Set sail with award-winning Black Cat Cruises on a 2-hour Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise! Spot Hector’s dolphins, NZ fur seals, and little penguins in their stunning natural habitat.
The historic French village of Akaroa is 90 minutes' drive from Christchurch. Our Akaroa Nature Cruise is 2-hour harbour adventure within an ancient volcanic crater, packed with stunning scenery and wildlife. You’ll spot the rare Hector’s dolphins (the world’s smallest and cutest!), penguins, sea birds, and dramatic volcanic sea cliffs. Plus, you’ll hear some fascinating stories about Akaroa’s history along the way. It’s a must-do summer experience!
Highlights:
• Full guided commentary on your 2-hour tour
• View the Hector’s dolphin - smallest and rarest in the world
• Take in the stunning scenery of Akaroa Harbour
• View NZ Fur seals lounging on volcanic rocks and playing in pools
• Complimentary tea, coffee or hot chocolate
• Spacious 60ft/20m modern catamaran - largest and most stable in Akaroa
Feature | Value | Info |
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Organisation |
Black Cat CruisesCommercial organisation |
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Location |
South Island ▷ Canterbury ▷ Akaroa |
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Operating Season And Hours |
Operates year round 10:45am and 1:30pm (extra sailings in summer at 3:45pm)
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Feature | Value | Info |
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Payment Requirement |
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Payment RequirementIs there a cost for this experience or is it free? ![]() Paid access/participation The experience costs money to access or take part in. |
Cell Phone Service |
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Cell Phone ServiceWhat level of cell phone service is available at the location? Reasonable service There is cell phone service at the location but it may not be reliable or fast. You can make calls or get a data connection on a mobile phone. |
Great cruise.
Nice boat trip with a free drink and cookie.
Very nice, kind guide.
Very well organized, we sow dolphins and seals.
Excellent animal viewing and friendly staff.
Rating | Count | Percentage | |
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10/10 | 14 |
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24% |
9/10 | 19 |
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33% |
8/10 | 14 |
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24% |
7/10 | 6 |
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10% |
6/10 | 0 |
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0% |
5/10 | 2 |
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3% |
4/10 | 1 |
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2% |
3/10 | 1 |
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2% |
2/10 | 0 |
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0% |
1/10 | 1 |
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2% |
5.0/5
The team is so friendly and nice.
Made sure to go above and beyond to make sure we had an amazing experience.
Reviewed over 3 years ago
Customer
5.0/5
Very well organized, we sow dolphins and seals.
Very cold day but we'll remember it. I'd recommend it.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in July 2018
Customer
5.0/5
Comfortable, exhilarating ride.
Complimentary drinks. Friendly, helpful staff. Interesting, reflective and informative commentary. The weather was against us for seeing penguins and dolphins but we loved the seals.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2017
Customer
5.0/5
Enthusiastic guides, very informative and made our experience lots of fun.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2017
Customer
4.0/5
Dolphins, penguins, seals were seen on the boat tour, great waves.
Guide made lots of jokes and was cool.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2016
Customer
4.5/5
Fantastic boat trip in the harbour.
Lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2016
Customer
4.5/5
Black Cat is very professional and well run.
We had an excellent wildlife experience. The boat did not have many passengers so it was very personal. We saw lots of dolphins and the boat was stopped and engines off so that they would come really close. We also saw fur seals and lots of birds. The skipper gave us an excellent and informative commentary on everything we saw, and answered questions we had. It was one of the top experiences of our NZ stay.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in January 2014
Customer
2.0/5
Cruise with boat to explore animals (dolphins, seals, penguins etc....) Few animals seen during the cruise, few explanations and already $80 per person, quite a lot!
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2014
Customer
5.0/5
Well organised and environmentally aware.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2013
Customer
5.0/5
Had a lot of fun seeing many dolphins with very nice company and staff.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2013
Customer
5.0/5
The team is so friendly and nice.
Made sure to go above and beyond to make sure we had an amazing experience.
Reviewed over 3 years ago
Customer
5.0/5
Very well organized, we sow dolphins and seals.
Very cold day but we'll remember it. I'd recommend it.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in July 2018
Customer
5.0/5
Enthusiastic guides, very informative and made our experience lots of fun.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2017
Customer
5.0/5
Comfortable, exhilarating ride.
