Bay of Islands day cruise - day of

[sugarcat]

Hi, are there tour operators touting half day boat trips at the pier in Pahia? Can seem to book any independent trips that leave late morning (leaving time to get in with the tender). If anyone can remember from previous visits, please let me know. Thanks!

[roscoe39]

Hi Sugarcat,, the Bay of Islands is my home town before becoming a city slicker  and I love cruising in and out of the Bay. There are two tender ports, one is Waitangi and the other is Paihia wharf. Not sure which your ship will call into, Cunard definitely calls into Waitangi. There will be tour operators at both Waitangi, and Paihia Wharf which  has a tourist operator tour office in the wharf buildings and there are operators also across the road in the shops. They will be "Fullers" cruises around the Bay and also you can buy tickets for the ferry across to Russell which is a wonderful victorian town and also NZs first capital. (Kororareka) , you can wander around the town and see musket holes in buildings from the Maori wars.

 

Most operators that are at Waitangi operate out of their vans and buses as there are not wharf buildings and will include a Waka canoe ride, (row yourself) and tours up to Kerikeri and the forest etc.

 

It is a really pleasant walk along the beach into town- from Waitangi about 20 mins, but the town council usually puts on a free bus.

 

The Bay is beautiful, I hope you enjoy your stop there.

 

 

ps.... the reason you may not be able to find boat tours around noon is that if you are looking at Cape Brett for instance is that the seas become a bit rough to go through the hole and the Cream trip etc takes too long to start around lunch. Most of the longer trips leave earlier 8am till 10am.

 

pps re your question about transit time  on another thread,when you anchor, depending on where you drop - probably Tapeka, its about a 20 minute ride once you get onboard the tender.

Edited December 8, 2022 by roscoe39

[chubbypiggy]

We will be on a Princess cruise (departs in Sydney) in early April with our first port stop in Bay of Islands (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.).  I think our tender port will be Waitangi.  

 

From readings on various site, we are thinking of spending our time in Paihia and Russell.  Here are some questions, any assistance will be appreciated!

 

1.  How often the ferries run from Paihia to Russell?  How long is the ride?

2.  Where do we buy the ferry tickets?  

3.  Can we buy the ferry tickets with Visa charge card?  If not, is NZ currency the only currency

     being accepted?  If so, then we must find an ATM to get NZ currency before we can take the 

     ferry.  

4.  What is there to do in Paihia and Russell?

5.  Should be spend time in Paihai first, then go to Russell?  Or do Russell before Paihai?

 

Thank you in advance for any assistance!!

[possum52]

7 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

We will be on a Princess cruise (departs in Sydney) in early April with our first port stop in Bay of Islands (9 a.m. - 6 p.m.).  I think our tender port will be Waitangi.  

 

From readings on various site, we are thinking of spending our time in Paihia and Russell.  Here are some questions, any assistance will be appreciated!

 

1.  How often the ferries run from Paihia to Russell?  How long is the ride?

2.  Where do we buy the ferry tickets?  

3.  Can we buy the ferry tickets with Visa charge card?  If not, is NZ currency the only currency

     being accepted?  If so, then we must find an ATM to get NZ currency before we can take the 

     ferry.  

4.  What is there to do in Paihia and Russell?

5.  Should be spend time in Paihai first, then go to Russell?  Or do Russell before Paihai?

 

Thank you in advance for any assistance!!

Google is your friend - https://northlandferries.co.nz/bay-of-islands-ferry/

                                        https://www.newzealand.com/au/paihia/

                                        http://www.paihia.co.nz/

                                        https://www.newzealand.com/nz/russell/

                                        https://nzpocketguide.com/10-best-things-to-do-in-russell/

 

PASSENGER FERRY TIMETABLE

Crossing time: 15 minutes

7:20am

8:30am

9:30am – 9:30pm ferry departures on the half hour

10:30pm (24 September 2022 – May 2023)

PASSENGER FERRY PRICES

You can buy ferry tickets online, from our booking office or on board the ferry using EFTPOS, VISA, MasterCard or American Express. 

 Pre-booked tickets are valid for 7 days from the date of travel selected. Tickets are non-refundable unless for operational reasons.

The FAQs for the ferry says, cash can be used onboard. Why would you ask if currency other than NZ would be accepted?

 

FOOT PASSENGERS ONLY

Adult - $14 (Return)

Child 5-14 years - $6.50 (Return)

Child 0-4 years - FREE

[chubbypiggy]

2 minutes ago, possum52 said:

 

Why would you ask if currency other than NZ would be accepted?

 

 

Thank you so much for the information.

 

Pre-cruise, we will stay in Sydney for 1 day, and most likely will have some leftover AUD.  If they only take cash, but also accept AUD, then I wouldn't have to get to an ATM to get NZD before getting on the ferry.  When we did the Med. cruise, for example, Turkey, has its own currency, but also accept EUR.  And when we did our Mexico cruises, most shops also accept USD.   

 

Good to know they accept credit card. 

[possum52]

23 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

Thank you so much for the information.

 

Pre-cruise, we will stay in Sydney for 1 day, and most likely will have some leftover AUD.  If they only take cash, but also accept AUD, then I wouldn't have to get to an ATM to get NZD before getting on the ferry.  When we did the Med. cruise, for example, Turkey, has its own currency, but also accept EUR.  And when we did our Mexico cruises, most shops also accept USD.   

 

Good to know they accept credit card. 

You are welcome. New Zealand businesses do not usually accept Australian or any other currency. The same in Australia. We are separate countries and use separate currencies. For one thing, it just too much of a hassle for businesses to accept foreign currency. If you have Australian currency left over, change it at a bank or currency exchange. Wouldn't you just use a card in your one day in Sydney? If you do need cash, which is not too likely, it will be very little. 

