Where Is The Hole In The Rock And Which Cruises Take You There?
Motukokako, or Piercy Island, sits at Cape Brett on the outer edge of the Bay of Islands. Here is where it is, how cruises from Paihia and Russell reach it, and what to expect.
The short answer for anyone scanning a map: the Hole in the Rock is the sea arch in the cliffs of Motukokako, also called Piercy Island, at the tip of the Cape Brett Peninsula on the outer eastern edge of the Bay of Islands. Cruise boats reach it from Paihia and Russell, the two small towns that bookend the inner bay. The rock itself is not an island you land on, it is a landmark boats visit and photograph, weather permitting, before turning back toward the sheltered waters around Urupukapuka Island. If you're wondering whether a boat trip out to the arch is actually possible on your dates, the guide to cruising to the Hole in the Rock from Paihia and Russell compares the operators, prices and trip durations side by side.
This page pins down exactly where the formation sits, what it is called, which cruises call there, and how the trip fits into a day in the Bay of Islands. Prices and durations below come from the tours covered on this site, and all figures are per person in US dollars.
Where Is Hole In The Rock, New Zealand?
The Hole in the Rock is the sea arch at Motukokako, historically named Piercy Island, which stands just off Cape Brett at the eastern end of the Bay of Islands. The arch sits on this island, positioned right where the Bay of Islands meets the open water. Boats reach it after running the length of the Cape Brett Peninsula from the inner bay. Paihia and Russell, the two main departure towns, sit well inside the bay, so every cruise that visits the rock spends a stretch of open water along the peninsula before arriving at the cliffs themselves. The formation is part of Bay Of Islands Dolphin Cruises territory in the loosest sense: it lies inside the waters where the bay's dolphin and wildlife watching trips operate, at the point where the sheltered island group meets the open Pacific.
The Bay of Islands holds many islands, and Motukokako marks the outer edge of that group. Northland Inc, the regional tourism body, records that Captain Cook named it Piercy Island, and the Maori name Motukokako is the one most operators use today. The arch is carved into the island's cliffs and faces the open sea.
A visit is the standard wording, and the honest one. Operators describe a visit or photo stop at Motukokako; only two listings (the Island Getaway 4.5-hour day cruise and the Discover the Bay cruise with island lunch) mention going through the arch, conditions permitting. How close the boat comes depends entirely on conditions on the day. For more on that question, see can a boat go through the arch below, or the wider comparison in the Hole in the Rock cruise guide.
For readers who already know they want the trip, these are the three cruises most directly aimed at the rock:
What Is The Island Called On The Map?
On most maps and on the tours' own itineraries the island appears as Motukokako; the older European name Piercy Island survives in some references, and the Hole in the Rock is the arch in its cliffs rather than the island itself. Northland Inc notes that Captain Cook gave the name Piercy Island, and Cape Brett, the peninsula the island sits off, carries the historic lighthouse that boats pass on the run out. So a cruise description, a marine chart and a tourism brochure may each use a different label for the same rock.
That naming mix is worth knowing when you compare trips. A tour that says Motukokako, one that says Piercy Island and one that says the Hole in the Rock are all describing the same destination at the tip of the cape. The Department of Conservation, which manages the surrounding reserve land, groups the area as Cape Brett and Whangamumu, and its Cape Brett hut page describes the lighthouse settlement at the end of the peninsula.
The peninsula matters to the journey as much as the island does. The boat ride out from Paihia or Russell follows the Cape Brett coastline, a stretch of bush-clad ridges dropping to rocky points, with the lighthouse on the final headland before Motukokako. Most cruise descriptions name the lighthouse as a passing landmark on the way to the rock.
The fastest of the rock-focused trips, for readers deciding now, is the Explore Group Ocean Adventure fast boat to the Hole in the Rock, a 1 hour 30 minute round trip from Paihia that carries up to 30 guests, with wet weather jackets and lifejackets included, from $97.47 per person. It states a minimum age of 7, one of the few tours here with a stated age rule. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start applies. Check availability, or read the longer comparison in which Hole in the Rock cruise to book.
