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Welcome to Barrys Bay! This picturesque destination in New Zealand offers you an array of exciting experiences and adventures. Whether you're seeking outdoor thrills, cultural immersion, or simply a relaxing day in nature, Barrys Bay has it all. From hiking scenic trails to exploring pristine beaches, the options are endless. Our comprehensive guide provides a wide range of fun activities to choose from, making sure you find the perfect way to enjoy your time in Barrys Bay. Dive into unforgettable experiences and create memories that will last a lifetime.
I was on a cruise with Kate, Alex and Bri. The girls were great at spotting wildlife, especially the dolphins that everyone is hoping to see! The cruise was a well run and professional experience that takes you around the harbour and the skipper will tell you a bit about the history of different areas of Akaroa as you go past. We stopped by a area known to have some NZ fur seals. The dolphins came to bow ride at the front of our boat. We were also lucky enough to spot a new calf!
It's was great experience to see the sight of land and the sea. Also the wildlife. It was awesome. You can take many pictures but picture can not describe what you see yourself.
My butt hurts because I’m not a cyclist, I haven’t been on a bike since intermediate school and this was well worth it! Our guide was really lovely and the ride was stunning. Love how the e-bike makes hills easy. I’d do this again in a heartbeat.
Beautiful journey with a great driver.
The driver was courteous, informative and a good driver. There was a passenger who missed the pickup and we pulled over and waited approximately 15 minutes for this passenger to be brought to the bus. I was surprised that they would do this as everyone on the bus was held up because of one passenger. The driver was very apologetic and tried to make up the lost time. We had a great day and I would recommend this service.
Great experience, Sabrina the deckhand was helpful and made sure we were all comfortable and the captain was very knowledgeable about the Akaroa history, we went out to sea and the engine stopped and the music started and soon we had hector dolphins playing around the boat for at least 15mins it was great.
Best experience ever. Amazing scenery and wonderful time with cute animals. It was lifetime experience and thanks to the tour guide(forgot her name) who made my day. She explained everything in detail and helped us get along with alpacas and it was really good time. I bought a scarf to remember the tour and it was so warm. I had to order another one from the online shop. Wish I have another chance to visit again
We came here on a monday morning. We had such a great weather but it was a bit windy. The staff were friendly and helpful with assisting us to get close to the alpacas so we can cuddle them. The view was breathtaking as you can see the entire akaroa harbour from the farm. We enjoyed every minute of the experience.
A wonderful experience for young and old! I the tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly, relaxed and in tune with the animals it was amazing that he knew every Alpacas name. He was attentive and patient with the kids and allowed them to be themselves and feed them. All questions answered thoroughly and we left feeling we had leant some valuable facts about Alpacas.
Great fun. Stunning location.
We absolutely loved our visit. It was wet day and on our way we were thinking the weather would spoil the experience. However, it was still well worth the visit. I would go again.
Friendly and lovely Alpacas..The information given by our guide is so informative and enthusiastic in explaining everything about Alpaca
The view was absolutely gorgeous, and kayaking was great fun, we got to see different animals and especially a dolphin right in front of our eyes! On top of all that, what a knowledgeable, funny and handsome guy to give us the tour! He even took many photos and sent us through emails (such as the second photo). The only thing I could think of for the company is getting a better camera so people would love the photos even more? (My phone took better photos (1st and 3rd) than the camera.)
Our guide, Jake, was great. Clear kickstart instructions or refresher info for sea kayak basics. Then straight out on the tour. Jake excelled at explaining the terrain encountered by way of geology, flora and fauna factoids along the way. On the way back we got to get in a pretty good work out with a continuous paddle back to our starting point. Jake then stayed for a bit chatting and giving us tips on lunch spots and after lunch hiking ideas. Thoroughly recommend kayaking with Jake!
The driver is kind and friendly. And we got enought time to look around whole city! It’s really good!
One of the best experience I had while in NewZealand is the Dolphin watch at Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise. The crew was very nice and friendly. It was very great to see dolphins swim along the boat.
Lots of information and it was stunning while sailing
Joey was a fantastic guide. He was knowledgeable about the local geology and wild life. We enjoyed his jokes and eye for spotting details (fun to know you can brew beer from the roots of the cabbage palm.) Exploring by kayak is the best way to appreciate the details of this unique ecosystem and support it by making a sustainable transport choice! Super fun time paddling!
