Sail away on a harbor cruise in Auckland and enjoy a 3-course dinner during a memorable tour of Waitemata Harbour highlights, including the Sky Tower and Auckland Harbour Bridge. Set out aboard a sailing yacht from Viaduct Harbour, then enjoy service in the dining room while at anchor in Westhaven Marina. As evening falls, your expert captain shares informative facts about Auckland and its iconic sights.

Dinner cruise on Auckland's Waitemata Harbour
Savor a 3-course dinner on board the sailboat while anchored in a sheltered marina
Take in the city skyline at sunset on this evening cruise
See landmarks including Auckland Harbour Bridge and Sky Tower as they light up for the night
Listen to entertaining and informative commentary from your experienced captain
Choose to help steer the boat or just sit back and relax
Be prepared for all weather with provided windproof and waterproof jackets

Sample Menu

Starter

Bruschetta

Tomato Bruschetta with Mozzarella Pearl & Basil (V) (GFO)

Starter

Mini Yorkshire Pudding

Mini Yorkshire Pudding with Beef, Caramelised Onion & a Blue Cheese Sauce

Starter

Prawn Cutlets

Prawn Cutlets Wrap with Cucumber, Chives, & Dill Fraiche (GF) (DFO)

Main

Smoked New Zealand Fish

Served with; Fennel, Potato, Caper & Rocket Salad I Lemon Thyme Dressing I Dill Fraiche (DFO)

Main

Tuna Poke Bowl

Served with; Saba Noodles I Yuzu Soya Sauce I Edamame Beans I Cucumber I Kimchi I Sesame & Chilli Furikake (DF) (GF)

Main

Lemon & Fresh Herbed Chicken

Served with; Barley & Green Pea Pilaf I Pickled Apple (GFO) (DFO)

Main

Beef Steak

Served with; Grilled Baby Kumara (Sweet Potato) I Kale I Spring Onion | Nutmeg | Maple Molasses (GF) (DF)

Dessert

Cheesecake Jam Jar

Berry Compote I Biscuit Crumbs I Passionfruit

Dessert

Chocolate Terrine Jam Jar

Salted Caramel Cream I Mix Berries (GF)

Dessert

Coconut Yoghurt Jam Jar

Mango & Lychee Mojito Syrup I Sesame Praline (DF) (GF) (V)

What's Included

Dinner
Live commentary on board
Use of windproof and waterproof jackets
Alcoholic Beverages

Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Explore Group - Auckland
Explore Booking Kiosk Quay Street, Viaduct, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Go to Maritime Museum Koel Cafe - The Explore Kiosk is diagonally across from there.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Your dinner cruise begins at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour, where an expert captain welcomes you aboard the 50-foot (15-meter) sailing yacht. After a safety briefing, set sail across the waters of Waitemata Harbour, gliding past waterfront highlights including Auckland Harbour Bridge, the Ferry Building and the iconic Sky Tower—New Zealand’s tallest building.

Your captain points out the sights that you pass, such as the volcanic cone of Mt. Eden, which hovers on the outskirts of the city. Hear live commentary about the national pastime of sailing, including the hosting of the America’s Cup. If you’d like, you can assist the crew to hoist the sails or try your hand at steering the boat. Or simply enjoy the breeze and relax with a drink, purchased from the sailboat’s bar.

When your boat sets anchor in Westhaven Marina, take a seat in the dining room for a 3-course dinner served below deck. Afterward, savor the city views as Auckland illuminates in the evening light of dusk.

After your cruise, your tour ends back at Viaduct Harbour.

Waitemata Harbour (Pass By)

Auckland Harbour Bridge (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Minimum age is 18 years to consume alcohol
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
Toilet is also located on-board vessel
Cash and EFTPOS/Credit bar onboard

Near public transportation
Please advise your dinner selections at the time of booking
Children must be over 5 years in age
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Ty_D

This cruise was a highlight of our stay in Auckland! The crew was all really nice and the food was good. The group was pretty small (maybe 10 of us?) and we all made conversation as we sailed around Auckland. Even got to be friends with some of them! There was some issues with my food, I’m allergic to seafood and my main course had anchovies on it, but the company bought be dinner at a nearby restaurant after the tour. I’m sure this was a one off mistake and it wasn’t even a big deal. I would do this tour again if I was visiting again!

Reviews

4.5

271 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 271 reviews

Auckland Harbour by night - great experience

Sharon_M, Apr 2023

Great night. Crew were so welcoming and accommodating. I believe it is well worth doing this in Auckland but would recommend men to have a big lunch or something to eat beforehand. My dinner was lovely and more than adequate for me but while my husband enjoyed his meal it wasn’t quite sufficient for him. Thank you so much to the all lady crew who really made this a special night.

Skipper Jessie “James” expertly delivers a thrill ride!

Krisanthi_M, Apr 2023

Firstly, I need to state that the Dinner was not the main event. The main sail being unfurled in gusty winds and us taking off under the Oakland Bridge and back, with Skipper Jessie “James” at the helm yelling skillful orders to his crew, was. It was exhilarating! One passenger believed it was like a Hollywood movie. It was exciting, to say the least, and only for those comfortable for a thrill ride on the water. I only wish it lasted longer!

