Boat Rental in Wellington

New Zealand is renowned around the world for rugby, wine, and for its stunning natural scenery. So if you’re not a rugby fanatic or wine buff, then the landscape on the North and South Islands of New Zealand is for you. On land, you will have a feast of mountains and grasslands to visit, but the world on the water is the other half of nature that you must make sure you see.

Renting a boat in Wellington is easy. You can rent a boat, speed boat or catamaran in Wellington from Chaffers Marina in the central city and the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club is also nearby. You will find international standards of service and well-maintained boat rentals to match your needs and tastes. Just nearby to the East of these Marinas lies Oriental Bay, which is the inner city. It has golden sands with beaches that are good for swimming, snorkeling, and diving. Why not rent a boat and add a new, fun dimension to your holiday in Wellington.

Boat rental options include speedboats, yachts, sailboats, catamarans, and kayaks. Take your pick, but if you want to see a lot in a short time, try renting a speed boat from Wellington Harbour. Wellington harbour caters for speed boat rentals and join-in tours too. A small speedboat for an intimate spin around Wellington Harbour with your loved one will start from around 100 USD per hour. Larger speed boats for a group of friends or a family out will be slightly more expensive, but you may decide to join an organised tour instead. You can take an exciting, high-speed tour for an hour or a more leisurely half-day or whole day tour to take in more of the sights.

There are multiple boat rental options including, per person for less than 100 USD per day, sailboats, and yachts from 200 USD per day upwards or power catamarans rental at about 500 USD per day. Whether you want to join a fun group with other people or enjoy your private catamaran rental, there are plenty of options from several different marinas in Wellington and nearby. So you can choose your starting point for boat rental.

For one-day boat rental from Wellington Harbour, start by heading East, and you will sail past Evans Bay, at the North end of the airport runway. Then bear South and follow the coast to Seatoun, now owned mainly by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame. When you reach Seatoun head Northeast towards Ward Island, and sail across the harbour entrance, but watch out for the big rail ferries to the South Island and Eastbourne.

Anchor off Ward Island for lunch or go ashore in a dinghy if you fancy a remote picnic. Ward Island has rocks on the Southern tip that is well-charted. If your boat has kayaks, this could be a great place to use them. From Ward Island bear North towards Somes Island. There are a few yacht moorings and a small wharf, and you can drop people off either via wharf or dinghy. It's also suitable for a lunch stop. After lunch head East to Days Bay, a sheltered and popular swimming beach in summer. The water is shallow, and you could anchor there and dinghy in. It's quite safe from strong winds and misses most of the swells.

If you are planning boat rental for more than a few hours or a day, comfort may become a new priority. Why not try a catamaran rental and kick back in the comfort of a large, roomy cabin with a spacious deck. There is plenty of room to move around on a catamaran rental, and staying overnight on the waves in a cabin can be blissful. If you decide to set your sails to Days Bay for the day and don't want to turn back, there are cafes and restaurants near the beach, so you could have dinner onshore. If the weather turns rough, it is very close to the Seaview Marina, which is easy to find and sheltered. Then rock yourself to sleep on the waves, wake up on deck with a fresh cup of tea or coffee, and spend a bit longer taking in the sights around Wellington Bay.

There are multiple dive trips available from dive centres in Wellington throughout the year. These range from local day boat trips in the Wellington area, all the way up to multi-day expeditions to other locations in New Zealand and overseas. The types of trips available depend on the destination, but can include wreck diving, cray and spearfishing hunts, shark diving, whale watching, swimming and diving, photography diving, shore dives, boat dives, liveaboards and resort diving. So many options! Dive courses are available, and further afield from Wellington bay dive trips reach Northland (Bay of Islands and Poor Knights) and Fiordland. You can even go to Fiji, Tonga, and the Galapagos Islands! Most diving is scheduled over the winter months to give divers a break from cold water diving. You can dive all year round, but the scallop season opened on July 15th, 2020, and runs for seven months finishing in February.

Lowry Bay yacht club is located at Seaview Marina in Wellington. They cater to weddings and BBQs, so if you are looking to impress someone, why not try party boat rental. There are even Bikini boats with bikini-clad girls at your service serving you drinks and some exceptional hospitality. Another option is to hire a public ferry and sail to the Riverhead Historic Tavern. Whether you are celebrating a birthday, social club, or a special occasion, there are many boat rental options with a variety of hospitality services so you can pick and match what you want for your party on the sea near Wellington.