What Explore Group does

Explore Group Limited is a privately held New Zealand marine tourism operator founded in 2000 and headquartered in Auckland. The company runs scheduled ferry services, sailing experiences, wildlife cruises, and corporate and private charters across two primary New Zealand regions — the Hauraki Gulf (Auckland) and the Bay of Islands — with additional operations in Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach in Australia. Its fleet of purpose-built vessels supports a portfolio of approximately 25 active products, including the America's Cup Sailing Experience ($210 adult), island sanctuary ferries to Rotoroa and Tiritiri Matangi, the Tikapa Moana whale and dolphin cruise, and the Hole in the Rock Discover the Bay cruise. A core differentiator is one of only two Department of Conservation licenses in the Bay of Islands authorizing marine mammal interaction, enabling the company's Dolphin Eco Cruise and marine wildlife viewing guarantees.

The company operates a vertically integrated destination model at Otehei Bay on Urupukapuka Island, combining ferry access, a fully licensed beachfront café and bar, event venues, and third-party-operated kayak and paddleboard hire. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through a proprietary online booking platform (secure.exploregroup.co.nz), supplemented by an agent portal and trade site for travel resellers and a dedicated direct sales channel for corporate groups of 5-1,000. Pricing is unit-based across all products, ranging from NZ$20 (snorkel hire) to NZ$210 (America's Cup Sailing), with adult, child, and family tiers and group minimums of 20 guests for buffet packages. Strategic partnerships include Fullers Bay of Islands for shared departure infrastructure and the Matariki Dawn Cruise, the Rotoroa Island Trust and Supporters of Tiritiri Matangi for sanctuary access and guided walks, and the Department of Conservation for regulatory wildlife licensing. The company holds Qualmark Gold certification, Tourism New Zealand sustainability credentials, and BEIA Silver membership.

Explore Group's customer base is distributed across individual tourists and families (B2C), corporate and incentive groups (B2B), weddings and special occasions, and eco-tourism visitors. Revenue streams span scheduled ticket sales (core), private charters and corporate events, food and beverage, gift vouchers, and equipment hire commissions. The business is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds, operating on an owner-operator model across 51-100 employees and four destinations.

Name

Explore Group

Legal name

Explore Group Limited

Website

https://www.exploregroup.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Explore Group Limited is a New Zealand marine tourism operator (founded 2000, Auckland) running scheduled ferries, sailing experiences, wildlife cruises, and corporate charters across the Hauraki Gulf and Bay of Islands, with additional Australian operations and one of two DOC marine mammal licenses in the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Scheduled Cruise and Tour Tickets: Individual and family tickets for scheduled departures including ferries to island sanctuaries, wildlife cruises, sailing experiences, and dinner cruises. Priced per person with adult/child/family tiers. Represents the core revenue stream for both Auckland (Hauraki Gulf) and Bay of Islands operations.
2. Private Charters and Corporate Events: Custom charter bookings for corporate teambuilding, incentives, client hosting, weddings, and special occasions. Accommodates groups of 5-1000 people with tailored experiences, catering, and venue access. Includes dedicated fleet vessels and comprehensive event management.
3. Food and Beverage Services: Otehei Bay Café & Bar provides buffet meals, event catering, and beverage sales. Christmas lunch, New Year's Eve dinner, group buffet packages, and island transfer bundles generate ancillary food and beverage revenue.
4. Gift Vouchers: Pre-paid gift vouchers sold online for experience gifting, with monthly prize draws for mailing list subscribers ($200 voucher prizes).
5. Equipment Hire: Kayak, paddleboard, and snorkel equipment rental at Otehei Bay (operated by Bay of Islands Kayaking), with pricing tiers from 30 minutes to overnight hire.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Explore Group operates scheduled marine tourism experiences including America's Cup sailing, harbour sailing and dinner cruises, wildlife and dolphin cruises, and ferry services to island wildlife sanctuaries (Tiritiri Matangi, Rotoroa, Urupukapuka/Otehei Bay, Waiheke/Man O' War) across Auckland's Hauraki Gulf and the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. The company supplements these consumer-facing ticketed experiences with private charters, corporate events, weddings, and venue-based functions at its Otehei Bay island destination.

