Kaikoura Day Tour with Whale Watching

This trip was super well-organized. The driver, Jude (from Leisure Tours, the local company), was fantastic and flexible. She arrived on time and everything unfolded on schedule. The boat crew from Whale Watch was very knowledgeable, very helpful and caring and went above and beyond to make sure we all had a great experience! Highly recommend.

We were very excited to see the sperm whales as this is one of the only places in the world where you can. Unfortunately we went all the way to Kaikoura (a 2.5 hr drive) and found out in the line for the boat that boats were cancelled for the day. Planes were cancelled, too. Extremely grateful for our guide Stephanie finding us some dolphins and a really great fur seal nursery / sea cave to look at instead. The real challenge with this experience is that if you commit a whole day to it and don't go whale watching, you lose a day of your vacation and still spend at least 5 hours in the van. We made the most of it, but if it wasn't going to go, I wish we had known before we left Chirstchurch. Refund policy was clear and Leisure Tours was very fast and helpful about providing the refund. Hopefuly next time the weather will be good. It sounds like this must happen a lot, so be prepared.

Unfortunately our whale watching got canceled as we were in line due to weather conditions. However our guide Stephanie made the afternoon absolutely wonderful by giving us a tour of the peninsula and showing us local landmarks. She was incredibly knowledgeable and we were able to have an amazing afternoon even without seeing whales! By the time we returned to the hotel they had already contacted us about a refund (we chose not to go on the alternate excursions offered), all in all they were a great company to work with and I wouldn’t hesitate to book with them again if I’m ever back in New Zealand!!!!

We did this as a day trip from Christchurch. It was a long day and the whale viewing in that lasts about 10 minutes. However our driver Pete was great and so informative so made the drive easy. Also Billy on the boat was just a natural. We had to wait about an hour and a half for ‘our’ whale to surface but he kept us amused the whole time and again was hugely informative. We had a beautiful day but it was still very chilly hanging about on the deck so take layers and something water proof in case of splashes. We also visited a winery on the way back which was really good and a perfect end to the day. The service was door to door and we were a lovely size group of 7 total ( many more on the boat obviously). All in all we had an enjoyable day, met some great people and would recommend.

We had a fantastic experience with the whale watching team recently. They were fantastic from start to finish. We managed to site two sperm whales and around 300 dolphins. The educational facts and videos really helped understand these amazing animals and the vessel was great. Would recommend.

The staff were friendly. Even for my families who did not speak English.I booked our accommodation through the “pick up location “ list and found the accommodation was really bad. We paid for four stars price but the condition was only 2-3 stars. It may be a good idea to remove it from your list.

Jude our driver and tour guide was excellent. The Boat Crew was wonderful, boat was clean and we were successful in finding the magnificent Sperm whale, Moby. We also encountered a lot of Duskies. A wonderful time spent on the ocean!!

We booked this and it was amazing! Our trip guide, Pete, was absolutely INCREDIBLE and really made the drive up and back enjoyable. The whale watching park was great as well. We saw dophi s, albatross and a sperm whale. We would definitely recommend for others.

I have rated this trip for the sheer professionalism and high integrity of this company. We were warned that the sea had a big swell and people could take a refund .most decided to go .There was big swell and this triggered one of the passengers to have what was probably a fit .The crew dealt with matter with calm professionalism. We returned to harbour to off load the passenger .who was fine along with a few others who had been seasick .We then headed out again .once in deep water the sea was fine the sun shining .But sadly only a distant whale sighting .I had enjoyed the trip anyway .But then there was an announcement of an 80% refund for the disruption we had had .Not many tour companies are that decent .so well done Whale Watch

Brilliant experience, we saw two whales from a safe distance, which was cool and witnessed a pod of dolphins, which was amazing. My sea mad 8 year old was ecstatic. The captain was kind. She let my daughter listen to the sounds of the whales, such a unique experience. I find it hard to hear the commentary and find them boring, but Mack did a great job. She was incredibly knowledgeable, naturally funny, and made the experience very enjoyable. This activity is a must do, and it's well worth the money.

Highly recommend this adventure! The ride to and from Christchurch was awesome! Pete, our driver, made the ride so enjoyable as he shared information about the area. Pete ROCKS! Opted to have lunch included. This was a good choice as it was pre-ordered at a restaurant and a table saved for us to enjoy the meal. The town and restaurants were busy so I recommend this option. It gives you time to walk around and see some of the shops. The boat we took to watch whales was very comfortable and the staff did a great job of educating us on the sperm whales. We saw two whales that day but only one breached so we got a good look at the tail. Don't miss this adventure - especially with Pete!

