Relax aboard a sailing yacht on Great Lake Taupo during this sightseeing cruise to Maori rock carvings. Accessible solely by water, this impressive rock art on the cliffs of Mine Bay was created by a master carver in 1976. You’ll come up close to the 22-foot-high (10-meter) gallery and enjoy postcard views from the deck. Relax with a complimentary glass of wine or beer if you sail in the evening.

Sailing cruise on Great Lake Taupo
Set sail for the Maori rock carvings of Mine Bay
Learn about the history of the art from a knowledgeable guide
Enjoy a complimentary beverage on board

What's Included

Local guide providing commentary on the lake, the carvings and the volcanoes
GST (Goods and Services Tax) included
All cruises include a complimentary beverage and a Sail Barbary postcard
Evening cruises include a glass of wine/beer/soft drink
Swimming is encouraged
Private transportation

Additional food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Sail Barbary eco-sailing to Maori Rock Carvings Taupo
Berths 9 &, 10 Redoubt Street, Nukuhau, Taupō 3330, New Zealand
We are located in front of Stir Cafe - a little grey caravan converted into a cafe. Look for a blue flag with Barbary written on it in yellow. Berth 9 and 10.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
What to Bring: Dress casual, comfortable and warm (layered clothes work best), windproof/showerproof jacket, swimwear and towel (during summer), sunglasses, hat and don’t forget your camera!
Please note: You are welcome to bring your own prepared food and beverages. NZ law requires adults to be R18 and over to drink alcohol.
All departures are subject to demand, minimum numbers, lake and weather conditions. We reserve the right to transfer customers to an alternative boat should weather conditions allow it. This will not alter the tour route or inclusions.
Not wheelchair accessible

Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
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

Reviews

5.0

575 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 575 reviews

A relaxing end of the day

Susan_M, Mar 2023

A perfect way to end a busy day. Learning about the local area and taking in the scenery without a care in the world as the skipper did the rest

Sunset cruise

Kristin_P, Mar 2023

Great experience. Professional captain of the boat, who shared lots of interestibf information about the lake, town, Maori culture, and carvings. Greatly enjoyed the tour. Was a gorgeous calm day for a sunset cruise.

Sailing on the lake with...

tudman, Mar 2023

Sailing on the lake with sparkling water and sun. Gentle weather all the way. Good explanation provided by Barbary skipper On history of the lake and ares

Response from Host, Mar 2023

The team is thrilled your enjoyed the trip and the Skippers commentary. We are pleased that you had a good weather experience which enhanced the cruise for you.

Creepy captain

Debbie_S, Mar 2023

A good sunset trip - sadly ruined by the fact the captain was very inappropriate throughout. Constantly made crude jokes and references to girls with their tops off, the worst one was directly looking at me in my swimsuit and saying ‘boobies’ so the whole boat could hear. I will not be recommending this to any of my friends. As a young woman in my 20s this made me feel exceptionally vulnerable and I then didn’t partake in the swimming. A complaint was raised and Viator have taken this very seriously, and issued a full refund and will be investigating so credit only to them.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you for your review I am sorry your felt the way you did. I have spoken to the captain and I don't think you have been entirely honest with what happened on the boat. I rang the other passengers on the trip with you and they said they enjoyed the trip and had no problem with the skipper.

Beautiful and really worth it!

Cindy_M, Mar 2023

We were scheduled to go out on a Sailboat however the winds were at 20 knots do we ended up going out on a Catamaran. I was disappointed that we couldn’t go out on the Sailboat, but it was really wonderful anyway. Captain Pete was fantastic and it was just beautiful. I highly recommend!!!!

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thank you. The fall back to a boat that can handle to high winds/seas is essential when travellers are on a limited time. It is much safer and provides the shelter and views you need.

Amazing Experience!

Jacky_P, Jan 2023

Amazing Experience viewing the Maori Carvings & sitting out on the calm, peaceful lake waters within the cove. Guide & Captain was great, easy to talk to & funny - adding to the Experience.

Great Cruise!! Superb fun

Justin_H, Jan 2023

Superb crew on the boat brought us out for our Cruise to see the Maori Carvings on the Lake Taupo. Shout out to Pete and Cham for the great hospitality and sharing! We had a great time on the cruise

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi Justin, it sounds like you were aboard Kakariki with Skipper Pete and crew member Cam. The guys will be really pleased you enjoyed your time out on the boat with a fun relaxing cruise to the Maori Rock Carvings. Thanks for the 'shout out' we hope to see you back again next year.

Relaxing cruise

Tuan_T, Dec 2022

It was a little rainy on the day but the tour went on and we were offered a choice of a motor boat with a large cabin or the sail boat. We all chose the motor boat. The cruise was very smooth and the skipper was awesome. The sun came out and several people swam in the lake. It was a very enjoyable experience.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Unfortunately the weather this season has been extremely wet and unpredictable. Thank you for being so positive about the transfer to our powerboat and the experience overall. I am pleased you found the trip smooth and the Skipper entertaining. It is good to know you had a ray of sunshine at the end. At least it was warm enough for people to swim.