Product overview

Explore Group is a tourism operator offering marine-based experiences primarily in New Zealand (Auckland and Bay of Islands), with additional operations in Australia (Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach). The portfolio consists of scheduled ferry and cruise services to island destinations (Tiritiri Matangi Island, Rotoroa Island, Urupukapuka Island/Otehei Bay, Waiheke Island/Man O' War), sailing experiences (America's Cup sailing, harbour sailing, dinner cruises), wildlife cruises (dolphin eco cruises, whale and dolphin cruises, Hole in the Rock cruises), special events (Dawn Chorus, Matariki Dawn Cruise, Christmas Lunch, New Year's Eve), charter and corporate event services, and island activities (kayak hire, guided walks, island walks). The company operates a fleet of purpose-built vessels and provides booking services through its website. Products are primarily individual scheduled departure experiences supplemented by private charter options, group packages, and special event offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• America's Cup Sailing Experience 2-hour crew sailing experience on a real America's Cup yacht in Auckland Harbour. Targets individuals, couples, families, and corporate groups seeking iconic New Zealand sailing.
• Auckland Harbour Sailing

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% marine mammal sighting rate on Dolphin Eco Cruises
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Department of Conservation (DOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExplore Group holds one of only two Department of Conservation licenses to interact with marine mammals in the Bay of Islands under the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1990. This regulatory partnership enables exclusive wildlife cruise operations and marine mammal viewing experiences with viewing guarantees.
• Fullers Bay of IslandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for shared departure infrastructure at Paihia and Russell, cross-referral on complementary cruise products, and shared Matariki Dawn Cruise operations. Marine mammal viewing guarantee vouchers can be redeemed across both operators' products.
• Bay of Islands KayakingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party operator providing kayak, paddleboard, and snorkel equipment hire at Otehei Bay beachfront during summer season. Explore Group provides venue access while Bay of Islands Kayaking manages equipment and operations.
• Supporters of Tiritiri MatangiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit conservation volunteer group (founded 1988) partnering with Explore Group and DOC for the annual Tiritiri Matangi Dawn Chorus event. Provides conservation expertise and event organization for the early-morning birdwatching experience.
• Rotoroa Island Trust / SanctuarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExplore Group is the exclusive or primary ferry operator providing access to Rotoroa Island wildlife sanctuary. Ranger-guided walks are conducted by island rangers, and Explore handles transportation logistics for visitor access.
• MatarikinzminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing partnership directing visitors to matarikinz.com for broader Matariki Pēwhairangi / Bay of Islands festival events, cross-promoting regional cultural tourism experiences.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SeaLink New Zealand: NZ ferry and tourism operator connecting islands and coastal destinations. Comparable in ferry service and inter-island marine transport, though typically focused on commuter/connection services rather than scenic tours.
• Real NZ (Real Journeys): Established NZ tourism operator offering cruises and nature-based experiences in Fiordland, Queenstown, and Stewart Island. Comparable as a New Zealand scenic/marine tourism operator with similar trip-based revenue model, though broader geographic and product footprint.
• Interislander (KiwiRail): Major NZ ferry operator running Cook Strait passenger and freight services. Comparable as a large NZ marine passenger transport operator, though primarily focused on inter-island connections rather than scenic experiences.

Direct peers

• GreatSights New Zealand: NZ day-tour operator offering scenic bus and combined tours across the North and South Island. Comparable as a New Zealand tourism experience operator targeting international visitors, with similar multi-destination reach and tour packaging model.
• Explore Group Australia: The Australian sister operation of Explore Group, offering marine and sailing experiences in Hamilton Island and Airlie Beach. Directly comparable in product mix, brand, and operating model, and a likely internal benchmark for the NZ operations.
• Pride of Auckland / Auckland Harbour Cruises: Auckland-based sailing and harbour cruise operator offering dinner cruises and harbour tours. Directly comparable sailing and dinner cruise product competing for the same Auckland tourist and corporate event demand.
• Auckland Whale & Dolphin Safari: Marine wildlife operator running dolphin and whale watching safaris in the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland. Directly comparable product offering targeting the same marine mammal viewing customer base as Explore Group's Tikapa Moana cruise.
• White Island Tours: NZ marine operator running boat tours to active volcano White Island from Whakatane. Comparable marine adventure tour operator with similar vessel-based, weather-dependent, nature-experience positioning.
• Fullers GreatSights (Fullers360): Fullers360 is a major New Zealand ferry and tourism operator with direct overlap in Bay of Islands cruises, Auckland harbour sailings, and dolphin/wildlife tours. It is both Explore Group's closest direct competitor and infrastructure partner, making it the most directly comparable peer.

Regional players

• Southern Discoveries: NZ operator running Doubtful Sound cruises, kayaking, and nature experiences in Fiordland. Comparable marine-based nature tourism business with similar vessel operation and conservation partnership model, though operating in a different region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/exploregroupnzl
• Facebookfacebook.com/ExploreGroupNZL
• Instagraminstagram.com/exploregroupnzl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/explore-nz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Explore Group