Wow! Just fantastic! We had a perfectly sunny and slightly breezy afternoon for our excursion with the Explore Group on an ex-America's Cup yacht. Absolutely unmissable experience whether you are visiting Auckland or live here. I was lucky enough to experience this with my dad in March and we had a fantastic time. The team were very helpful, friendly and warm and definitely knew their stuff - despite all being so young! They involved everyone who wanted to get involved and it was a brilliant light-hearted atmosphere on board. It was super exciting getting stuck into the 'grinding', with other guests helping with the sails and rudder. There were plenty of factoids and interesting stories being told by the team on board and we came away totally buzzing, having been truly immersed in a wonderful afternoon on the water. We felt very safe and in good hands which is of course so important too.

While the bones of this product are excellent and it is great to be able to experience sailing fast on an ex-America's Cup yacht, The crew were very unenthusiastic and did the bare minimum. The boat was clearly in need of maintenance in order to make it look presentable and for it to be safer. At times, it felt unsafe and can imagine more so for older people. Would be lovely to see Explore step it up and maximise the potential that they have to make this a cool, safe fun and enjoyable interactive experience!

This is an unmissable experience in Auckland! Not only is it really cool to be able to go on an old america’s cup boat, but also a great interactive way to see the harbour with a commentary from friendly and experienced staff!

A great trip round the harbour watching the sun set and the great sky line views. Allowed to steer the boat as well which was fun. Good however was poor. Cold steak, mash potato and broccoli. Staff on- board were all great as was the tour itself. Apart from food this was a great tour.

The experience in itself was great. Really peaceful and lovely seeing the harbour from a distance. Staff were outstanding and couldn’t do more for you, However the food was shocking. If it was just a harbour cruise then it would have got 5 stars, but the fact it’s around this 3 course meal has scored it down. The canapés were stale, the main was freezing cold and not nice at all, and desert was average. For $150 it’s probably too expensive for what it is

It was absolutely beautiful, amazing, breathtaking. I highly recommend this experience. The crew was outstanding. We had the time of our lives. We have beautiful memories of this experience.

Went on the Auckland Harbour dinner cruise last night on the yacht Defiance Crew were great. Food was disappointing. Main meal was cold. Steak. Mash and broccolini. Not very pleasant and to have paid $150 it’s not cheap. While the flavour was good it didn’t in any favours being so cold. However the scenery coming in to Auckland is stunning and worth seeing.

My review is solely based on customer service as unfortunately our trip was cancelled by the company the day before we were due to sail as the skipper had COVID and no other crew were available. Whilst the sickness situation is unavoidable the process was handled very badly. I received an email telling me that l had cancelled - l definitely hadn’t, l had made the trip to Auckland specifically for the experience. l was in the harbour area so went along to the booking office to see what was going on. The two young ladies manning the desk were completely ambivalent and showed no empathy whatsoever. A refund was processed and l was offered a rescheduled date but this was for after my departure from Auckland. The company other experiences, though these were not offered to me, l had to ask specifically what else l might be able to do. I did book the harbour sailing cruise as an alternative but this didn’t compare at all with sailing an Americas Cup yacht.

Amazing crew providing a fantastic trip around the harbour. It was a great day and they made us truly welcome to be there.

What a crackin’ tour! Thank you to Todd, Becky and Ant and to our fellow travellers! We brought an almost 10 yr old with us and he was by far the youngest on the outing- he got to ‘skipper’ our boat and have a brilliant time! Everyone was so supportive and encouraging. The food was delicious and the entire outing was so relaxing. Thanks again everyone for a very memorable time! We may go broke now with a budding sailor 😂

We had hoped to visit Waiheke Island while in Auckland but this proved to be impossible and we chose this sail as an alternative. I don’t know how good Waiheke Island would have been but this experience would be hard to beat. We started, unpromisingly, in the rain but Noel our skipper provided waterproofs which if not flattering we’re totally efficient in keeping us dry! Not long after we got out into the open water, however, the rain stopped and off came the souwesters!! The cruise was a mix of sailing and motorised power and we headed for the Harbour Bridge. One or two of the passengers even were allowed to take the helm!! It was a truly magical experience and we wouldn’t have missed it for all the wine on Waiheke Island!

Great crew. Enjoyable trip around the harbour and good food considering the space and environment to prepare. Also learned a little about sailing

Perhaps we just hit them on a bad day but the cruise was pretty much a disaster from start to finish (we had to be towed in) due to a mess of a crew. If you are experienced sailors as we are - your best bet is just to admire the boat from the harbor.

Captain Noel and his crew showed us a great time. The harbor is beautiful at sunset. The food was extraordinary. Though the boat was at its capacity of 16, it did not seem crowded . I would heartily recommend this trip to everyone.

What a wonderful way to spend a morning. Julia, Luke , Jaz and Zak were wonderful knowledgeable hosts who were the icing on my birthday cake! This is the only way to see Auckland! Aboard a yacht with an interesting racing pedigree, crewed by an experienced bunch of charming sailors, each living their dream. Love the skipper, Julia’s enthusiasm and very amusing anecdotes: yes fella’s: SHE is the skipper!! They were very inclusive, encouraging even the ‘wobbliest’ of passengers to helm, ensuring that everyone participated in steering this beautiful craft regardless of age, fitness and experience. Thank you for giving me the magical of mornings and insuring me to follow in my late husbands shoes and to take to the water again.