day to treasure. Brilliant friendly crew, making all ship mates feel at ease._br/_ At 56 it was great to have the opportunity and encouragement to climb the rigging and even take the helm of this great ship._br/_ Ask the crew about the boats history documented in two books._br/_ Lunch was great too._br/_ Just BRILLIANT

Review by:   Ashraf A,    January 2017
Overall, It was nice trip and bunch of friendly crew_br/_ You need to know the following before you book_br/_ The boat is slow which means you will not see all the Islands and you will not go too far_br/_ It is excellent for someone want to know more about sailing_br/_ It is a beautiful training ship for youth most of the income goes to that purpose._br/_ Also, it will be helpful if they give a 5 to 10 minutes to tell a story about the ship, I found interesting showing how the ship was built, it was interesting.

Review by:   Reno N,    January 2017
Had an amazing sail out in the Bay of Islands. The rope swing off the side was fantastic. It was great to be supporting educational opportunities for local kids and to have a blast doing it. Our crew was very knowledgeable and friendly. The boat is designed to sail with a very small crew of 4 or 5 people, so while there were opportunities for the 50 odd passengers to help sail the Tucker if they wanted to, it was first-come first-serve and I didn't get a chance to participate as much as I was hoping to. That didn't matter though, because we spent a lot of time out on the bowsprit and up in the rigging just hanging out. Great time from start to finish!

Review by:   Anthony M,    June 2016
A great day and well worth it. Getting to see isolated bays you can't approach from land._br/_ Crew very friendly and informative.

Review by:   Jenny F,    May 2016
Fabulous day out despite changes to date because of bad weather - communicated this well and fitted us in the following day_br/_ Lunch tasty but not generous , particularly for vegetarians

Review by:   Mike C,    May 2016
Great experience, fun climbing the rigging. Very good BBQ chicken lunch. Friendly and helpful crew.

Review by:   Roger B,    April 2016
A great introduction to what New Zealand has to offer. Great views seen in the quiet of sail rather than noise of motor power. Steve and crew kept us entertained and the bbq lunch was excellent.

Review by:   Mike C,    April 2016
Had a wonderful ship ride with a friendly crew, delicious food on a great boat!

Review by:   Scott P,    March 2016
One of the best days I have ever had. Professional and fun crew made everyone feel at ease - what an awesome day!

Review by:   Katherine W,    March 2016
Wonderful day on the seas. Crew very friendly and got everyone involved with the duties of running the ship if they wanted. Food was awesome as was the scenery! Beautiful area. Gorgeous water and just an all around great day!

Review by:   Jim R,    March 2016
The cruise and crew were amazing. The trip to an uninhabited island was interesting. We had a very nice lunch of chicken and salad. Climbing the mast was made easy and fun. Great day!

Review by:   Christine P,    March 2016
A great trip. The crew were wonderful, the lunch really tasty and it was the highlight of our trip to the Bay of Islands. My husband got to climb the rigging. We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Review by:   Kirk A,    March 2016
We had a great time with the crew and captain. My wife Bonnie climbed the rigging I was chicken, we had an awesome lunch, a great hike and a great experience. The icing on the cake was when three killer whales swam along side of us and gave us some terrific photos. We recommend this trip to anyone and will go again when we return to New Zealand next year.

Review by:   Jonathan S,    February 2016
Excellent crew and experience

Review by:   Stephen M. E,    February 2016
It was an awesome day. Warm sunny and enough breeze to sail. A once-in-a lifetime day. Highly recommend to anyone wanting to see the Bay of Islands up close and personal. Great staff, good food - the works!

Review by:   Blair P,    December 2015
The best time ever..the crew and vessel were amazing..

Review by:   susan v,    November 2015
Friendly crew, lunch was great. Perfect weather, the whole day was fabulous

Review by:   Vicki L,    June 2015
Fantastic, the scenery, the meal and the staff were brilliant. Just a shame that it was so still on the day so we didn't travel far.

