Experience majestic scenery and stunning wildlife including dolphins, penguins and marine bird life on this Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise.
Cruise on a modern 60 feet catamaran, perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour. The vessel is the largest and most luxurious on the harbour. There's lots of space on the 2 decks for unenterrupted viewing and inside seating.
The 2-hour cruise is fully narrated by your skipper who has extensive knowledge of the nature, wildlife and history of Akaria Harbour.
On the two-hour cruise you will endeavor wildlife plus the many sea caves and volcanic cliffs. As Akaroa Harbour was a live volcano nine million years ago, there is many spectacular ancient lava flows to be seen. One cliff has a sheer 500-foot face and has a fascinating history plus you will also see the incredible Scenery Nook, an amazing pink, purple and red volcanic amphitheater that will take your breath away.
Catch glimpses of the White Flippered Blue Penguin, the smallest penguin in the world you'll also see the New Zealand Fur Seal sunning themselves on the harbors rocks near the entrance at Seal Bay.
You'll also stop at Lucas Bay to look at a salmon farm. This is where the world-famous "Akaroa Salmon" are raised.
The highlight of this trip is undoubtedly the sighting of one of the world's smallest and rarest dolphins, the Hector Dolphin also known as the New Zealand Dolphin. These friendly and inquisitive mammals meet the boat most days throughout the year and their calves can be seen between October and March.
My wife and I went to Akoroa on a Norwegian cruise. We were tendered into Akoroa where the start of the Black Cat cruise started._br/_ We got to the pier early so had a very nice walk around Akoroa. lovely little seaside town with cafes restaurants and shops. We had a very good breakfast cannot remember the cafe's name but about 400 yards to the left of the pier. We went back to the pier to get on the cruise. The crew and staff were excellent on board the Black Cat. The skipper gave a full description of the surroundings plus ensured we saw the dolphins and seals. I can recommend this cruise - good fun
Review by: danielakorem, February 2018
The dolphins didnt show up._br/_ The price was excessive for the 2 hours cruise, on a boat full of people, difficult to take pictures when people claimed their real estate on the rail and didnt relinquish it for the whole trip...._br/_ A ripp-off.
Review by: m.tompsett, February 2018
Amazing experience- boat crew made sure we saw the wild birds up close- an absolute Must Do excursion.
Review by: John D, February 2018
We saw lots of amazing coastal scenery and a variety of wildlife including little penguins, dolphins, seals, shags and other birdlife._br/_ Good commentary. Complimentary Tea, Coffee and Hot Chocolate available but not strongly promoted.
Review by: Roslyn K, January 2018
Great trip - even with the poor weather conditions.
Review by: Elisa K, December 2017
We were lucky to see a seal having an octopus meal. Some spectacular scenery.
Review by: Dennis W, November 2017
Our Nature Cruise was a fun experience. We were able to see dolphins several times around the boat, seals on the rocks, and a variety of birds. Also saw historical Maori buildings. Geological formations were interesting and layers exposed were varied, showing past volcanic activity and many caves. Highly recommend that you dress warm and enjoy.
Review by: jstrasser, August 2017
Great tour worth the time to do this lovely dream and very scenic drive from Christchurch to Akoroa
Review by: Katrine H, July 2017
Nice cruise, saw wildlife.
Review by: Samir, June 2017
Great tour. Our guide was fantastic and took us to beautiful spots all around the harbour while explaining everything in great detail. Got to see a lot of beautiful animals!
Review by: Lyskira, March 2017
This community was my absolute favorite in New Zealand. During our Harbour Cruise, we saw a family of dolphins, and seals, and the driver stayed in the area and make sure all sides of the boat had a chance to see them and take photos. We had a wonderful time. I recommend this excursion, however if we didn't see seals and dolphins, I probably would have had a lower rating.
Review by: Rene v, February 2017
We had purchased our tickets online through Tripadvisor, following the cancellation of the TranzAlpine rail trip, due to bush fires. We had a 12.30 trip booked for 3 people including an 8 year old. Akaroa is an amazingly beautiful little town with very friendly people and plenty to see and do for a day out. We picked up our boarding cards early and had a look around town. Picked up some lunch for on the boat. The vessel is of medium size coping with around 40 people. It was pretty full and we decided to remain on the rear upper deck. Glad we did, as this is less windy and less motion. If you get car sick easily, make sure you take some medicine prior to this trip as it can get pretty choppy. First we had a lovely tour of the bay around Akaroa with running commentary and after about an hour we spotted the first Hector dolphins. These are quite small but pretty easy to spot. There werent a great number of them but still, very interesting. We came out of the main bay into the open ocean and into another small bay where we spotted a number of seals including baby pups, on the shore. We came within 20 metres so a great photo opportunity. On our way back into the main bay we spotted some penguins, poking their heads from the sea and more dolphins following us. The weather was excellent February and the sea calm so we had a great 2.5 hours with good informative commentary. Dont bother with the cheesy must do picture they take at the start of the trip though which slightly spoils the magic.
Review by: Samuel M, February 2017
The boat was roomy and comfortable and the guide very informative. We saw the smallest species of dolphin, penguin and baby seals.
Review by: Sharon J, February 2017
Nice tour and beautiful sight outside the harbor. We were not fortunate enough to see dolphins, but still enjoyed the trip.
Review by: stitcherviv, December 2016
Loved it. We were on a full boat but no problem moving around to take pics. of the scenery and the wildlife on view. You are taken out of the harbour and bay area and can see small dolphins, seals and, if you are lucky like us, small penguins. The dolphins particularly seem to enjoy being around the boat. Through Viator is the way to book your trip as the prices are very competitive - if you are going to be there as a stop on a cruise you will find the cruise line prices ridiculously high for similar trips.