Edited December 9, 2022 by possum52

[chubbypiggy]

8 minutes ago, possum52 said:

Wouldn't you just use a card in your one day in Sydney? If you do need cash, which is not too likely, it will be very little. 

From CC posts, I learned most business in Sydney do accept credit card; some CC posts suggested I get small amount of cash just in case.  So, I am thinking of getting only $100 AUD from ATM after we check-in to our hotel.

 

After an 15 hours non-stop flight, we will most likely be quite tired, so our plans for that 1 day is just eating and shopping for things that we want to bring for the cruise (bodywash, disinfectant spray, shampoo, etc.) and some Australia "specific/authentic" snacks or souvenirs to bring back for our friends and bottled water and snacks for the hotel stay.

 

We will be staying at Four Seasons Sydney Hotel, so we will be doing our eating and shopping in that area.  One of the CC posts suggested eating at the Gateway Sydney, so we plan to go there for lunch.  If many choices, we might go there for dinner also.  We will try to use our credit cards for all the eating and shopping.  The $100 AUD is just for "exceptions" businesses.  

[possum52]

2 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

From CC posts, I learned most business in Sydney do accept credit card; some CC posts suggested I get small amount of cash just in case.  So, I am thinking of getting only $100 AUD from ATM after we check-in to our hotel.

 

After an 15 hours non-stop flight, we will most likely be quite tired, so our plans for that 1 day is just eating and shopping for things that we want to bring for the cruise (bodywash, disinfectant spray, shampoo, etc.) and some Australia "specific/authentic" snacks or souvenirs to bring back for our friends and bottled water and snacks for the hotel stay.

 

We will be staying at Four Seasons Sydney Hotel, so we will be doing our eating and shopping in that area.  One of the CC posts suggested eating at the Gateway Sydney, so we plan to go there for lunch.  If many choices, we might go there for dinner also.  We will try to use our credit cards for all the eating and shopping.  The $100 AUD is just for "exceptions" businesses.  

I live in Melbourne and have not had cash in my wallet since before Covid. Just about everywhere takes cards. For one day in Sydney, I doubt you would use even $5 as I think you will find you will be able to use your card everywhere for what you plan to do. If by your last meal, you haven't spent all your cash, put it towards your meal bill. 

Edited December 9, 2022 by possum52

[chubbypiggy]

13 hours ago, possum52 said:

I live in Melbourne and have not had cash in my wallet since before Covid. Just about everywhere takes cards. For one day in Sydney, I doubt you would use even $5 as I think you will find you will be able to use your card everywhere for what you plan to do. If by your last meal, you haven't spent all your cash, put it towards your meal bill. 

That is a good suggestion, thank you.  I will pay my last meal in Sydney with my leftover cash and credit card for the balance over cash that I have.  Wonder if I can combine usage of cash and credit card together for the restaurant bill? 

[possum52]

2 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

That is a good suggestion, thank you.  I will pay my last meal in Sydney with my leftover cash and credit card for the balance over cash that I have.  Wonder if I can combine usage of cash and credit card together for the restaurant bill? 

That shouldn't be a problem.

[chubbypiggy]

Thank you!

[dreams_of_travel]

On 12/8/2022 at 10:51 PM, possum52 said:

I live in Melbourne and have not had cash in my wallet since before Covid. Just about everywhere takes cards. For one day in Sydney, I doubt you would use even $5 as I think you will find you will be able to use your card everywhere for what you plan to do. If by your last meal, you haven't spent all your cash, put it towards your meal bill. 

Don't most places charge a 3% fee for foreign credit cards transactions?  While the exchange rate USD to AUD is quite favorable currently, that 3% fee will add up over many transactions.  YMMV

[possum52]

5 hours ago, dreams_of_travel said:

Don't most places charge a 3% fee for foreign credit cards transactions?  While the exchange rate USD to AUD is quite favorable currently, that 3% fee will add up over many transactions.  YMMV

I believe it is the banks who charge for a foreign credit card transaction, not the business. The business may charge you a transaction fee to cover their bank costs - 

 

'Credit card and debit card surcharges typically range from 0.5% to 2% of a transaction. But businesses can set their own surcharge amount as long as it is based on the cost of accepting a particular type of payment. Surcharges can't be worth more than that cost.

As a general guide, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have outlined the following costs per transaction, based on the type of card being used:

Visa and Mastercard credit cards: 1% to 1.5%

American Express credit cards: 1.5% to 2%

EFTPOS: Usually less than 0.5%

Visa and Mastercard debit cards: 0.5% to 1%

 

While most surcharges will fit within these rates, the ACCC website also notes: "different businesses have different costs of acceptance. In general, smaller merchants' costs might be higher than these indicative figures."

 

 

[dreams_of_travel]

4 hours ago, possum52 said:

I believe it is the banks who charge for a foreign credit card transaction, not the business. The business may charge you a transaction fee to cover their bank costs - 

 

'Credit card and debit card surcharges typically range from 0.5% to 2% of a transaction. But businesses can set their own surcharge amount as long as it is based on the cost of accepting a particular type of payment. Surcharges can't be worth more than that cost.

As a general guide, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have outlined the following costs per transaction, based on the type of card being used:

Visa and Mastercard credit cards: 1% to 1.5%

American Express credit cards: 1.5% to 2%

EFTPOS: Usually less than 0.5%

Visa and Mastercard debit cards: 0.5% to 1%

 

While most surcharges will fit within these rates, the ACCC website also notes: "different businesses have different costs of acceptance. In general, smaller merchants' costs might be higher than these indicative figures."

 

 

Thanks for posting.  I hadn't researched this for a few years, so it is better than I had remembered.