Need to know: Bay of Islands Sailing Week – Explore Beach Party

We’re looking forward to seeing you at the Bay of Islands Sailing Week – Explore Beach Party. But before we do, there is some important information we would like to pass on to you to make everything run smoothly.

Where to meet:

Guests must board from the wharf outlined on their ticket. You will have selected either Opua Wharf, Paihia Wharf or Russell Wharf. If you need to change your departure point, please contact Explore on 0800 365744 before 3pm. This is a sold out event, so changes might not be possible.

OPUA: Please meet at the Events Pontoon, off the Main Wharf, near the R Tucker Thompson building, 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time on your ticket. See below for diagram.

PAIHIA: Please report to the left hand side of Paihia Wharf 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time on your ticket.

RUSSELL: Please be ready to board the vessel at the far end of the Russell Wharf 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time on your ticket.

Tickets:

Please ensure you bring a printed copy of your booking confirmation or have the booking confirmation bar code clearly visible on your phone to enable scanning. No ticket – No boarding.

Group bookings:

If you have booked multiple people under one booking, please ensure all passengers travelling on the same booking confirmation board together. If your whole party is not present, you will have to wait until they are to board.

Valid ID:

If you are lucky enough to look under 25 please ensure
that you bring valid ID with you in order to purchase alcohol.
Acceptable forms of ID include:

  • HANZ Card / Kiwi Access Card
  • NZ Driving Licence
  • Passport

No ID = No Alcohol

Return ferrys:

Return departures from Otehei Bay will happen on demand as the ferries fill up. At an estimate we believe return departures will depart the Otehei Bay wharf at 8.30pm, 9.30pm, 10.30pm and 11.15pm .

No BYO:

Due to liquor licencing laws no BYO alcohol is permitted on the Explore Ferry or at Otehei Bay. Only food or drinks purchased on board the vessel or at the restaurant is allowed on site. This will be strictly enforced.

Food available:

There will be a selection of burgers, hot chips and salad available for purchase from the Otehei Bay restaurant on site.

What’s happening at Otehei Bay after Bay of Islands Sailing Week:

Otehei Bay is open 9am – 8.30pm this weekend.
Stop in for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks!
A2Stix (2 of whom who performed as Legacy Band at the beach party) will be playing live from in the afternoon to early evening on both Saturday & Sunday.
Boaties welcomed, anyone needing to ferry over can easily book online, with late ferries running this weekend until 8.30pm.

Book Ferry Here

We look forward to seeing you there!