Akaroa Swim with Dolphins Tour from Christchurch: Explore Akaroa and Meet Wild Hector's Dolphins

Embark on a full-day tour from Christchurch to Akaroa and experience the thrill of swimming with wild Hector’s dolphins. Explore the charming coastal town, cruise into the harbor, and indulge in a cheese tasting session at a local factory.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 6 days
Highlights
  • Akaroa - Discover volcanic landscapes and breathtaking scenery on New Zealand’s South Island on this 9 hour Akaroa day trip from Christchurch. Take in top attractions including Governor’s Bay, Gebbies Pass, Lake Ellesmere and Lake Forsyth with your guide. Ascend the Banks Peninsula for beautiful views over Akaroa Harbour and the volcanic…
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Cheese tasting at Barry’s Bay
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Wet suit hire
  • Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on a memorable journey to the seaside village of Akaroa and seize the unique opportunity to swim with dolphins on this engaging full-day tour from Christchurch. Traverse through the stunning landscapes of New Zealand to reach Akaroa, taking in captivating sights such as Governor’s Bay and Lake Ellesmere on your way. Sail into the port with your…

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.

Customer Ratings
4.0
(30 Ratings)
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Diana_m
Nov 15, 2023
Memorable Experience - This trip was amazing! We saw many dolphins and one penguin. The dolphins got within a couple feet of us. This was definitely a highlight of our trip to New Zealand.
Review provided by Viator
Abigailmag
Oct 21, 2019
Must Do - I left my wallet on the tour bus (100% my fault) and I was carrying a lot of cash so I was pretty worried when I lost it, but they found it and made sure to meet up with me before I flew out. Beyond the great service the price is unbeatable and our driver was so nice, and we had a great ride to akaroa. Then we got checked into our dolphin swim for the afternoon and had plenty of time to walk around, shop, and grab lunch. Our dolphin swim was one of the most amazing things ever! We swam with around 30 dolphins which was so cool! This company is definitely the way to go for tours and swimming with dolphins is a must do for christchurch!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Parkerb1234
Oct 19, 2019
Amazing! - A group of 8 of us came as we were independently traveling as we are studying abroad! We booked the dolphin swim from Christchurch and the ride over was absolutely amazing. The bus driver was very kind and gave a lot of great information! It ended up being that our group was the only on the boat and that made it even more of an awesome experience. Supposedly, we got super lucky! The normal trip sees about 5-6 dolphins that stick around for you to swim with but we ended up seeing 25-30 dolphins and swam with them for the entire 45 minutes! One of the best parts of our trip by far and would recommend to anyone! Staff was very friendly as well!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guide46433828944
Jun 27, 2019
Splendid swim (even in winter!) - I absolutely loved the guides told us in the beginning how this wonderful adventure is set up against a backdrop of ecotourism. They track the dolphins using nothing but their eyes and gave us clear instructions on how (not) to interact with the dolphins. Even in the winter time swimming with dolphins is a fantastic thing to do, as the wetsuits will keep you warm and all set for an enchanting encounter with these amazing creatures.
Review provided by Viator
Amy
Jan 2, 2019
Awesome tour! - Awesome tour! I was the only one who booked this transfer so I got to talk to the driver and learn even more about the area than usual. Cheese factory stop on the way was neat and we got to taste 4 cheeses. We got to akaroa early so I got extra time in the town to walk to the lighthouse and through the town shops. Lovely small town! The cruise was awesome! We found 3 pods of Hector's dolphins and got to spend a few minutes in the water each time with them. Since they are endangered animals and are completely wild, you cannot touch them. But that makes it even more cool when they feel comfortable enough to swim only about 10 feet from you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Titiksha_b
Jan 3, 2023
Lovely Cruise and guide to Akaroa - The cruise was great with a good guided explanation of marine life. I enjoyed every bit of it. The highlight was the Orca - killer whale for which the captain was very generous to stop for the entire duration of spotting.
Review provided by Viator
Marianne_z
Feb 29, 2020
Cutest dolphins - Frindly, funny and professional guided. Wonderdul landscape, very scenic. The dolphins come very close to the boat and are very gute. Unfortunately they did not want to swim with us. However it was still a wonderful day and we got a partial refond.
Review provided by Viator
Ianjock007
Dec 30, 2022
A one off - Boat crew very good.Patience needed to bob around in cool water trying to see dolphins An experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolineaw4136bh
Dec 22, 2019
Disappointed - Our driver was friendly and told us a lot about New Zealand and its animals and nature. Due to the fact that there was a cruise ship arriving in akaroa that day our tour-itinerary was turned around and we started with the cheese factory (which is really just a tiny little shop) and the free time in Akaroa. I found it too much time as we had more than 2 hours and there is really not that much to see. If it would have been after the cruise it would probably have been okay with time for lunch. Now, what still makes me angry is the fact that because our itinerary was switched around we could not swim with the dolphins. We should have been on the 11 o clock boat but have been switched to the 1 o clock boat instead. Due to a change of weather it was not possible anymore to swim with the dolphins. Very disappointing especially when you know you should have been on the other boat! I think the itinerary only makes sense in the way it is described here on trip advisor and not the other way around. Changing that for a cruise ship is random and denied me the one in a lifetime chance to swim with the dolphins.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E5714uvchelseaw
Nov 13, 2022
akoroa swimming with dolphins - got cancelled for the secound time now workers had no sympathy towards it or anything, quite disappointed
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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