Review

Tony_S, Dec 2022

Not enjoyable when rough. A calm day maybe nicer. Our day was lovely and sunny but windy. Our guide was pretty good.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you for taking the time to review us. The weather has been very challenging for our Skippers this Spring. Some customers like the adrenalin buzz of a windy day other's do not. Our Skipper/guide works very hard to make the trip enjoyable for everyone. Thank you again for the review.

Wonderful experience

Marianne_E, Nov 2022

We had a really wonderful experience. The skipper was great to chat with and very knowledgeable. Tiffany messaged us the day before informing us that because of the weather and an injury to one of the skippers, we wouldn't be on the sailing boat. However, we still had a great time!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you so much for letting us know you enjoyed yourselves despite the boat change to our powerboat. It has been a difficult time with the weather and a skipper injury. Having an alternative boat has been a saviour as I would not like people missing out on a great experience on the lake and a visit to the Maori Rock carvings.

Amazing tour!

Lisa_P, Nov 2022

Amazing time on the Māori Rock Carving tour! It is a must do! The captain was so friendly and provided us with great information about the area!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

We really appreciate you recommendation, thank you. Skipper Chris will be very pleased you had a amazing experience.

Awesome lake sail

Phil_M, Nov 2022

This was an outstanding trip. The guide was friendly, humorous and informative about the local area. We got up very close to the maori rock carvings (as close as kayaks) and the boat was super quiet (when the electric motor was on). It was very comfortable with cushioned seats. I would thoroughly recommend this value for money trip in Taupo.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Thank you very much for your outstanding review and recommending us as good value for money. I agree Skipper Chris has a great sense of humour and can be very funny. A close up view of the carvings can be rare as it is very weather dependent, if it is calm then the electric engine will cruise in for a close up view, a bonus is there will be no smelly diesel to spoil the experience.

I enjoyed the ride. It...

Elaine_S, May 2022

I enjoyed the ride. It was clean peaceful and every where I looked all I could see was so beautiful.

Response from Host, Jul 2022

Hi Elaine, thankyou very much for your review. It sure is a beautiful journey to the Maori Rock Carvings. The electric engines are quiet and diesel fume free! At the carvings all you hear is the guide and then water lapping. Perfect!

Memorable experience...

Navdeep_S, Apr 2022

Memorable experience recommend everyone to visit once. Captain was really nice and it was a nice small trip

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you for your recommendation. I am pleased you enjoyed the lower numbers on our boat it is one of the advantages of domestic tourism.

Very peaceful day in the...

Mauricio_R, Apr 2022

Very peaceful day in the water, relaxing in the sailing , a very recommended experience, even with little rain we enjoy so much

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thanks for sharing your review with us and the community. It is good that you found the experience relaxing and peaceful. Life can be so busy that it is good to take time out on our sail boat:)

Excellent

Amanda_P, Apr 2022

It was so amazing beautiful trip would so do this again didn’t want to get off the sailboat the view and the stories that were told alsum beautiful

Blessing of a ponamu that...

Sheena_P, Mar 2022

Blessing of a ponamu that our captain carefully attached to a lanyard and was shipped in the what as is the custom.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank you for the blessing of the pounamu. We appreciate customs and the role that they take.

A really enjoyable trip....

Nicola_D, Feb 2022

A really enjoyable trip. Great value for money. Recommend it for learning a bit about NZ history while relaxing and enjoying some of NZ beautiful scenery!

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank you for the recommendation and appreciating we are good value for money spent. We are so much more than just a trip to the Maori Rock Carvings. Our Sail Barbary team is happy to know you enjoyed hearing about some of our local history while enjoying the views.

It was a awesome...

Haami_T, Feb 2022

It was a awesome experience, the guide was great to talk to, he shared great knowledge of the rock carving and we even had the chance to feed the ducks while sailing 👌 i would definitely recommend this adventure.

Response from Host, Mar 2022

The Sail Barbary team is happy to hear you had such an awesome experience! We’re so glad you enjoyed talking to our Skipper/guide and feeding those funny ducks. Good to know they are feeling peckish for our snacks again. Thank you recommending our adventure.

Memories

Tinaree_F, Jan 2022

A relaxed, informative, beautiful trip sailing with a fun captain. The swim was amazing. Totally recommending this experience. Formed wonderful memories. Might be doing it again sometime.

Response from Host, Feb 2022

The Sail Barbary team are absolutely delighted that you enjoyed our beautiful sailing experience and left with good memories. The Maori Rock Carvings really are the 'cherry on the top' after a wonderful sail and a refreshing swim. We look forward to taking you sailing again sometime in the future:)

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