Akaroa Wildlife Cruise
Overview
Available languages
2 hours 45 minutes
Mobile ticket
Our tours numbers are kept limited, offering you a small and intimate tour that will take you where others can't with amazing views of New Zealands wildlife. Our friendly and knowledgeable crew love meeting and talking with our guests, and Scruffy our friendly boat dog, joins us on our afternoon trips. Tony, a real Kiwi, has been exploring the waters around Banks Peninsula since the 1960s. He'll entertain you with the stories of his adventures and share his enthusiasm for this wonderful environment and stunning wildlife.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Akaroa
Explore Akaroa Harbour and coast with local skipper and owner Tony. He has a real wealth of knowledge and will give you entertaining insights into the wildlife, history and geology of our beautiful backyard.
What‘s Included
All Fees and Taxes
Options
Christmas Day
Akaroa Wildlife Cruise
Reviews
101 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Excellent boat trip.
philipjS5168NW,,Jan 10, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very good trip on the boat. We saw quite a few of the Hectors dolphins in the bay. On the coast outside the bay there were quite a number of seals on the rocky slopes, including young pups. Crew were very knowledgeable which made the excursion interesting.
Great experience!
M4393FHnicholaso,,Jan 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great tour! Mafi and Tony are both friendly and highly experienced, Tony has incredible knowledge of not only the wildlife but of Akaroa and the surrounds, which he was more than happy to share. They also let the dolphins come to them, which is much less intrusive than many of the other tours that target them. Thank you both!
Great wildlife cruise
925traceyy,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A most enjoyable wildlife cruise, great little wooden boat and Tony and Mafi are genuinely friendly and very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife.
You will have a lovely time with them
Dream16548005150,,Dec 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great day out with Tony and Muffy today . I would highly recommend booking with them . Tony is a great guy and knows his stuff , made sure I got up front with my grandaughter to see the dolphins ❤️
Lovely day out
ianwP4250RC,,Dec 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great day out were lucky to get good weather plenty of dolphins and seals with added bonus of lobsters and small sharks Tony and Muffy did great job
Coast Up Close Dolphin and seal tour
N7682BSdonnah,,Dec 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Thank you Tonyand Mafi. We had the most amazing day. It was absolutely brilliant and then I would highly recommend it to anybody visiting you guys know your stuff and looked after us really well. Your knowledge of the area was amazing and we loved seeing the beautiful dolphins swimming in the water and the beautiful rock formations in the caves and of course the lovely seals. You guys are very passionate about the sea and and it shows thank you.It was also lovely and personal being on a smaller boat and we got to know everybody on the boat and we didn’t feel like we were pushed around. It was very comfortable thank you
Relaxing cruise
chirag483,,Nov 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked an afternoon cruise with coast up close and it was such a wonderful and relaxing way to see the harbor. We got lucky and had a pod of dolphins swimming right next to our boat and got to see seals along the way. It’s an incredibly beautiful harbor and the team at coast up close was fantastic. Would recommend if in the area
Pleasant day
179jaey,,Nov 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I am very pleasant. During cruise, we could watch a herd of swiming hetor dolphins. And also a fur seal pool. There we could watch little pups
Cruise jackpot
Nickki A,,Nov 21, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great value for money. Lasted 2.75 hours. We seen sea birds, seals, dolphins on multiple occasions. We followed coastline , weaving in and out to explore various places. Grest commentary and fantastic enthudiasm by our co- captains. Highly revommend. Only 5 passengers so very relaxing.
Not to be missed.
GuyWilliams0080,,Nov 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00One of the best things we did on our trip to New Zealand. Tony is a terrific guide, knowledgable, personable and a great story teller. Make sure you don’t miss this treat on your visit to Akaroa. Dolphins, seals, penguins, bird colonies, caves, tunnels. What more did we need? Nothing. Thanks Tony. These memories will last a lifetime.
From NZ$110.00
Want a private experience? Upgrade to a private tour
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