Meet the Crew Behind the Waikato River Explorer

In 2012, after an absence of several years, Darren Mills and his late wife Vanessa along with several other business people decided to restart cruise operations on the mighty Waikato River. Darren has been a commercial Ferry Master since 2005 with experience initially on the Waikato River, then Rotorua and several operations in Auckland prior to launching Waikato River Explorer.

“After nearly a decade on the river, we believe Waikato River Explorer is an iconic visitor activity for the city of Hamilton” says Darren. “This will be an activity for people like us, who want to enjoy this wonderful natural attraction that flows through our region. We are committed to providing a sustainable tourism and charter business for the Waikato River and have big plans for the future.”

Our Senior Skipper Brook Reardon moved his family from Auckland in 2014 after having served 17-years in the Royal NZ Navy, our Second Skipper Seamus Casey is a former professional Football player and a recent Graduate of Maritime School after spending a lifetime on the water in his spare time .. and our Onboard Service Crew is led by Kirsty Thorne, a Chef with many years experience in Hospitality.

See you on the mighty Waikato River!