Top 4 Snorkeling Tours in New Zealand

1.Goat Island Guided Snorkeling Tour for Beginners

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 77 reviews · 2h 30m · from $56Our pick

Meet your instructor at Goat Island Snorkel Center, collect a wetsuit and gear, then drive 3 km to New Zealand’s first marine reserve. You’ll practise in shallow water before heading farther out with an English-speaking guide. Guides including Tiff, Skye, Connor, Sarah, and Mikayla are praised for calm instruction and help with nerves.

“Very informative and so much to see in the water!! it was such a fun time and I would love to do it again!! Jodi was ana amazing guide!”

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2.Cathedral Cove Marine Reserve: Snorkeling Boat Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 52 reviews · 2 hours · from $85

From Hahei Beach, your small group heads by speedboat past Cathedral Cove to a sheltered snorkel site. Experienced scuba-instructor skippers provide warm wetsuits, quality gear, flotation aids, and clear help for beginners. You get about one hour in the water, with a chance to see rays, fish schools, rocky reefs, and colorful shallow areas.

“Great, the guides know where to see the most fish!!!”

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3.Goat Island Guided Snorkelling Tour For Advanced

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 9 reviews · 2h 30m · from $56

Meet your certified English-speaking guide at Goat Island Dive and Snorkel, collect your mask, fins, wetsuit, snorkel, and weight belt, then drive 3 km to New Zealand’s first marine reserve. You’ll practise ducking below the surface, equalising your ears, and clearing your snorkel before using the equipment for the rest of the day.

“Onze gids Skye was enthousiast en wist veel over het zeeleven te vertellen. We zagen een pijlstaartrog en veel andere vissen. Zeker een aanrader als je in de buurt bent.”

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4.Guided Snorkeling and Island Exploration in Auckland

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $93Top rated

Meet your guide at Tiritiri Matangi Wharf for four hours of snorkeling and island walking. Your guide supplies a warm wetsuit and snorkeling gear, then leads you through native forest and coastal viewpoints while pointing out marine life, rare birds, plants, and local natural history. Ferry tickets must be booked separately.

“Our experience was wonderful and we had an awesome guide. He was super friendly and informative, and he dragged all of our gear around. The water was chilly, but we got wetsuits, which was nice. After the snorkeling, we got a little hike/tour around the island and he pointed out multiple different plant and bird species. All in all it was a great experience.”

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