Six years ago Erin knew nothing about boats. Now she's the only person Jonny fully trusts to skipper The Rock without him on board in the Bay of Islands. Erin came to The Rock with “Below Deck” as her concept, expecting to make beds and wash dishes. Six seasons later, she's the skipper, the one who reads the weather, feels the tides, and knows every quirk of a 60-year-old steel car ferry that doesn't have the tech modern boats lean on. In this conversation, Jonny sits down with Erin to talk about the trip where a hydraulic hose blew on the anchor drum with guests still aboard, the moment she realised she could actually do this job, and the guest memory that still gets her right in her heart, a couple who'd never swum in the ocean before, working up the nerve to jump in. Erin also shares the walk in Paihia most visitors never hear about: a track up School Road where you can catch glow worms after dark. This is a Bay of Islands story about what it takes to run an overnight cruise the old-fashioned way. Hands-on, no autopilot, and worth every bit of the learning curve. Book your Rock experience: www.rocktheboat.co.nz Save 20% when you book direct — use code BOOKDIRECT20 #BayOfIslands #RockTheBoatNZ #NewZealandTravel #OvernightCruiseNZ #ThingsToDoBayOfIslands #NorthlandNZ #NZTravel #BoatLifeNZ CHAPTERS 00:00 Six Years, One Skipper's Ticket 01:00 Stepping On Not Knowing a Single Thing 03:00 The Moment She Knew She Could Do This 05:00 The Anchor Wouldn't Come Up 07:00 What This Old Girl Asks That New Boats Don't 09:00 The Guest Moment That Still Gets Her 12:00 Where Erin Goes When She's Off the Boat 13:00 The Bay of Islands Secret That's Not on Any List 15:00 Why Six Seasons and Counting 16:00 Watching Nervous Guests Turn Into Kayakers 19:00 Handing the Wheel Back

Come along and join us for an online experience. Get a taste of our cruises from the comfort of your own home! During our 1 hour virtual cruise, you'll watch videos with commentary from one of our amazing hosts, as well as take part in some games and quizzes to test your knowledge. We'll even explore some of the activities we offer on board! -Try a game of paintball at sea -Learn to fish for snapper -Dive for kina -Climb the most photographed island in the Bay of Islands -Look for dolphins -Eat a kina shot Perfect for anyone, this hour long adventure that will give everyone a taste of Kiwi hospitality, our incredible landscape and the activities we're famous for. We can even do Private Tours, so if you have a group of friends, family, work colleagues get in touch with us to book a private virtual tour today!

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25-26 February 2018, Private Charter for our beautiful group from Water by Nature.

Skipper Jonny gives you a run through of our itinerary for the classic 22 hour Overnight Cruise in the Bay of Islands. Fishing, Snorkeling, Kayaking, Phosphorescence, Collecting Seafood, Guided Island Walk - we have so much to offer, not to mention sharing our beautiful backyard of the Bay of Islands with you all.

Join our skipper Jonny as he gives you a sneak peak as to what The Rock looks like and just how spacious she really is.

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From our family to yours. In our bubble we have loved the time together, cooking, playing even gardening. But we have always had our other 'baby' on our minds as we navigate this challenging time. We miss being out on the water, getting under the water to explore another world, swapping stories and of course the marshmallows over the fire. Most of all we miss the people. Our amazing guests who normally come to explore our backyard from all over the world. It's not our natural instinct to ask for help but in this changing time for travellers and those of us who help travellers have new experiences, meet new people and explore new places we would love to ask for your help. We are not sure yet when our borders will be open, or when we can all move freely again even in our own countries. What we do know is that we will travel again, cruise again, explore again and share again - our place, our islands, our lives and our experiences with all of you. So we are asking for your help. If you or someone you love or even just happen to know are planning on spending any time in the Bay of Islands in the coming months or even years we have put together a series of gift vouchers. They are open dated to the end of 2023, you can change dates as often as you like and you can even purchase just part of a cruise. https://www.rocktheboat.co.nz/the-rock-gift-vouchers We would love it if you would treat yourself, treat your family, treat your team or treat your friends to an experience that will last a lifetime. It would mean the world to us so we can have The Rock continue to be a unique looking icon here in the Bay of Islands for another 20 years. She has delivered memories that some of you have talked about as you explore the Mayan Ruins in Mexico and for others the memories were so fond you returned with your family a decade after you explored as backpackers. We've had engagements, reunions, birthdays and weddings before COVID-19 and we know with your support we will have many more aboard in the future. And of course if the Bay of Islands isn't on your horizon then we would love if you could share this far and wide for us with your networks. Much Love from the Greener Bubble Scarlett, Jonny and Sarah.

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Great cruise, awesome atmosphere with a full boat. Lots a Kahawai caught and released. Weather was sunny with a few clouds. Island visit on Motuarohia. Best way to see the Bay of Islands.

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Our memorable overnight cruise at the Bay of Islands with our 17 guests who made it an absolute fun 22 hours! We welcomed a total of 17 guests of different groups visiting the Bay of Islands for the first time. Some of our guests have been travelling from the US and have booked months prior to the cruise day. Read more here: https://www.rocktheboat.co.nz/captain... CAPTAIN'S LOG: Find out what's been happening on The Rock Adventure Cruise through the Bay of Islands. From exciting wildlife encounters, unique experiences & our fun-loving guests, this is where we share some of our favourite memories from each cruise. To read more Captain's Log head to https://www.rocktheboat.co.nz/captains-log THE ROCK HOMEPAGE: https://www.rocktheboat.co.nz/ CRUISE TYPE: Overnight Cruise - https://www.rocktheboat.co.nz/rock-cruises/overnight-cruise CRUISE DATE: Mar 22, 2019 CRUISE DETAILS Passengers: 17 Skipper: Timo Weather: Cloudy clearing for second day, 0.5 residue swell NE Crew: Celia, Austin, Sable, Lotte Wind: E 15 going variable 5 Overnight Anchorage: Paradise Bay Snorkel Spot: Waewaetoria Island Island Visit: Waewaetoria Island Wildlife: Bottlenose dolphins, Stingray, Snapper

Our video highlight overnight cruising at the Bay of Islands. 33 guests on board ranging from kids to adults had fun swimming and cruising. Want to go cruising in the Bay of Islands? Head on to https://www.rocktheboat.co.nz