Home > Auckland > Auckland Dolphin and Whale Watching Cruise
USD $117.00
Auckland Dolphin and Whale Watching Cruise
Auckland, New Zealand
Look for whales, dolphins and seabirds in the pristine waters of Hauraki Gulf just a short boat ride from Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. On this half-day whale and dolphin safari, you're on the lookout for the marine mammals that frequent the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park waters. Expert guides share fun facts and informative commentary throughout the trip as you soak up the natural wonders of New Zealand, just offshore from Auckland.
Make your way to Viaduct Harbour where your captain welcomes you as you board the custom-built 65-foot (20-meter) catamaran. The comfortable vessel ensures that you enjoy cruising the waters of Hauraki Gulf Marine Park as you look for whales and dolphins.
Some 23 different species call the Hauraki Gulf home, including the native Bryde’s whale. You'll never know what you're going to see around these waters, but it might be bottlenose dolphins that are frequently spotted playing around the boats, or seabirds such as Australasian gannets, petrels, shearwaters, white-fronted terns, and penguins.
Throughout your tour, your captain and the guides share informative and entertaining commentary about these critters of the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, considered one of the world’s most biologically and geographically diverse marine parks. Learn about the animals that your crew tracks and the research that they conduct in tandem with local marine scientists.
While wildlife viewings cannot be guaranteed, dolphins and whales are often swimming around the waters. In the event that you do not see any marine mammals during your trip, you can go again another day at no extra charge.
Auckland weather is fickle, so dressing in warm layers and weatherproof gear is recommended. A sun hat (with chin strap to secure it), sunscreen, sunglasses, camera, binoculars and flat-soled shoes are also good essentials for your trip.
After your 4.5-hour cruise, your boat returns to Auckland where your tour ends.
Only 3 stars as we did not see any whales and very few dolphins - Nice boat ride, knowledgeable and accommodating crew, but disappointing that we did not see more. We were given a free ride coupon to come back again, but am not planning on visiting Auckland again.
Review by: Elaine W, February 2018
Great trip. Crew knowledgable and very helpful and nice. Great trip would recommend and do a again.
Review by: David A, February 2018
Unfortunately, we spotted only two pods of dolphins after about 3 hours at sea. We received a voucher that allows us to come back again - whether or not we will be able to use that voucher is debatable, as we live in the UK and we were only in Auckland for a couple of days. The crew were very good and the boat was clean and comfortable.
Review by: Michael John D, January 2018
Amazing trip where we saw plenty of dolphin swimming with boat. Managed to see two whales even if on the day they were not friendly enough to come over to the boat. Great boat and crew and had excellent weather
Review by: Wayne T, November 2017
An enjoyable tour
Review by: Holly B, November 2017
We saw so many dolphins and we were lucky enough to spot a whale as well. It is a long trip to and from and I would suggest taking snacks. We were pretty hungry by the end. They do have a small snack selection, but not enough for what we wanted. Overall though it was amazin.
Review by: Brenda T, June 2017
Very nice trip, no whales on our day but lots of dolphins and a few blue penguins. The captain tried very hard to find whales, extending the trip a bit. Very enjoyable day!
Review by: Lyn M, May 2017
Great tour.
Review by: Laurie S, April 2017
The crew was polite and knowledgeable. We did not see whales, but we did see some dolphins. The captain tried very hard to find whales, but to no avail. We did receive vouchers to use another day. The vouchers have no expiration date so they can be used on another trip.
Review by: Alan R, March 2017
Sadly no whales on our trip but hundreds of beautiful Dolphins, some penguins and wonderful bird life. The trip was fantastic and worth every penny. There was an informed and engaging commentary at appropriate moments and the boat's crew made every effort to make the trip an enjoyable one. One can't blame the crew for the ignorance of some of the passengers who blocked the view of many folks and seemed to be under the impression that the trip was solely for their benefit. Nevertheless, this cruise is highly recommended. Even without an appearance from passing whales the cruise is fabulous.
Review by: Chocolatte, March 2017
Front Deck, the place to be!_br/_ Although it's guarantee that you'd get wet, it's worth it for the up close views, but please do alternate around for others to see too.
Review by: Nuo Si L, February 2017
Once in a lifetime experience and great commentary!
Review by: Tone4ka_92, January 2017
Amazing!!!
Review by: Robert, December 2016
Brilliant . 16 whales seen and up close to the boat. Also saw a hammerhead shark and a pod of maybe 2-300 dolphins. Boat had about 100 people on board but plenty of room to watch from and the skipper moved the boat around as well. Worth every penny.
Review by: Robert, December 2016
Brilliant . 16 whales seen and up close to the boat. Also saw a hammerhead shark and a pod of maybe 2-300 dolphins. Boat had about 100 people on board but plenty of room to watch from and the skipper moved the boat around as well. Worth every penny.
Review by: Margaret Z, November 2016
One of the best trips we took in New Zealand. We got so much information, saw many, many dophins on our cruise as well. The staff was wonderful, helpful, fun. Just great.