Amazing experience and guide also fantastic Recommend all🥰
Absolutely amazing!! We saw so many dolphins who came right to our kayak and even bumoed into one :) And we saw penguins!! It is a must-do in Akaroa and totally worth it! We've been kayaking for 3.5 hrs. I had no experience but it was easy and our guides explained it very patiently. I did it on my own and was scared to be left out, but within 10 minutes you know the whole group and everyone was really nice. I'd do it again immediately!
Family fun - great guides - knowledgeable about area
John and Olly make a wonderful team. Olly with his hawk eyes for spotting animals in the water and John with his fantastic wildlife knowledge. The boat is small so you get to know the other participants you can ask all the questions you like there is no rehearsed speech You will see all the birds and other animals that are around! The orher advantage is the early start - no one else on the water, lovely sunrise, no wind but it can be a bit chilly so dressup warm. Well done guys and keep up the good work! They also hire out trips for groups which might be a good option for a group of friends who aren’t quite into the getting up early thing!
My boyfriend and I had a lovely time cruising around the bay in Akaroa with John & Oli. They were really helpful and explained everything we needed to know from the health and safety aspects of the boat to the history of he area and educating us on all the animals we encountered too. We really had a fabulous time with them and were so lucky to come across penguins, a dolphin & an albatross amongst other spectacular birds. We weren’t so lucky with the weather but you can’t have it all. Thanks for a great time chaps!
We had a great time on the southern wanderer. John and Olly were amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed our ride on the boat. I would recommend booking this cruise for anyone coming to Akaroa
The scenic trip was really awesome. Even though it was cloudy on the day that we went, John and Olly made sure that we had the best view and that we enjoyed every minute of it. The intimate group of 6 is much better than having a huge group 'coz you can hear all the information you needed and less crowded to see the wild life. Totally a must do when in Akaroa. Thank you so much...
It was such an amazing experience. Great hosts who were very nice and informative about Akaroa and its wildlife. We were lucky the weather was good and the dolphins were out to play that day. There were just 6 passengers, the experience felt quite relaxed and personalised. I would definitely recommend this.
Without a doubt this gets 5/5 stars! We had the most amazing day out with John and his son, there were only 4 passengers on board and this made the world of difference. It was such a point of difference being able to move to the other side of the boat with just a step or 2 without being stuck in a crowd when the dolphins were swimming around, and John remembered all of our names throughout the trip, answered all our questions and gave great insight about the area and the wildlife. And then there were the dolphins! We lost count of how many of these little guys we saw and it was beyond special
We had a wonderful two plus hours with Ollie the skipper and dad John the very knowledgable tour guide. Besides a lot of information on the wild life we saw John also told us a lot of the history of Akaroa and the harbour. It was a lovely day and we went well out to sea. With maximum eight passengers it’s an experience that you feel part of all the time. There were four passengers on our trip and it was great.
Nice time, enjoyed the boat trip. Lots of wildlife and nature at its best.
We went out on a very calm, overcast day and were lucky enough to sight about 5 or 6 pods of dolphins, including one swimming straight under the boat near the surface. Loved the small group, very knowledgeable and friendly guides. It felt more like friends were taking us out for a few hours. Would highly recommend to anyone thinking of a wildlife cruise.
We booked this because we were staying at Chch, we did not know about this place but we googled and we thought Akaroa would be a nice place to visit. This was the best decision, and the best part of our trip. Akaroa is a lovely place, full of story and this scenic drive was over our expectations! It starts early in the morning and you have a lot to explore with this family-crew. It's great that it's a small boat, so the trip is personalised and they have the time to explain about nature, history and also to show you different animals. This people are nice, warm and they take you to places you will never forget! I recommend it 100%.
We had a beautiful time on the tour, great guides local family business, small numbers on the boat, making the experience very personally and very enjoyable. John is very knowledgeable and makes the trip very easy going and fun. Their son is obviously very experienced and comfortable on the water. I would highly recommend this tour to all who want to get out on the water and enjoy the wildlife to be seen.
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