Review by:   Christine A T,    May 2015
Absolutely fantastic. Beautiful boat, lovely crew and a stunning location. What more could you want?

Review by:   Ronald M,    April 2015
I would highly recommend this trip for anyone! I booked this trip for a group of my friends and we all enjoyed our day! The crew, food, the hands on experience sailing and the views were so memorable!

Review by:   Kirk E,    March 2015
Beautiful day. Wonderful trip.

Review by:   Carolyn P,    March 2015
This was a great trip. Crew were very friendly, hospitable and fun. Even though there was no wind on the ride out, we had a great time. I highly recommend this trip to anyone in the area.

Review by:   ian b,    March 2015
Excellent day experience not to be missed. Very friendly staff

Review by:   eve_simpson,    March 2015
Fabulous, brilliant crew.

Review by:   Stephen H,    March 2015
Excellent way to see and experience a very special place

Review by:   Alastair W,    February 2015
Crew were fantastic and friendly, BBq lunch was excellent as was the trip itself.

Review by:   Isobel M,    January 2015
Amazing. Great views and a chance to help sailing the ship. Very friendly and knowledgable crew. Lovely lunch. Was great to know the profits go to running trips for young people who could not afford to go otherwise.

Review by:   Ann W,    January 2015
Was a wonderful day on the water. The old style boat is beautifully maintained and many enjoyed climbing the rigging and sitting way out on the bowsprit. Had a lovely swim to shore when we moored for lunch and the BBQ chicken was delicious. We saw killer whales, fairy penguins, lots of dolphins and many sea birds. A great day out!

Review by:   colin w,    December 2014
Thoroughly enjoyed the day

Review by:   forgetmenot13,    December 2014
Great morning. Lunch was very good, as were the scones for morning snack. Smooth sailing and enjoyed the hike. Workers were great

Review by:   Karen Y,    March 2014
Fantastic day on the water - great stop. Able to put up most of the sails on the day. Skipper and staff were so obliging. BBQ lunch was good.

Review by:   mary c,    February 2014
Great family day out. The crew really made a big effort for the children, even giving them fake pirate tattoos. From the views to the food and private beach swimming this is definetly a bay of islands must do. Thank you to all the crew

Review by:   Kristine F,    January 2014
We went on this tour as a family of five (parents plus three young adult sons). All of us thoroughly enjoyed the day, and even learned some things along the way. The crew was very warm, welcoming, and knowledgeable. We could not have asked for a better way to explore the Bay.

Review by:   vernon l,    January 2014
Best thing we did in New Zealand...good weather helped!

Review by:   alan g,    January 2014
This tour is possibly the best experience one could have in N Z. We can recommend it for all ages.

Review by:   Marie A,    June 2013
On March 29, 2013 our cruise ship arrived at the Paihia Wharf. After taking the ferry to Russell Wharf, we boarded the R. Tucker Thompson for a wonderful day. The morning started out cool so the scones with strawberry jam along with tea or coffee was a welcome treat. Those who wanted to be involved raised and lowered the sails and took the helm to steer the ship. After taking a dinghy to one of the islands, we returned to the aroma of BBQ. One of the hands on board had made BBQ chicken, potato salad, and a green salad, which was served with some delicious bread. Liquid refreshment was available for purchase. There was opportunity to climb the mast (tethered of course) and swim if we desired. I booked my trip through Viator and not only enjoyed my cruise, but realized it benefited a not -for-profit trust that takes young people on a weeks sailing voyage, which helps them develop confidence, leadership and teamwork. A great time and the opportunity to help others. What more could you ask....and reasonable too?

Review by:   Roy S,    April 2013
What an excellent day! We helped put up and take down the sails, took our turn at the wheel and even climbed out on the bow spit! We climbed the hill when the ship anchored and were able to see across the Bay of Islands. On the way back we saw dolphins. The crew were brilliant in explaining what we were doing and why and with the other visitors being fun and friendly we had a wonderful day.