Review by: Benjamin D, October 2016
We went on this whale watching cruise on the 8th October 2016. All the crew were very nice and seemed to really know their stuff. The commentator had a sense of humour too which was great. We didn't see any whales but we did see a pod of 800-1000 dolphins which was incredible!! Was definitely a great experience.
Review by: Irene B, October 2016
This trip was fantastic in all respects. The dolphin experience was best ever, and I have been on many whale and dolphin trips around the world previously. Seeing the whales was also wonderful, with the whales coming towards us rather than being wary of us. Great crew, good taking advantage of captive audience to get the environmental messages across. Would not only recommend it highly, but would do the trip again on next visit to Auckland.
Review by: faten a, August 2016
My daughter and husband enjoyed it but for me I got sick for the whole trip. I was vomiting all the time . I went on lots of cruises before but I never got sick. So I think the problem is with their ship I think it should be bigger to be more stable. It was a very bad experience and I didn't see anything! But one thing the staff on the ship was very very helpful they took good care of me, they were trying to do their best but of no use.
Review by: Corowa Y, August 2016
The captain was an excellent commentator who extended the trip so that we could see two whales.
Review by: jfb64, July 2016
Great trip, very friendly atmosphere yet informative tool. Saw lots of dolphin and gannet plus one whale, possibly a Bryants. Plenty of room on the boat as only about 30 onboard - the advantage of going in winter. My only small criticism would be that we spent over an hour travelling back at speed and didn't seem to be looking for wildlife on the way. Would happily go again on this trip.
Review by: djnightside, July 2016
I heard of Viator through the Five Hundy by Midnight podcast. They raved about the quality of your tours, so I thought I would give it a try. I was blown away by this tour! The crew of the ship, were professional, cordial and guaranteed we would see Dolphins. And boy did we ever. I was awestruck by the number of dolphins we were surrounded by. There must have been 500 of them all around the boat. Fantastic tour. I would take this tour again if I was ever back in the area.
Review by: ksorckoff, July 2016
Great trip...we only saw dolphins but they honored their promise to a free cruise any other day to see whales...great staff and captain!! Highly recommend as it was great fun for the whole family
Review by: djb, July 2016
We had a nice boat ride and saw lots of seabirds. We did not see any dolphins or whales. Just unlucky. The captain was great and very knowledgeable about the region, sea life and seabirds. The boat was nice and the crew was friendly. We did receive a voucher to go on the tour again because we didn't get to see dolphins or whales. We plan to use the voucher in the future!
Review by: Shin Lun C, April 2016
It was simply a fantastic day out watching dolphins, too bad we did not able to see any whales up closed though. Highly recommended for whole family for a day of fun.
Review by: Chris N, March 2016
Skip and his crew were very professional and informative. We saw hundreds of dolphins and penguins. We were told and taught many interesting facts about the ocean and the waters surrounding NZ. Skip and his crew were great at tracking where we would see the marine life. Sadly, Curious George, the whale, did not visit us. But Skip gave everyone on board a free life time pass to return to try to see Curious George.
Review by: vicki28uk, March 2016
great seeing the dolphins
Review by: Randy B, March 2016
Great experience! The crew on he boat were informative, friendly, and fun. We saw tons of dolphins, some penguin, and birds but no whales. As a result they issues everyone on the boat a free voucher to come back to try and see whales.
Review by: Jim D, January 2016
The trip was fantastic, we saw dolphins........but not enough to please the skipper, so we now have a lifelong voucher to go again._br/_ A very nice touch._br/_ Thank you.
Review by: grace, November 2015
A well worth touring, we see several whales, very big one, swimming elegantly in the ocean. And hundres of dolphines.
Review by: Daphne H, October 2015
Brilliant, no whales but hundreds of Dolphins. Crew were knowledgable and looked after everyone well. Only problem I had was that Viator had booked me under a name I had never heard of even though my voucher had the correct name.
Review by: Hugo W, October 2015
a lot of dolphins :-_br/_ no whales :-
Review by: Beverley P, July 2015
Fantastic! We had a wonderful afternoon on board the whale and dolphin safari boat. We didn't see whales but did see a pod of over 200 dolphins swimming under and around our boat. The dolphins herd the fish into a ball underwater and then the Gannets hundreds of them are also there feeding and dive bombing for fish. We felt like we were on a National Geographic excursion. This trip was a top highlight of our trip to Auckland. Professional staff and crew and very friendly and informative. Lots of time to take pictures and take in the wonderful scenery. A most pleasant and relaxing excursion. Viator was a great way to book.
Review by: Hannah L, April 2015
I would recommend to anyone, the crew are incredibly helpful and knowledgable. They are great when it comes to tracking and really know what they what they are doing, we saw byrdes whales and common dolphins as well as feeding frenzies. They dont harass the animals and teach you about the ocean.
Review by: Claire W, April 2015
Fabulous day. Seeing the dolphins, whale and birds in their natural habitats was amazing. The trip is a must.
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