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Akaroa Shore Excursion: Banks Peninsula and Christchurch City Tour with Sheep Farm Experience
4.0
45 Ratings
Akaroa
Immerse yourself in the beauty of New Zealand’s countryside on this Akaroa shore excursion. Explore Christchurch city, visit a sheep farm, and witness a sheep-shearing demonstration.
Immerse yourself in the beauty of New Zealand’s countryside on this Akaroa shore excursion. Explore Christchurch city, visit a sheep farm, and witness a sheep-shearing demonstration.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
6 days
Highlights
- Akaroa Village Inn - First you will be collected at the park at the end of Akaroa Wharf (opposite the Akaroa Village Inn) at 10.30am and driven through the village of Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula with stunning views of rolling hills, lakes and coastlines before arriving in Christchurch.
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens - After boarding our…
- Akaroa Village Inn - First you will be collected at the park at the end of Akaroa Wharf (opposite the Akaroa Village Inn) at 10.30am and driven through the village of Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula with stunning views of rolling hills, lakes and coastlines before arriving in Christchurch.
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens - After boarding our coaches from the Akaroa Port, we’ll take you through to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens & Christchurch Museum via the scenic Banks Peninsula. Explore on your own for 30 minutes.
- Cathedral Square - Depart the Botanical Gardens for a brief Christchurch City tour highlighting city landmarks and the rebuild of city centre after the 2011 Earthquake.
- Coombe Farm - Head back through the rolling hills of the Banks Peninsula to visit a working sheep farm. Enjoy the experience of watching sheep dogs work, rounding up the flock and penning them for you to touch, examine and photograph. A shearing demonstration has been arranged for you and afternoon tea will be provided.
- Banks Peninsula - Travel back to Akaroa via the Banks Peninsula to board your cruise ship.
What's Included
- Sheep shearing demonstration
- Local guide
- Afternoon tea
- Port pickup and drop-off
- Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship
- Sheep shearing demonstration
- Local guide
- Afternoon tea
- Port pickup and drop-off
- Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional Information
Embark on a Christchurch city exploration on your stop in Akaroa harbour. Also experience the essence of pastoral New Zealand with a visit to a classic sheep farm. Your Akaroa expedition not only offers a glance of the primary attractions of Christchurch, but it also takes you to the rural landscapes to engage with the animals, witness a shearing…
Embark on a Christchurch city exploration on your stop in Akaroa harbour. Also experience the essence of pastoral New Zealand with a visit to a classic sheep farm. Your Akaroa expedition not only offers a glance of the primary attractions of Christchurch, but it also takes you to the rural landscapes to engage with the animals, witness a shearing exhibition, and observe sheep dogs in action.
- At time of booking, Cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Please note that activity times and schedules can be slightly amended depending on your cruise ships timetable.
- Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels can be accommodated providing the passenger is accompanied by someone who can assist them board and disembark
Location
The Britomart Cannon
From the Main Wharf in Akaroa, head down to the end where you will see the Akaroa I-Site and a small park on the right-hand side. Next to the Canon statue, a representative will be waiting for you. Please arrive by 10.15am for a 10.30am departure.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
Customer Ratings
4.0
(45 Ratings)
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Pams33
Mar 4, 2020
LOVED The Sheep Farm - The visit to the sheep farm was excellent!!! It was informative, funny, and historical. Definitely one of the best shore excursions on the trip. A must do in Akaroa.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynn_m
Mar 3, 2020
Sheep Farm Fun - We had a great day. Christchurch is still struggling but construction is slowly getting there. Akaroa is a quaint town. The sheep farm was fun and informative and the tea in the garden was very nice. Traffic due to road construction slowed us up a bit but no fault of tour guide. I do wish I had gone to the GiantsHouse. A tour of that and the sheep farm would have been perfect.
Review provided by Viator
Simon_h
Feb 28, 2020
An amazing day - What a great excursion Janet our bus driver was excellent very knowledgeable didn’t rush the photo stops at all.
Christchurch very interesting , the highlight for us was the trip to the sheep farm the owners were so welcoming . Sheep sheering very interesting . Lovely afternoon tea laid on in the owners garden. Book this trip you won’t be disappointed at all.
