Kaikoura: Whale Watching Cruise
1.Whale Watching Cruise
Review of Kaikoura’s 210-minute whale cruise, with sperm whales, dolphins, seals, albatross, practical tips, value, and seasickness advice.
“Whales made it great, dolphins were an added bonus!”
NEW ZEALAND · WHALE WATCHING
The 10 Best Whale Watching Tours in New Zealand
Kaikoura has a canyon a kilometre deep sitting close to shore, which is why sperm whales stay all year. These 10 cover the boats, the fixed-wing flights and the Auckland gulf cruises, with each operator's sighting policy.
Whale Watching in Kaikoura by Boat
2.Whale Watching in Kaikoura by Boat
Review of Kaikoura’s 3.5-hour whale-watching cruise, with sperm whales, dolphins, seals, sea birds, practical tips, pricing, and seasickness advice.
“Took 40 mins or so to get out to the whale area. Interesting commentary and good graphics. Glad we took the sea sickness pills as sea was described as moderate - I would have said quite choppy. Saw a sperm whale for at least 5 minutes before it dived. All worth it. Sea birds were fantastic too esp the acrobatics of the albatross. Crew all kind and helpful too”
Auckland Dolphin and Whale Watching Eco-Safari Cruise
3.Auckland Dolphin and Whale Watching Eco-Safari Cruise
Review Auckland’s 4.5-hour whale and dolphin safari, with wildlife odds, boat comfort, route details, price value, and practical tips.
“Great experience. Good knowledgeable crew and the vessel was stable. Had a good time on board. Do this for sure”
Auckland: Whale and Dolphin Watching Half-Day Eco Cruise
4.Whale and Dolphin Watching Half-Day Eco Cruise
Review of Auckland’s 4.5-hour whale and dolphin eco-cruise, with practical tips on wildlife sightings, boat comfort, conservation, and value.
“great experience, saw lots of dolphins and cool birds, very comfortable boat and friendly crew! definetly recommend this one:)”
Kaikoura: Whale Watching Flight with Commentary
5.Whale Watching Flight with Commentary
See Kaikoura’s whales from a small plane with window seats, live commentary, mountain views, and a fast, weather-dependent search from above.
“A great experience, we saw pods of dolphins and a 16 metre sperm whale,”
Auckland: Tikapa Moana Whales, Dolphins and Islands Cruise
6.Tikapa Moana Whales, Dolphins and Islands Cruise
Cruise Auckland’s Hauraki Gulf for dolphins, whales, island walks, and wine, with a marine mammal guarantee and practical tips for a full day at sea.
“Wow, wow, wow, what a fabulous day and so lucky😎 Even the guys running the boat said we saw a lot more than is usual and in perfect weather too. Loads of Gannets that gave away the positions of the feeding Common Dolphins and Bryde's Whales😎 These whales are quite common here but considered as critically endangered generally🙄 Brutus" is a nickname for the Bryde's whale, that is pronounced "Broodus"🐳”
From Christchurch: Kaikōura Day Tour with Whale Watching
7.Kaikōura Day Tour with Whale Watching
Review of the Christchurch to Kaikōura whale watching tour, with sperm whales, seals, fish and chips, transport, value, and practical tips.
“Great trip. The guide made the day go smoothly ... and we even saw some whales! :-)”
Kaikōura Whale Watching Scenic Flight (40 Minutes)
8.Kaikōura Whale Watching Scenic Flight (40 Minutes)
Review of Air Kaikoura’s 40-minute whale-watching flight, with whale sightings, mountain views, practical tips, price advice, and booking details.
“An awesome experience that we would highly recommend as part of any trip to Kiakoura. The company will also aid in getting you to and from the airport when possible. We were able to see hundreds of dusky dolphins and beautiful views in every direction.”
Kaikoura: Whale Watching Flight with Guided Commentary
9.Whale Watching Flight with Guided Commentary
See Kaikōura’s whales and dolphins from a six-seat plane, with expert commentary, mountain views, and guaranteed window seats.
“Excellent, To be fair to the guys after 25 mins we had found nothing but they kept looking and then saw 2 blue whales in quick succession but they circled a few times to give both sides off plane a good look then on way home they spotted a pod off about 500 dusky dolphins and also circled them several times too so trip was a lot longer than should off been x been on many trips around the world and always finish when says but these guys went the extra mile - job very well done I’d recommend to anyone- obviously we got lucky as I realise ain’t a…”
Kaikoura Whale Watch Day Tour from Christchurch
10.Kaikoura Whale Watch Day Tour from Christchurch
Review of the Kaikoura whale watch day tour from Christchurch, with whale sightings, seals, scenery, costs, timing, and practical tips.
“Pete was a great guide who gave lots of relevant information and was accommodating to the needs of the kids. Comfortable ride to see the whales. Good that we didn’t drive on our own as some had sea sickness after the cruise.”