Which Towns Do Hole In The Rock Cruises Leave From?
Hole in the Rock cruises depart from Paihia, the bay's main tourist town, and from Russell, which sits across the water from Paihia. Two Auckland day trips add a coach leg to the journey and include a 4.5 hour bay cruise. Paihia is the busiest departure point by a clear margin, and several operators run from both towns, using the two wharves roughly 15 minutes apart by passenger ferry. The ferry crossing between Paihia and Russell takes 15 minutes, so staying on either side of the bay rarely decides which cruise you can take, though it does decide how early you need to leave your accommodation on the morning of the trip.
The departure towns for the main rock-focused tours:
| Tour | Operator | Departs from | Duration | From (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Adventure fast boat to the Hole in the Rock | Explore Group | Paihia | 1 hour 30 minutes | $97.47 |
| Hole in the Rock, Dolphins and Island Cruise | Explore Group | Paihia and Russell | About 4.5 hours | $90 |
| Hole in the Rock cruise with two island stops | Island Getaway | Paihia and Russell | About 4.5 hours | $101 |
| Three-hour Hole in the Rock cruise | Island Getaway | Paihia | 3 hours | $88.87 |
| Day in the Bay cream trip cruise | Explore Group | Paihia | About 8.5 hours | $127 |
| Auckland day trip with bay cruise | Auckland & Beyond Tours | Auckland | 12 hours | $263.16 |
Those two Auckland options, the Auckland & Beyond Tours day trip and the ExperienceKart small-group day trip from Auckland, put you on a coach from the city and include a 4.5 hour bay cruise in a 12 to 13 hour day. Hotel pickup from Auckland CBD hotels is included on both, and lunch is excluded on both.
For most travellers the practical choice is Paihia or Russell. Paihia wharf is walkable from the town's motels and cafes; Russell Wharf sits at The Strand, the waterfront of the historic village once nicknamed the hell hole of the Pacific and the country's first permanent European settlement. The dolphin cruises from Paihia guide breaks down the Paihia departures in more detail.
Can A Boat Go Through The Hole In The Rock?
Whether a boat can go through the Hole in the Rock depends on the sea conditions on the day, not on your booking. Only two listings (the Island Getaway 4.5-hour day cruise and the Discover the Bay cruise with island lunch) mention going through the arch, conditions permitting; operators describe a visit or photo stop at Motukokako instead, and any closer approach is decided by conditions at the time. That is the plain wording the operators themselves use, and it is the only honest way to describe the trip before you board.
The question is fair, because older tourism material sometimes implied a passage. The current cruise descriptions do not. The Explore Group Ocean Adventure fast boat describes travel to Motukokako Island and return; the Explore Group Hole in the Rock, Dolphins and Island Cruise describes a visit to Motukokako; the Island Getaway three-hour cruise describes visiting the famous Hole in the Rock and Cape Brett Lighthouse.
None of this makes the stop anticlimactic. Holding station beside a cliff arch at the entrance to the bay, with gannets working the water and the lighthouse behind you, is the reason these cruises carry the review counts they do: the Island Getaway cruise with two island stops is rated 4.8 across 1,217 reviews, the largest review pool of any tour here, and the Explore Group cruise that names dolphins is rated 4.6 across 902 reviews. Weather is the one variable no operator controls, and the cruise weather and cancellations guide covers how rough days are handled.
What Else Will You See On The Way Out?
The run to Cape Brett passes many islands, the Cape Brett lighthouse peninsula, and the waters of the Te Pewhairangi Marine Mammal Sanctuary, where dolphins and other marine mammals are watched from the vessel rather than swum with. The inner bay is scattered with islands, several of them predator-free and replanted with native birds through Project Island Song, a collaboration of iwi and the Department of Conservation. The Explore Group Dolphin Eco Cruise page notes reintroduced tieke, kakariki and toutouwai around Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island.
