During the summer season, it often sails to the Marlborough Sounds and Nelson, at the top of the South Island.

The spirit of the project was derived from the sail training operations of the schooners "Sir Winston Churchill" and "Malcolm Miller" which were built for the organisation formerly known as the Sail Training Association (STA) [1] The ship is used for a year-round programme of youth development, consisting primarily of 10-day individual voyages for 16- to 18-year-olds and 5-day Spirit Trophy voyages for teams of 10 Year 10 students.

In addition, adult day, weekend and coastal voyages are offered to paying members of the public.

A stainless steel rubbing strake runs the length of the vessel and circular port holes are visible above the waterline.

The standard crew of the Spirit of New Zealand has varied during her lifetime, but in 2023 consisted of 1 master, 4 mates, 1 cook, 1 engineer, 4 volunteer watch assistants, 2 leading hands and 40 trainees.