Experience a comfortable up-close encounter with some of the most amazing wildlife and stunning coastlines around Akaroa and Banks Peninsula!
Join us for a wildlife tour that explores the spectacular volcanic coastline and abundant wildlife of Banks Peninsula and Akaroa.
Our wildlife tour numbers are kept limited, offering you a small and intimate tour that will take you where others can’t, with amazing views of New Zealand’s wildlife. Some of the wildlife you’ll get to see include the Hector’s dolphins, New Zealand fur seals, little blue penguins and an array of seabirds.
Our friendly and knowledgeable crew love meeting and talking with our guests and Scruffy, our friendly boat dog, joins us on afternoon trips! Tony, a real Kiwi, has been exploring the waters around the Peninsula since the 1960s. He’ll entertain you with his the stories of his adventures and share his enthusiasm for this wonderful environment and stunning wildlife.
Our characterful and comfortable boat - Wairiri, is a 41-foot Kauri Launch built in 1964. Our tours specialise in small groups and enough space to move around the boat for the best wildlife viewing and photo opportunities! On your tour you’ll see gigantic cliffs, go inside sea caves and get close to all the incredible wildlife.
Tony often still has a lobster pot out and we pull it up on some of our trips. We never know what we find in it: Lobster, octopus, conger eel, starfish and sand sharks are just a few of the creatures we might have caught.
Experience Akaroa and Banks Peninsula on this intimate boat tour where you’ll see stunning wildlife and extraordinary views of the coastline!
Hi John, Thank you for joining our tour and your fab review. We hope the rest of your trip went well. Cheers, Tony and crew
Hi Ondrej Thank you for coming on a wildlife cruise with us and your five star review. Cheers, Tony
Hi Kristin Thank you for joining our wildlife cruise and your review. Glad you enjoyed your time with us. See you again soon. Cheers, Tony and team
We didn't know what boat tour we should book, because there were so many different providers. We chose this one and it was the BEST decision ever! In comparison to (all) other boat tours this boat was very small and cozy, so that we weren't many people. Also we could get very close to the coast, where other boats couldn't get to. Furthermore the tour was very interesting. Tony and Nick are very knowledgeable and told us stories about the nature. They talked to us individually and answered every question we had. We felt welcomed and very comfortable. Especially Tony was very lovely and you could see that he's doing it with real passion. Every now and then Tony stopped the boat for us, so that we had plenty of time taking photos of the many animals and the coast. On our boat trip we saw many different animals like dolphins, little sea lions, shags, penguins, albatross and jelly fish. Especially the dolphins were a highlight for us. In addition Tony took many photos himself and offered to send them to us via mail for FREE! It really was something special for me and I loved every second of it. Thank you so much for the great experience! Would definitely book it again with you guys - absolutely worth it and recommendable.
Hello Marie, thank you for lovely review. It makes us feel good to get such nice feedback from happy customers. We are so lucky here in Akaroa to have so much diversity in wildlife and scenery without having to travel very far. I hope the rest of your holiday went well and that you made it home safe and sound. Good luck for a happy and prosperous future. Tony and the crew.
We had an absolutely fantastic tour with Tony and the crew who took the time to speak to us individually. They told stories of the area and the animals we were looking for. We saw little white flapper penguins, hector dolphins, shags and even a huge group of baby seals. Honestly, this is one of the best things I’ve done in NZ. The boat was small so it could get close to the wildlife and into sections where the bigger boats can’t go. I would highly recommend this to anyone travelling to Akaroa.
Hi Cody Thank you for joining our Wildlife Cruise and your great review. We love talking to our guests and sharing our beautiful spot. Enjoy the rest of your holiday. Cheers, Tony
This award identifies a business with a high level of professionalism, a keen awareness of the impact it has on the environment and a commitment to a customer centric approach.
This award is evidence of a sophisticated tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations. Their proactive leadership and management ensure the business’s focus on continuously improving their economic, social and environmental performance to create genuine, constantly evolving and sustainable tourism experiences.
This award recognises the best sustainable tourism businesses in New Zealand. It denotes exceptional customer experiences at the heart of everything the company does. This business is leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a world class sustainable visitor destination.
When you see the Qualmark logo, your activity of choice is endorsed by New Zealand Tourism’s official quality assurance organisation and backed by leaders in the industry. It’s your trusted guide to iconic activities and experiences that are awarded for their exceptionally high level of quality, safety and sustainability.
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johnm20 from United Kingdom wrote on 14 March 2020
Excellent trip, great fun,knowledgeable Capn
Having done a previous harbour trip on a bigger boat, I was intrigued as to how different this would be. It was far far better, flexible and we got in much closer than we ever could on the other one Cap’n Tony is engaging & fun. He has great knowledge of area & wildlife
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