Join our friendly local experts aboard our classic vessel the Monarch for a truly enchanting wildlife cruise.
The Otago Peninsula is home to a wonderful array of wildlife including marine mammals, albatrosses, penguins and other ocean birds. This fascinating cruise will take you on a journey around the spectacular Taiaroa Head - the worlds only mainland nesting place of albatross. Enjoy watching our native furseals play on the rocks and sometimes see New Zealand sea lions basking on the white sandy beaches.
If you are lucky enough, you may even catch a glimpse of the dolphins and other marine mammals that frequent this beautiful part of New Zealand. So come along and enjoy New Zealand’s great outdoors with the highly acclaimed Monarch Cruises and Tours!
The crew were so helpful and knowledgeable. On a calm grey evening cruise we still saw heaps of wildlife. We would love to do again when more of the big birds are expected to be returning from their long flights. Wonderful trip.
Kia ora, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your experience! The Monarch team love taking guests out on the MV Monarch to introduce our guests to the local wildlife. Of course, being wildlife, activityt is different every day and with different conditions. We look forward to seeing you aboard again in the future - maybe on a day with a strong southerly wind! Ngā mihi, Caitlin Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Tours
It was pretty boring to be honest. We saw lots of birds, of course some Albatrosses. And the tour itself is very well made. Great commentary that is understandable even of you're not a native speaker. You get jackets so you're not cold and binoculars to watch the birds. But overall I thought it was incredibly boring. Wouldn't recommend if you're not a bird person.
This was an awesome experience. Up close to seals, sea lions, albatross and other bird life. Couldn’t fault it.
Kia ora, Thank you for taking the time to leave a review. We are glad to hear you enjoyed your experience! The Monarch team love introducing the local wildlife to our guests. Dunedin is considered the wildlife capital of Aotearoa New Zealand, and there is always so much to see! We look forward to seeing you aboard again in the future! Ngā mihi, Caitlin Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Tours
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Nikiwe Arthur from United Kingdom wrote on 19 March 2021
Wonderful experience!
From start to finish the Monarch Cruise was amazing! Binoculars and big warm coats were available as soon as we boarded. Both members of the team were so informative, pointing out wildlife and making sure everyone had a good view and knew where to look. The commentary was well done and we were lucky to see a selection of birds and a few seals. Watching the albatross gliding around was wonderful. The hour flew by - I would gladly do it again!