Well worth doing

sbarnewall, Apr 2023

The cruise was great, the staff on the boat were all fantastic, the skipper was informative and friendly. i would highly recommend this for anyone visiting Auckland.

Cruise was great. Staff...

Mary_W, Apr 2023

Cruise was great. Staff was superior. Dinner was fairly bland. It is hard to provide hot tasty food in a situation like this but if that was improved, i would give a five star rating.

Jacqueline_B, Apr 2023

it was brilliant would highly recommend, staff were amazing, food was great and the views stunning.............

An exciting two hours on the water and a good glimpse of the harbor.

Beth_M, Apr 2023

The views going out were spectacular, the wine pour generous, and the captain and crew friendly and efficient. The meal was fair and luke warm, but the trip back in full sail was wonderful. I highly recommend the journey.

Sunset cruise without the sunset

June_E, Apr 2023

Although it was raining the crew still made the trip happy and fun. There were a few leaks on the boat that leaked onto seats so people had to move so that was a bit unfortunate

Highlight of our stay in Auckland

Ty_D, Apr 2023

Spender on the Bay

David_R, Apr 2023

Great time with nice folks. Food was great. Crew was fun and a pleasure to be with and very capable. Our full moon evening after a bit of rain was memorable.

Average

Ken_F, Mar 2023

The nibbles were OK but the main course was poor and eating out of a bowl with a knife and fork with steak did not work.

Great views, nice boat, poor meal

Glenn_F, Mar 2023

Let me explain 3 stars. First the boat was nicely done with a lower level with tables. The upper area where we stayed has ample seating and great views. The crew was very nice and helpful running a nice cruise with lots to see and a great deal of interaction. The part I have to point out is the food. First you get one drink free, that is fine but at $5 per coke, I expected a can not a small glass which looks like 1 can can do almost 3 of. The food tasted very good but a sliced half piece of steak on top of a stick of brocoli and mashed potatos is not dinner. Plus it was just barely warm. Now I do not blame the crew for this, they can only work with what they are provided but the mediocre food and outrageous price for soda drops the 5 for the crew to a net of 3 for the experience.

Awesome cruise

Jill_D, Mar 2023

Beautiful experience with a friendly crew and nice sailboat. The weather was perfect, winds were brisk.

Excellent trip

Tony_N, Mar 2023

Great crew - attentive and friendly, informative commentary and responses to Qs. Lovely food, well presented and served hot. Good selection of drinks available.

Wonderful sailing experience

Julie_R, Mar 2023

Seeing a sunset from a different perspective. Crew were amazing, so friendly and helpful. We had a wonderful experience and if we get to Auckland again this will definitely be on my list of things to do.

Family Fun!

Tricia_W, Mar 2023

We really enjoyed our time. The drinks and dessert were great, the entree left a lot to be desired, but overall the staff and sights were great. It was a nice experience.

Great experience!...

Mike_N, Mar 2023

Great experience! Beautiful night and great crew! I’d definitely recommend this trip! Excellent customer experience!

Perfect end of day.

Jeffrey_g, Feb 2023

This was a perfect end of day activity following a long flight. I don’t know what I was expecting but sitting outside on a sailboat with a beverage and food served to me was perfect. The appetizers and meal were very good. Only little suggestion would be to have steak precut as one couldn’t hold beverage and meal AND cut steak. But it was delicious. We lucked out that Wednesdays are racing days, so even more things to watch while we sailed. The crew were friendly and professional. They do not control the weather, so….

Not a relaxing dinner cruise.

Mary_K, Feb 2023

My husband and I took this dinner cruise on Friday, 10 February. There were 18 people on the sailboat and as soon as we started out we were given an option to sit wherever we wanted on the boat so I few of us chose to sit near the bow. The first half of the cruise was lovely sailing under the harbour bridge. We went into a quiet cove and had our dinner where we could either eat above or down in the dining room. We decided to take advantage of the beautiful night and stay above. After dinner as we were turning to go back to the marina and the 2 crew were helping the captain tack, it sounded as though they weren't at all experienced and he was teaching them how to do it. It appeared he had to turn on the motor to make sure we stayed on course. After a short time we started heeling very strongly towards the starboard side. We had to put our drinks down to hang on and they ended up flying all over the deck. We would have liked to have gone to the back of the boat, but never felt it was safe to get up and move. The captain tacked again and we were then leaning way over to the port side. This whole time we were getting splashed by waves over the bow so we got very wet. We also heard lots of nervous laughter from the other passengers. We never had any warning that the ride was going to become rough and again we didn't feel safe enough to try to make our way to the back. We talked to the crew after everyone else got off the boat and I also called Explore Group and left a voicemail for a call back. Since I haven't heard from anyone, I feel this is my only way to get this information out.

Loads of fun.

George_S, Feb 2023

Had to eat supper from a bowl next to a big steering wheel, but really good food. After, great ride in the harbor.

Great sail!

David_P, Feb 2023

Excellent trip! A few things: this is a sailing trip in a monohull sailboat. We had great wind so heeled a decent bit. It was a blast, although perhaps that’s not for everyone. We hit some rain too - again, a sailing excursion so not unexpected. Roll with the punches. The crew was an absolute delight.

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