The Bay Explorer does a m0rning and afternoon trip. We chose the morning option. (It’s not too early in the morning.) The Bay Explorer is large enough to be a comfortable ride yet small enough to get you up close to the dolphins. Though there are plenty of seats you’re encouraged to get up and walk about and no one remained seated.
The boat leaves from a dock just down the street from the iSite (tourist information) in Tauranga. There’s a ticket office nearby that was not open the morning we left. The first stretch takes you past giant container ships and Mt Maunganui as you head for open water. A Maori warrior guards the entrance to the harbor. We saw a few other boats on the water, including this pontoon with sails?
You get a good look at Mt Maunganui from all sides as you head for open water.
It took us a while to find the dolphins. In the meantime we were entertained by a fish boil up — smaller fish bubbling to the surface to avoid predators — and seabirds. We almost saw a manta ray.
Once we found the dolphins the real fun began. We spent about 45 minutes around them. They come up very close to the boat so you can get a good look. These are common dolphins, a pretty two-tone brown. We haven’t seen these before.
There were baby dolphins in the pod. Just like the adults but smaller, so even more cute.
After that it was time to head back to port. The captain grabbed one of the bean bags on board and took it up front to take a break, while the first mate drove us back. Both of them were friendly and informative. It was a low-key, low-pressure event. We got to see some colorful sailboats on our way back. Well worth a few hours on the water, even if our hands did get sunburnt.
Sun protection in New Zealand is no joke. We wore long sleeves and hats but forgot sunscreen on our hands so we ended up with what looked like red gloves for a few days.
