Moutohorā Island Sanctuary tours — Attraction in Bay of Plenty

Going on the White Island tour was the best part of our holiday so far!

The experience alone was something I'll never forget and the views were simply astonishing.

Travelling to and from the island was a little rocky, as to be anticipated when travelling via sea vessels, however, skipper Lance did his best to keep it as calm a ride as possible. There were a few sea sick people on the trip over but the staff on board were attentive and quick to respond as soon as situations had arisen. They did continually ask throughout the ride to and from the island how you are feeling by going to each row and asking along.

Transfers in the dingy to and from the island were very smooth and you felt safe from how comfortable they were doing the transfers. They were also done in an exceptionally timely manner and they transferred any sea sick people off first.

The tour of the island was something you don't want to miss out on! I've never seen a thing quite like it and was completely taken aback by the views. They guides were very informative and answered all questions perfectly. You truly felt safe with them guiding you through the island.

After the tour and returning to the vessel, we were provided a great packed lunch with a variety of food inside.

On the way back Lance spotted dolphins and we diverted course to follow them and take photos. Something that was just a little bit extra for the day!

My day with White Island Tours was just exceptional from start to finish. Hayden was an absolute crack up and a proper stand up guy, our guide Jess was fun, engaging and very informative and Lance was a great skipper and a pleasure to chat with.

I would recommend this...

We had a wonderful day onboard the PeeJay IV on Friday 19 April 2019, and cannot recommend this tour enough. The booking and check-in process were faultless, and there is even a cafe so you can get a coffee or quick bite to eat before you board.

It was clear that safety is paramount and at no point did I feel unsafe about being on an active volcano in the middle of the ocean! We were given lifejackets for the transfer to the island (via a small inflatable boat), helmets and gas masks. The island itself is like being on another planet and our tour guides, Cole and Jake, were generous in sharing their knowledge of the volcano and its history. They were also more than happy to snap photos for us and others on the tour.

Back onboard, we enjoyed a delicious packed lunch (sandwich, apple, slice, muesli bar and chocolate) and were lucky enough to spot a pod of wild dolphins. The dolphins were playing alongside us for 5-10 minutes and it was the cherry on top of an already incredible day!

One thing I didn't know until the night before was that the sulphur on the island can stain clothes and shoes, so make sure you wear something old that you are happy to throw out if it gets ruined. You will also need a certain level of mobility to transfer from the boat to the inflatable and onto the jetty (includes climbing ladders and over some boulders on...

A great day out. Departed on a boat from Whakatane and soon saw various sea bird species. Nearer White island there was a pod of 30+ common dolphins. Take a warm jacket because you want to be outside enjoying the view and it is a bit windy. To land on the island we put on hard hats, gas masks and boarded a small zodiac to get to the jetty. Once on the island we were guided round be knowledgeable guides that also made sure people stick to the path and avoided walking into dangerous areas. If you have children, do make sure they follow the guides. A couple of times the gas masks were useful, but generally they were not needed, and nothing landed on our heads so hard hats were just in case of erruption but needed to be warn at all times. The old sulpher factory shows just how corrosive the place is. Coming back there was a chance for a quick swim followed by a packed lunch with quite a veriety of stuff in it, but do make sure nothing blows away because the boat was doing a loop of the island at the time. On the way back was a good opportunity to either look at more dolphins and...