Dolphins are part of the operator's description on seven of the 22 tours on this site, including the Explore Group Hole in the Rock, Dolphins and Island Cruise, the Explore Group Discover the Bay cruise with island lunch and the R. Tucker Thompson tall ship day sail with barbecue lunch. No sighting is promised on any of them, with one exception: the Explore Group Day in the Bay cream trip cruise states a dolphin viewing and marine mammal guarantee. That guarantee belongs to that tour alone.
The sanctuary rules shape how these trips work. Te Pewhairangi Marine Mammal Sanctuary, in effect since December 2021 under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978, keeps everyone out of the water within 300 m of any dolphin, whale or seal, and vessels must stop if a marine mammal comes closer than 300 m. DOC's sanctuary page sets this out in full. Swimming with dolphins is not permitted in the Bay of Islands; swims happen at island beaches, and only when no marine mammal is within 300 m. The full story is in can you swim with dolphins on a Bay of Islands cruise.
Bottlenose numbers here are genuinely low, which is why the rules are strict. A NIWA report for DOC photo-identified 540 unique individuals across 1,605 daily surveys between 1994 and 2024, and estimated local abundance at 40 in autumn 2024, down from 244 in summer 1997 and a low of 16 in summer 2019. Common dolphins, by contrast, are described by the operator wildlife guide as abundant.
Do The Cruises Stop At Islands Too?
Several rock-focused cruises pair the Motukokako visit with an island stop, most commonly about 1.5 hours at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island, the largest island in the bay, where you can swim, walk or simply sit on the sand with a coffee from the island cafe. The Explore Group Hole in the Rock, Dolphins and Island Cruise puts a Urupukapuka stop, with time to swim, explore or sunbathe, at about 1.5 hours of its roughly 4.5 hours. The Explore Group Discover the Bay cruise with island lunch also stops 1.5 hours at Otehei Bay and includes an island lunch, a buffet in summer and a main menu item in winter, from $121 per person.
Island Getaway builds its trips around stops rather than a single one. The Hole in the Rock cruise with two island stops includes snorkeling equipment and two island stopovers across about 4.5 hours, from $101; the three-hour cruise from Paihia, capped at 49 guests, includes a remote island stopover plus the rock and the Cape Brett lighthouse, from $88.87, the cheapest cruise in the dolphin-and-Hole-in-the-Rock category.
Urupukapuka rewards the stop. The island is 208 hectares and carries at least 66 recorded archaeological sites, including at least eight pa, threaded by an interpreted walking track. DOC's Urupukapuka Island walk page describes the complete circuit at five hours, best joined from Otehei Bay, suitable for older children. A 90-minute cruise stop will not cover the circuit, but the beaches and the headland views near the wharf fill the time easily.
Other tours take a different shape again. The Carino Wildlife Cruises island and wildlife day cruise, about 6 hours from 69 Marsden Rd in Paihia with a maximum of 20 guests, includes lunch and snorkelling gear, from $131.87. The Rock Adventure overnight cruise, 22 hours on board with dinner, breakfast and lunch included, from $228.19, is the only overnight option here. And the R. Tucker Thompson tall ship day sail with barbecue lunch, from Russell and Paihia with a return ferry ticket if required, runs 5 hours 30 minutes from $117.53, rated 4.9 across 387 reviews.
How Do You Get To Paihia Or Russell To Start?
Most visitors drive from Auckland, about three hours without stops, take the InterCity coach from Auckland's SkyCity Terminal in roughly four hours with stops, or fly Air New Zealand to Kerikeri, a scheduled 50 minute flight with the airport 20 minutes from Paihia. The two Auckland day trips on this site exist precisely for travellers who would rather not make that journey independently: the Auckland & Beyond Tours day trip at $263.16 and the ExperienceKart small-group version at $255.42 both bundle the coach, the guide and the 4.5 hour bay cruise into one 12 to 13 hour day.
Once in the bay, Paihia and Russell are linked by the 15 minute passenger ferry, so the town you sleep in does not lock you out of either town's departures. Russell Wharf departures include the R. Tucker Thompson trips from The Strand, the Phantom Sailing yacht day trip, capped at 10 guests, and the Vigilant Yacht Charters full-day sail, also capped at 10, with kayaks, snorkeling gear and lunch included. Opua, 7 minutes' drive from Paihia, has the vehicle ferry to Okiato for anyone touring by car.