Review by: Claude I, March 2016
It would have been better to have a pretty day for this cruise, but the clouds did not stop us. The Akaroa harbor is full of wildlife -- Hector's dolphins zooming by so fast you can't catch them in a photo tiny penguins floating by fur seals lazing on the rocks. Enjoyed them all.
Review by: Benjamin S, March 2016
Unforgettable tour! We saw lots of dolphins, penguins and seals. Cruise ships offer exactly the same tour for roughly double the price.
Review by: jemw2, March 2016
A very interesting and informative cruise. The dolphins were tricky to find, but we eventually saw them close up. Highly recomended.
Review by: Peter O, February 2016
Very enjoyable harbour cruise seeing dolphins and seasls
Review by: TANIA S, February 2016
We really enjoyed this trip. Boat was comfy even in the rough conditions. The commentary was information and didn't waffle on like so many do. The only negative for us was that a number of other passengers were sick and the behaviour of those passenger, leaving their used sick bags lying on the seats and coffee tables. Those passengers then decided to lay down across 4 seats leaving no room for those returning from the upper decks to sit. The cabin crew could have handled this better.
Review by: hobbit, January 2016
This was such a fun cruise. We saw so many beautiful sights and the Hector Dolphin sightings were so much fun to watch these little guys Wonderful crew and alot of information about the harbor.
Review by: kathryn, June 2015
This was an amazing trip. We saw heaps of sea life and the tour guide was full of local knowledge. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone visiting Akaroa
Review by: jacqueline e, June 2015
It was a bit of a dull day weatherise, but the trip itself was well worth the effort. We saw, Hector's dolphins, blue penguins and New Zealand fur seals. the boat was comfortable and there was plenty of seating and vantage points to observe and photograph the wild life.
Review by: Peter, June 2015
This was an amazing trip. We saw heaps of sea life and the tour guide was full of local knowledge. I would highly recommend this trip for anyone visiting Akaroa
Review by: Matthew S, May 2015
No Dolphins, but still a great experience, I gained an amazing photo of an Albatros
Review by: shadania, February 2015
What a magic cruise. We arrived on our cruise ship and boarded our nature cruise - conveniently located on the same wharf as the tender boats. The harbour is a magic place and seeing it from the water was breathtaking. The fact that the weather was perfect - with little wind - sunny skies and aqua water helped. Our skipper - Julian - was exceptional!! Providing informative and interesting commentary and making sure people on both sides of the boat were able to see the little dolphins. This is another tour that I'd highly recommend - two hours just flew.
Review by: gbannon, January 2015
Loved this trip and we saw everything we wanted.
Review by: Diane B, March 2014
Definitely worth the price and offered a beautiful view of the Harbor. Captain was knowledgable and we were able to see dolphins as depicted in the photo. Suggest private walking tour of Akaroa using tourist info headphones and map as we'll. inexpensive
Review by: Joseph W, January 2014
The wind was blowing a gale and the seas very rough but it was a good little cruise. Not many dolphins but we saw seals on the rocks and a pair of penguins
Review by: Jesse R, August 2012
Unfortunately, our cruise was cancelled when we arrived on the dock on our day as the waters were considered too rough and high winds. I rate the cruise a 5 star anyway as I know it would have been great.
Review by: Jesse, August 2012
Unfortunately, our cruise was cancelled when we arrived on the dock on our day as the waters were considered too rough and high winds. I rate the cruise a 5 star anyway as I know it would have been great.
Review by: Karen Y, March 2012
Weather a cold and windy. Boat's generator not working so no tea and coffee. Only say one of lot of dolphins
Review by: Michael H, February 2012
A thoroughly enjoyable harbour cruise on a modern vessel with excellent commentary from the captain. We saw numerous Hector Dolphins, who delighted in swimming all around the boat, a penguin and some seals, as well as lots of birdlife. On a cautionary note, the sea can become very rough near the harbour entrance into the Pacific Ocean.
Review by: dennis b, January 2012
Black cat were brilliant due to traffic problems we arrived late and they put us on the swim with dolphin cruise instead. we had wonderful views of hectors dolphins and penguins swimming alongside boat for almost the entire trip.would recommend this company for both harbour cruise and swim with dolphins.
Review by: Chris H, May 2011
Akaroa Harbour is a very nice place to visit if you are in Christchurch. We rented a car and drove 1 and 1/2 hours from Christchurch to Akaroa. The view along the journal was spectacular. The cruise was great and we did manage to see penguine and dolphins on that day. We were given a nice post card to remember after the cruise. We had a great trip.
Review by: Chris Hord, May 2011
Akaroa Harbour is a very nice place to visit if you are in Christchurch. We rented a car and drove 1 and 1/2 hours from Christchurch to Akaroa. The view along the journal was spectacular. The cruise was great and we did manage to see penguine and dolphins on that day. We were given a nice post card to remember after the cruise. We had a great trip.
Review by: Neville C, August 2008
Akaroa is a very beautiful place. o go there and not do a cruise and see the hector dolphins would be a big miss.
Review by: Florence S, August 2008
The most amazing trip. Saw LOTS of Hector dolphins, seals and one penguin. Would recommend highly.
Review by: Neville C, Australia, February 2008
Akaroa is a very beautiful place. o go there and not do a cruise and see the hector dolphins would be a big miss.
Review by: Florence S, United Kingdom, January 2008
The most amazing trip. Saw LOTS of Hector dolphins, seals and one penguin. Would recommend highly.
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