Our Story

Carino Wildlife Cruises is a small local family marine conservation business sustained by tourism, which operates out of Paihia in Te Pewhairangi, Bay of Islands, Northland, New Zealand and is run by Vanessa, my partner (Wayne) and my dad (Bruce).  We take guests out to experience and be inspired by the wildlife and environment of Te Pewhairangi

We are family that has always has the ocean around us. We had family sailing holidays in Fiordland, Stewart Island and a two year south pacific sailing adventure!

Between us we have over 80 years of experience working on boats.

My Dad and I developed a partnership that created a business that shares our passion for ocean and allows us to share experiences of the ocean and the local wildlife with our community, local kids and guests.

We have been operating Carino Wildlife Cruises since 1995, we have one vessel that is permitted by Department of conservation (DOC) to interact with marine mammals. Our day tour has become a popular cruise for visitors to the Bay of Islands.

Our signature island and wildlife day cruise allows guests to experience the natural world and in doing so creates a space for people to make a difference. Our guests get to sailing the Bay of Islands marine park, enjoy watching seabirds, stop at a scenic island reserve, snorkel at sub-tropical reefs and have a chance to view wild marine mammals in their natural habitats. During our cruises we collect sighting data on all the wildlife we encounter and our guests are encouraged to help

We have created a business that allows people to connect with nature, and our community in a fun and relaxed way, and inspires them make a real difference in protecting our precious environment.