Sail South to New Zealand

Sail South to New Zealand with Island Cruising this summer. We are the experts when it comes to cruising the South West Pacific. 

View our Sail South to NZ information webinar here:

Why Join Sail South to New Zealand?

• Pacific cyclone season officially runs from November to April each year, and New Zealand is a great place to spend the summer.
• New Zealand is a stunning cruising destination and is a must stop on your South Pacific voyage. From the gorgeous Bay of Islands in the Northland region down to the rugged beauty and wildlife in Fiordland & Stewart Island in the south, New Zealand has some excellent cruising grounds.
• Navigating your way through the paperwork, visas, biosecurity regulations, and changeable weather, can be time-consuming, confusing and expensive if you get it wrong. We are here to assist you at every step of the way and ensure a safe, easy and enjoyable arrival in New Zealand.
• We partner with the best marinas, boatyards and other marine trades to give you great discounts and excellent service & advice. International vessels can take advantage of tax-free repairs and maintenance.
• There are marinas where you can safely leave the boat and fly home, or alternatively tour and explore the country by land.
• We'll connect you with all the other cruisers in the Pacific, keep you updated with everything going on throughout the season and support you on your adventures towards New Zealand.
• New Zealand is home for us. We can help answer any questions you may have about sailing and exploring this part of the world.
• When you stop in New Zealand you are perfectly positioned to head back up to the South Pacific again the following year, to take advantage of the SE trade winds as you head further west through Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and on to Australia or Indonesia. 

You can read more about sailing in New Zealand here.

Sail South to New Zealand Inclusions

• Membership of Island Cruising - access to all our cruising resources on our website, valued at NZD$129.00
• Your rally entry fee can quickly be recouped by taking advantage of the excellent discounts from our wide range of rally partners including 15% discount off hardstand fees at Dockland 5, 50% off haulout and relauch at Port Whangārei Marine Centre and lots more!
• Access to a professional meteorologist weather router for guidance on picking a weather window and daily updates while on passage (when departing with the main groups leaving Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu or New Caledonia on the best weather window after 15 October) or we can connect you with a meteorologist for 1:1 support if you'd prefer to sail at another time.
• Support on passage and during your stay in NZ
• All the departure paperwork for the Pacific Island you are leaving from.
• All the entry paperwork for arrival in New Zealand.
• Tips on the different New Zealand visa options.
• Detailed information on the Biosecurity Regulations, including a template for you to create your Biofouling Management Plan.
• Invitations to cruising events in the South Pacific and in New Zealand when you arrive.
• Connection to all the other sailors heading south to New Zealand.
• Invitations to cruising welcome events when you arrive in New Zealand.
• A detailed guide book outlining all our tips about enjoying your stay and our favourite places to cruise in New Zealand.
• All your questions answered if you need any help during your stay. 
• Save yourself LOTS of time, energy & stress trying to work it all out for yourself!

Price

The cost to join the Sail South to New Zealand is NZD$650 per vessel.

(This is around USD$390 or EUR$350)

If for any reason you are unable to participate this season, we will carry your payments over to the following year. 

Other Options

Sail South to New Zealand covers the final leg of the Pacific Rally to sail south from any point in the Pacific into New Zealand.

If you are planning on cruising through Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia before sailing to New Zealand - I recommend you join our more comprehensive Pacific Rally which includes a lot more information for cruising in the Islands. The Pacific Rally includes a 200+ page guide book covering Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu & New Caledonia, a flag, and chart. For those joining us from the Pacific, we can tailor a package to suit your requirements. Contact us for details - info@islandcruising.nz

Read more about the Pacific Rally here.

Departure Points

You can join the Sail South to New Zealand from any island in the Pacific. We have groups departing from Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu or New Caledonia to New Zealand on the best weather window after 15 October.

From each of these points it is around an 1100nm trip that will take you about a week.

You can also sail to your own schedule or join us from Australia, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Samoa & Niue - (however, weather support is not included from those islands). 

Dates

During Pacific Cyclone season, prudent cruisers and most insurance policies require you to be south of a certain latitude by 1 November. 

You are welcome to sail to New Zealand whenever you wish. If you would like weather routing to assist with your passage, you can join our main group departures, which will be looking to leave from either Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia on the best weather window after 15 October.

What's On in the Pacific?

There are some fun key events for cruisers happening throughout the Pacific. Check out the latest Cruise News magazine for all the details.

12 - 16 September 2025              Musket Cove Regatta            Fiji

End September 2025                  Bluewater Festival                  Vava'u, Tonga    

Early October 2025                      New Caledonia event

End November 2025                    Bay of Islands Cruisers Festival     Opua Marina

Weather

Picking the right weather window to sail south to New Zealand is a critical part of having an enjoyable passage. We give you lots of information about the weather systems and strategies for this part of the world and also engage the services of a professional meteorologist to help us select the best time to depart, and you get email updates from them each day on passage. The weather routing service is available on the group departure which leaves on the best weather window from 15 October onwards. We aim to have everyone safely in New Zealand by around 1 November. 

You can sail at another date too if you wish, and we can recommend a weather router for you to engage directly for 1:1 support (at your own cost). 

On Passage

We track you on our PredictWind Rally tracker. We also have a daily sched on SSB Radio with Gulf Harbour Radio while you are on passage, and we also recommend the services of Passage Guardian for daily check-ins.

When You Arrive & Next Season

On arrival in New Zealand, we will invite you to some special welcome events, give you tips on the best places to undertake repairs, and if you'd like to head further south, you can join our popular South Island Rally. 

Then the following year, join us to sail back up to the Pacific and continue your adventures west! You can join our Pacific Rally to head north back to Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and then on to Australia or back to New Zealand.

Join Us!

If you'd like to join us to Sail South to New Zealand - please register here. We will then send you the invoice (which can be paid by credit card) set you up in our membership system so you can join our cruising community and give you access to all the content. You'll also get regular email updates with everything going on in the South Pacific and New Zealand and everything you need to know for planning your voyage south.

We look forward to welcoming you!