Complimentary drinks. Friendly, helpful staff. Interesting, reflective and informative commentary. The weather was against us for seeing penguins and dolphins but we loved the seals.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2017
Customer
4.0/5
Dolphins, penguins, seals were seen on the boat tour, great waves.
Guide made lots of jokes and was cool.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2016
Customer
4.5/5
Fantastic boat trip in the harbour.
Lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2016
Customer
2.0/5
Cruise with boat to explore animals (dolphins, seals, penguins etc....) Few animals seen during the cruise, few explanations and already $80 per person, quite a lot!
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2014
Customer
4.5/5
Black Cat is very professional and well run.
We had an excellent wildlife experience. The boat did not have many passengers so it was very personal. We saw lots of dolphins and the boat was stopped and engines off so that they would come really close. We also saw fur seals and lots of birds. The skipper gave us an excellent and informative commentary on everything we saw, and answered questions we had. It was one of the top experiences of our NZ stay.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in January 2014
Customer
5.0/5
Had a lot of fun seeing many dolphins with very nice company and staff.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2013
Customer
5.0/5
Well organised and environmentally aware.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2013
Customer
2.5/5
OK but too expensive.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in November 2012
Customer
5.0/5
Nicest wildlife, penguins, seals, dolphins (hectors) on one trip for a good price.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in December 2012
Customer
4.5/5
Ticket purchase and booking easy - trip to view dolphins and other wildlife in Akaroa Harbour was excellent with good first class commentary.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in November 2012
Customer
4.0/5
Well looked after in the sea, lots of information.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2012
Customer
5.0/5
Mostly impressed by the friendly hector dolphins!
Very friendly crew and lots to learn.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2012
Customer
4.0/5
Really good cruise of Akaroa Harbour.
Informative and got to see a dolphin, so they delivered.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in February 2012
Customer
4.5/5
Very nice, kind guide.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in January 2012
Customer
4.0/5
Excellent animal viewing and friendly staff.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in January 2012
Customer
4.5/5
Nice boat trip with a free drink and cookie.
We saw penguins, seals and dolphins and the crew was very friendly, (and a little Dutch!)
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2011
Customer
4.5/5
Commercial trip with the Black Cat to see Dolphins, we were lucky and saw lots of them.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2011
Customer
5.0/5
Great boat, interesting and entertaining commentary.
We saw all the wildlife advertised. Bonus Top10 card discount, complimentary hot drink and free fish and chips.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2011
Customer
5.0/5
What a great cruise we had.We were thrilled to see such a large number of Hectors dolphins swimming around the boat and the trip outside the heads was the icing on the cake.The skipper's commentary was
What a great cruise we had.We were thrilled to see such a large number of Hectors dolphins swimming around the boat and the trip outside the heads was the icing on the cake.The skipper's commentary was very informative,the young crew very friendly and this is a fantastic trip for both kiwis and tourists.
Wayne & Lyn Bellaney
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in December 2010
Customer
5.0/5
The kids loved it and were lucky enough to see several pods of Hectors Dolphins, one pod of 13 so we were very lucky.
The staff were extremely friendly and helpful and the vessel was immaculate. The weather was perfect as well.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in November 2010
Customer
4.5/5
Great cruise.
We saw a lot of Hector Dolphins. Friendly staff, lots of information given druing the cruise.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2010
Customer
4.5/5
Nice tour, wonderful view, seals.
Very kind, drinks and cookie for free.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in May 2010
Customer
3.5/5
Brilliant, very commercial.
Brilliant, very commercial.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2010
Customer
4.5/5
Excellent unobtrusive commentary, pleasant and unrushed.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in November 2009
Customer
5.0/5
Good service and nice tour.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in December 2009
Customer
5.0/5
Our family was fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience an Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise.
The boat was immaculate, the view breathtaking and the Hector dolphins unbelievable. The crew was knowledgable and made sure to point out all the spectacular points of interest. The wildlife was amazing. Hector dolphins, New Zealand Fur Seals, Little Blue Penquins and Sea Birds greeted us, which made the excursion a definate memorable experience. The Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise is a must for your holiday travels. Thank you for a wonderful cruise.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in November 2009
Customer
3.5/5
Nice cruise, nice crew but expensive, just go there when you have to much time.
Reviewed over 3 years ago and experienced in March 2009
Customer