Review provided by Viator
Lee007jon
Feb 19, 2020
Ship didn't dock but given no hassle refund! - Unfortunately our ship was unable to dock due to poor conditions. We were devastated to miss this tour. I contacted the operators and given confirmation of a FULL refund within 24 hours of writing an email. So I am giving this 5 star rating purely based on the customer service aspect of getting a refund. It is very reassuring to know that this is available in case your ship cannot get into the harbour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bob
Feb 17, 2020
Good tour of Christchurch - Super tour of Christchurch and the surrounding area. Driver gave great commentary and provided good insight into the background and history of the area. Hugh at the sheep farm did a great job of letting us know what life on a sheep farm is like. Tom, the dog was interesting to watch as he worked the herd. Sheep shearing demo was excellent.
Review provided by Viator
Walter_s
Apr 2, 2020
Variety of experiences and knowledge - Scott was an extremely well read, informed guide who could speak on most any topic. Very low key communicator...pushed no agendas, conveyed info with enthusiasm and interest. Very patient and humble.
Sights seen, things learned about --culture, governance, natural resources, history-- and people met... All very enjoyable.
One regret: we were unable to stay longer at museum or Botanic Gardens in Christchurch. We wonder if lunch could be done near gardens/museum instead of near river. That way folks could choose their own time spent for each. Plus, there seemed to be more good food places available in Canterbury area.
Review provided by Viator
Steve_p
Jan 16, 2020
Met expectations Met advertised goals - Comfortable van Best part was WETA workshop for me A little tough walking uphill back for me as I have metal parts and bad knees
Review provided by Viator
Lynda_n
Jan 12, 2020
good - I feel the time is Christchurch was not long enough. The time you went to the bathroom you only had 15 minutes to see the city and get something to eat.
Review provided by Viator
Nancy_f
Feb 27, 2020
Not worth it - This tour was way too ambitious for the time allotted. The owner knows that the tenders from the trip can be delayed and that there is a long term road construction project under way on the very long windy road from the port to Christchurch that causes a significant delay coming and going yet does not give the buyer a heads-up that your tour in Christchurch will be VERY rushed. No time for lunch and just one bathroom break in 6 hours. It's suggested that you grab a takeout on the bathroom break but there is no place to buy anything! Very very disappointing. We stopped for the break beside the botanical gardens and there was no time to spend any time visiting. We rushed through town and stopped for photo opportunities at the two large churches severely damaged in the earthquake 9 years ago. Just a quick demonstration of the dog herding a few sheep at the farm and the owner sheered one sheep. This was a long day and not worth it.
Review provided by Viator
Taylorsescapes
Jan 7, 2020
Misleading Tour - A Total Rip-off - This is the tour my husband and I were most looking forward to during our trip to New Zealand and we left feeling underwhelmed, mislead, and cheated out of our money. We booked this tour assuming the sheep farm would be the principal attraction, since it's highlighted as being the main event in photos and prose. Our tour tickets (given out upon arrival to the excursion) even said "Sheep Farm Tour" to distinguish us from the other Canterbury Leisure Tours groups.
This tour was 7+ hours. We spent nearly 45 minutes at a sheep farm and another 15 just standing outside waiting for our bus driver to return. 10:25-3:40 was spent sitting on a mini-bus. We drove all the way out to Christchurch and back for a "city tour" (a commentary which consisted of pointing out administrative buildings, food courts, and retail spaces.) We had over an hour of free time for us to buy our own lunches. For some reason we traveled with people from a totally different Canterbury Leisure Tours group, who then split off from us at a different point during the day. We had to miss the only scenic photo stop in the whole driving tour on account of "running late" from lunch. The worst part was that the sheep farm was only 5 minutes from our original departure point, meaning we wasted over 5 hours driving and doing a city tour we imagined would be simple commentary en route to the sheep farm.
The sheep farm (Coombe Farm) was lovely, and the owners and their family are delightful. We wish we could've had more time with them. Instead, we got an incredibly rushed shearing demo where we were packed so tightly we couldn't even get photos without muscling past people. There was no opportunity to partake in the shearing, despite being advertised otherwise. We would've so much rather independently visited Coombe Farm than to have paid nearly $200 to sit on a bus and waste our only day in Akaroa.
Review provided by Viator
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