Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruises
Black Cat Cruises
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Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruises
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
Details
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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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Dolphin Watching
Boat Cruises
Reviews
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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.
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5.0/5
Very well organized, we sow dolphins and seals.
Very cold day but we'll remember it. I'd recommend it.
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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.
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4.0/5
Dolphins, penguins, seals were seen on the boat tour, great waves.
Guide made lots of jokes and was cool.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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5.0/5
Very well organized, we sow dolphins and seals.
Very cold day but we'll remember it. I'd recommend it.
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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.
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4.0/5
Dolphins, penguins, seals were seen on the boat tour, great waves.
Guide made lots of jokes and was cool.
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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!
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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.
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5.0/5
Nicest wildlife, penguins, seals, dolphins (hectors) on one trip for a good price.
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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.
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5.0/5
Mostly impressed by the friendly hector dolphins!
Very friendly crew and lots to learn.
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4.0/5
Really good cruise of Akaroa Harbour.
Informative and got to see a dolphin, so they delivered.
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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!)
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4.5/5
Commercial trip with the Black Cat to see Dolphins, we were lucky and saw lots of them.
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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.
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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
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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.
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4.5/5
Great cruise.
We saw a lot of Hector Dolphins. Friendly staff, lots of information given druing the cruise.
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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.
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