Lots of information and it was stunning while sailing

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.

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 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.

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.

Very interesting and respectful cruise. We had a great time. We saw penguins, fur seals and many ocean birds. highly recommended.

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.

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

Nice time, enjoyed the boat trip. Lots of wildlife and nature at its best.

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.

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!

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...

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%.

Family owned business - your guides will take you out into the harbour and offer you a more personalised and tailored wildlife adventure. Highly recommend if you want to see the wildlife and sights of Akoroa at your own pace.

We started a day in Akaroa with a 2.5 hour scenic sunrise cruise and it was magic. Could not have had a better start to the day. It was the highlight of our stay. The scenery is breathtaking. With a maximum of 8 people, this was perfect for my family. It had a wonderfully personal touch. The crew, Ollie and John, were highly knowledgeable on local sealife, birds and local history. I would highly recommend this cruise to anyone visiting Akaroa.

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!

The staff were super helpful as soon as I arrived I got my tickets, the staff aboard were also great. Very clear and informative commentary and we got to see a wide variety of wildlife including dolphins, penguins, seals, and even an albatross. I would highly recommend this to anybody visiting Akaroa I would gladly go again!

We love the cruise, the dolphins and seal. It's a must do if you visit akaroa

Beautiful journey with a great driver.

A last minute decision that resulted in hours of enjoyment. Couldn't have asked for a better afternoon 🤩 The guide was knowledgeable and the wildlife abundant. Will be back to do it all over again.

Excellent experience! I visited with my teenage daughter. We both loved the cruise and were lucky enough to have many dolphin sightings. The crew were all lovely and the commentary from Hamish the Skipper was engaging and informative. Highly recommend.

It was very nice despite the morning weather was windy and Raining it was a Good cruise and View.

Excellent day trip in akaroa. Kids and adults loved it. Dolphins and seals were fun to spot. Informative friendly crew. Def recommend it.

Staff friendly upon arrival and remained so during entire trip. Saw an array of wildlife up close with fantastic views.

Fab, informative trip - Skipper Hamish was excellent- found us penguin, Hector dolphins and seals, and told us a lot about the area - really enjoyed ?

Had never been to Akaroa before so this was the perfect way to start off my day. Smooth sailing around the harbour but my favourite moment was getting up and close to the dolphins as I had never seen them except for photos. Highly recommend this activity and one day I'll be back to do it again!

Awesome 👌👏

We had a beautiful day and we're incredibly lucky to spot dolphins, penguins and a seal. Crew were amazing, always on the lookout so they could show us wildlife. We also needed to change the date of the cruise and the staff were able to put us on a cruise the following day.

Great day out with black cat cruise. Saw lots of dolphins!! Friendly staff. And I didn't get seasick! :)

It was a nice experience. Spotted a few dolphins at the end . The crew captain was entertaining.

This trip was one of the best experiences of our whole NZ trip. Our teenagers and 10year old loved it. All staff were highly knowledgeable of the area, helpful and good with the kids. We saw dolphins, penguins and seals. One of my children dropped their hat in the ocean and the boat was turned around and they picked it up. Love their work!

It was definitely a must activity when in Akaroa. Seeing the animals in the wild and natural habitat was a treat!

What an excellent trip. We were a large family group of 9 across 3 generations. We all just loved the trip due to the excellent commentary, interesting information about the little bays and coves we passed, but most especially the dear little Hectors’ dolphins at the entrance to the harbour. Thank you to the skipper for giving such an Awesome commentary. We were also blessed with a still beautiful day. Would really recommend this trip to anyone

Ocean swell left me less than confident to swim so staff transferred my ticket to the Dolphin Cruise departing an hour later that day, at no extra cost. Tip: Bring a warm hat/beanie even in summer, if you plan to view from the top deck outside. Staff kindly loaned me a proper windproof jacket. The young skipper was enthusiastic and provided a (nearly) continual commentary, barely stopping for breath. I overheard tourists mention that they did enjoy his commentary though. One brief sighting of a tiny Hector dolphin and a few fur seals. The skipper explained the company ethos of NOT feeding dolphins to lure them and respecting their space, which is fantastic and commendable. Steps to upper deck are narrow and small so non slip footwear is best. Ocean cruising is a great way to de-stress and unwind. I even got my Titanic moment. I'd do this every day if I could! Highly recommended.

Closest we have ever got to dolphins! Sometimes I felt they are less than a meter from me, and I feel I can practically touch them, although I shouldn't. It was indeed a WOW moment in our lives. My partner enjoyed it far more than I did, I struggled a bit with goggles and visibility at first, a little tip, goggles don't help, you can't really see anything underwater, and they fog up pretty quick, any action you see will be above water, and it will be far better to enjoy them with necked eyes. But even above the water level, the visibility also wasn't what I expected, the eyesight was super low and close to water level, so there was a lot of reflections of water, we were also constantly moving, which makes it difficult to spot anything, therefore we had to rely on staff members on board the boat to spot the dolphins for us. Bottom line, it wasn't easy to spot the dolphins, it also involves a lot of waiting, which sometimes can be a little long and boring, but when they do come near you, it was a nice and exciting surprise. Other than that, it was all good, staff were friendly and helpful, the hot shower afterwards was a fantastic touch.