Road conditions on State Highway 1 change with works programs, and the current advice for any driving leg is to check journeys.nzta.govt.nz before setting out. The getting to Paihia guide covers every option in more detail.
What Does A Trip To The Rock Cost?
One-day tours span $63.07 to $166 per person across the 19 one-day tours on this site's price scale, with the rock-focused cruise category running $88.87 to $131.87 and the Auckland day trips at $255.42 to $263.16. The cheapest tour of all here is not a rock cruise at all but the R. Tucker Thompson tall ship sundowner sail, a 1 hour 50 minute evening trip from Russell with a shared antipasto platter, at $63.07. The cheapest cruise in the dolphin-and-Hole-in-the-Rock category is the Island Getaway three-hour cruise at $88.87, and the cheapest cruise whose description names dolphins is the Explore Group Hole in the Rock, Dolphins and Island Cruise at $90.
What changes the price, more than anything, is format:
| Format | Typical duration | Price range | What sits at each level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast boat | 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes | $68.23 to $97.47 | Ocean Blast at about 1 hour; Ocean Adventure at 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Half or full-day cruise | 3 to 8.5 hours | $88.87 to $131.87 | The three-hour Island Getaway cruise up to the Carino wildlife cruise and the Day in the Bay cream trip |
| Sailing day trip | 5.5 to 6 hours | $110 to $140.47 | Gungha II, Phantom, Vigilant, Bayscapes, Barefoot, R. Tucker Thompson |
| Auckland day trip | 12 to 13 hours | $255.42 to $263.16 | Coach, guide and 4.5 hour cruise included |
Cancellation terms are broadly traveller-friendly: 20 of the 22 tours state free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start. The exceptions are the Phantom Sailing yacht day trip and the Vigilant Yacht Charters full-day sail, which state only that the operator refunds or reschedules if it cancels for poor weather or too few travellers; check the booking page for those two before committing.
Free cancellation matters more on this route than on most, because the rock sits on open water and rough days do happen. The Bayscapes Charters day sailing catamaran cruise states plainly that wildlife sightings are common but cannot be guaranteed.
Common Questions About The Hole In The Rock
Where Is Hole In The Rock, New Zealand?
It is the sea arch at Motukokako, or Piercy Island, just off Cape Brett at the eastern end of the Bay of Islands. Cruises reach it from Paihia and Russell after running the length of the Cape Brett Peninsula past the historic lighthouse.
How Long Is The Hole In The Rock Cruise?
It depends on the tour. The fast boat round trip runs 1 hour 30 minutes, the Island Getaway three-hour cruise runs 3 hours, and the main 4.5 hour cruises pair the rock with island stops. The Day in the Bay cream trip cruise runs about 8.5 hours.
Can You Go Through The Hole In The Rock On A Boat?
The operators describe a visit or photo stop at Motukokako; only two listings (the Island Getaway 4.5-hour day cruise and the Discover the Bay cruise with island lunch) mention going through the arch, conditions permitting. Any closer approach depends on the sea conditions on the day and is never promised in advance.
Which Town Is Better To Leave From, Paihia Or Russell?
Both work. Several operators run from both towns, and the passenger ferry between them takes 15 minutes. Paihia has the larger choice of departures; Russell Wharf at The Strand serves the tall ship and sailing trips based there.
Do The Cruises Stop At An Island As Well?
Many do. Several 4.5 hour cruises include about 1.5 hours at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island, the Island Getaway cruises include one or two island stopovers, and the three-hour cruise has a remote island stopover. Check each tour's stops before booking.
Can You Swim With Dolphins At The Hole In The Rock?
No. Swimming with dolphins is not permitted in the Bay of Islands. The sanctuary rule keeps everyone out of the water within 300 m of any dolphin, whale or seal. Swims happen only at island beaches, and only when no marine mammal is nearby.
