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Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise: Scenic Adventure with Dolphins, Penguins, and Birds
4.7
284 Ratings
Akaroa
Witness awe-inspiring landscapes and a variety of wildlife such as dolphins, penguins, and marine birds during this Nature Cruise in Akaroa Harbour.
Witness awe-inspiring landscapes and a variety of wildlife such as dolphins, penguins, and marine birds during this Nature Cruise in Akaroa Harbour.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Akaroa Harbour - Voted the number 1 wildlife activity in New Zealand, your award winning cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin
- the Hector’s Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you’ll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa’s fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting.
- Akaroa Harbour - Voted the number 1 wildlife activity in New Zealand, your award winning cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin
- the Hector’s Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you’ll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa’s fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting.
What's Included
- 2-hour nature cruise
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) included
- Tea and coffee provided
- Full on-board commentary
- 2-hour nature cruise
- Goods and Services Tax (GST) included
- Tea and coffee provided
- Full on-board commentary
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop off
Location
Akaroa
Please check in to the Black Cat office, on the Main Wharf, in Akaroa (big blue building!), at least 30 minutes prior to departure.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(284 Ratings)
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Juliepf8715ah
Feb 19, 2025
Beautiful day for a nature cruise! - We enjoyed our nature cruise and got to see many of the hectares dolphins and fur seals. Our guide was very informative, staff friendly and helpful. The only complaint that I have is that they are still advertising penguin sightings in their online information, but apparently they have not been around for at least : tears. I was disappointed that we were not going to see them. Please update your information to not include them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D
Feb 14, 2025
Hector’s Dolphins Delight - Fabulous. Hector’s dolphins were awesome. Within five minutes of leaving we had encountered the first pod. Karl was extremely knowledgeable and made the trip worthwhile. We were super lucky as we also saw a blue penguin and sea lions. Trifecta. Teenage daughters loved it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susance6425mu
Feb 6, 2025
Great trip. Would definitely recommend. Fantastic guide/skipper. - This was a great trip and well worth the time and money. Akaroa is beautiful but it is amazing to go out on the water. We saw loads of dolphins (at least 20-30) as well as so many seals. The skipper/guide (Karl) of the boat was informative and gave us a huge about of interesting information about the geology, history and nature of the area. It was a highlight of our stay on the beautiful Banks Peninsula. The team were all friendly and helpful. Thanks to you all.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charissar2025
Feb 5, 2025
Great experience! Recommend - I had been booked as a spectator on the swimming with dolphins boat (my spouse was swimming), but the water was a bit rough for a ride along so they rebooked me onto the nature cruise which was on a bigger boat. The crew was knowledgeable and friendly and did their best to provide an excellent experience. We also saw many dolphins, fur seals, and bird life (even a solitary blue penguin).
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aholman27
Jan 26, 2025
Dolphin tour - The tour was great. We saw dolphins, penguins and seals. Thomas was extremely knowledgeable about the animals. He was also patient and informed the people on the boat whenever he saw them and told us as they moved from one side of the boat to the next. Lexie was attentive to the passengers. One family was sea sick and she made suggestions and continued to check in with them. Overall a wonderful experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
John_r
Dec 31, 2024
Great days adventure - Was a complete perfect day out and adventure for us 2 hours was just right a d the staff was very helpful and super friendly 😀
Review provided by Viator
Jaynee
Dec 21, 2024
A relaxing way to enjoy nature! - The 2hr boat experience was so enjoyable! The weather was amazing, we saw dolphins and seals! The crew was great and the boat was comfortable!
Highly recommend enjoying a couple of hours on the water!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jacquih638
Dec 19, 2024
5 Stars, Would Do Again! - I was completely overwhelmed with how beautiful an experience my cruise was and cannot recommend Black Cat highly enough. The skipper, Karl, was so incredibly well spoken and knowledgeable, with his commentary being both informative and entertaining. We were blessed to see so many Hector’s Dolphins (including a baby! So lucky!) as well as baby seals! It was truly magical. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Simply a must if you’re visiting Akaroa!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Brian
Dec 16, 2024
Great tour & skipper! - We did a morning tour with Carl as the skipper last week. We were lucky that conditions allowed us into a small bay nearby and Carl got us right in there to see a couple new fur seal pups. It was a great tour and didn’t disappoint. It was hard for us to choose which tour to do, but I think they are all very similar. We were stoked we went with Black Cat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jay_s
Jan 27, 2025
Nice cruise..seeing some sights.. - Nice easygoing cruise. Saw some good sights of animals, birds etc.
Good value for the money if of interest to you.
Review provided by Viator