I had a wonderful day, we could see a lots of dolphins, seals and an impressive sperm whale. And the landscape is also really beautiful. Pete was an excellent guide. He was funny and we learned a lot.

It was a lovely drive up from Christchurch, unfortunately when we arrived the weather did not cooperate with us. Our guide was great, he kept us all updated and informed. Everyone in our group appreciated how he took such good care of his passengers. Guests were offered a flight seeing trip rather than the boat. We had a nice lunch in Kaikoura and time to walk around and enjoy a little of the beautiful town. We also stopped at a Vinyard on the way back for wine tasting. Even with the disappointment of a canceled boat ride, it was a lovely experience. I would definitely book with them again.

I joined alone. I wasn't so good at English either, and although I was worried, the guide was very friendly and I enjoyed it. It was great to meet cute fur seals and dolphins! Thank you very much.

Even though we were unable to go whale watching, because of bad weather our guide, Sally took very good care of us. Sally was genuine and shared interesting information. She is a good driver and made the trip enjoyable. We had coffee, shopped, ate lunch, went to a winery, and even stopped along the road to view a seal colony. Even though we couldn’t see the whales, it still was an interesting adventure. Sally made the trip worthwhile.

Sally, the bus driver, was a font of knowledge and made the trip fun with her commentary. The journey is about 2.5 hours each way, so she made sure we had a comfort stop at a little cafe on the way. Stopping off for lunch on Moana Rd gave us the opportunity to look at local businesses and enjoy the cafe there. After the whale watching experience, she took us to see a great herd of seal pups playing on the rocks.The whale watching was a good experience. We were bussed from the ticketing area to the Jetty where we boarded the boat and went out to sea. The crew were knowledgeable and on the trip, the equipment and process was explained to us, and there were informative videos and photos shown on a TV and explained by a crew member. We saw a sperm whale surface for a few minutes then dive again. We caught up with a huge pod (~150) of dolphins and also saw some rare and shy Hector's dolphins.

Staff were fantastic and very knowledgeable. Lucky enough to see 2 whales which was an awesome experience

We absolutely loved our day-trip experience! While some most-day tours can feel like they drag by, this one was well scheduled. The trip to Kaikoura was well worth the 2 hour drive and the whale watching company was incredible. Most of all - our driver (Jude) was the highlight of the trip! She was knowledgable, thorough, entertaining and kind. I wish I could have taken her with me everywhere we went afterwards. We would definitely recommend this trip for anyone with the time.

Fabulous experience well worth paying extra for the VIP experience well worth it….. saw Holey Moley the whale so close up was lovely ….. sea a bit choppy so wear your sea legs! Lovely lunch included in the VIP package xx

Very well looked after by our tour driver, Jude. She went out of her way to make the day even more special by stopping at a different seal spot! Just fabulous. Even met us after the whale watch trip armed with umbrellas as it had started to rain! The whale watch tour was magnificent and the crew were fun and informative - we were lucky enough to see 2 sperm whales!! A long but great day out!! Would definitely recommend. However, note to Trip Advisor to remove wording for possibility of wine tasting - there simply isn’t enough time and they know this.

Ohhh my Lord!! A once in a lifetime experience absolutely and wholly recommend! Firstly the scenery sea and snow all in one visual field MAGICAL! Then the crew, office, online booking everything to do with this experience was absolutely polished, easy, friendly and one of the best we’ve ever dealt with. Crew and knowledge was outstanding. The effort of “chasing the sonar” and then finally the result… breath taking and spell binding! If the whale wasn’t enough they then found a pod of dolphins and that was the most sensational spectacle I’ve ever witnessed!!! EXCITING, EXHILIARATING & EXTRAORDINARY! Rate at 100% perfection THANK YOU 🐳🐋💥

Great day, fantastic vessel, highly recommended. Saw three whales, + all sortsof other marine ceratrures incredible

Well organized, lovely friendly and helpful staff. Onboard videos informative. Great trip got what we expected even though a cold day and choppy sea. Only issue anxiety and fear experienced when the boat went out into open water and was rolling and bounding around quite a lot. This from someone who has never been out on the open sea in a small boat. Lucky I did not get sea sick but a couple of others including my 35 year old son became unwell.

Thank you very much for this great experience! Everything was excellent, our guide picked us up at our accommodation, went to pick other passengers and travelled to Kaikoura with one stop for toulet and we ecen had time to go to Kaikoura lookout for the great view of the town. The guide took care of the tickets in the shop and we headed by bus to our boat. The sail was great and we managed to see the spermwhale male for a few minutes! Afterwards, we headed for lunch, had an hour for it, so we recommend to opt for the option without reserved lunch as it was not needed (we did in case we would be in hurry and no free spots in the restaurants) and you can choose from various restaurants by yourself. On our way back from Kaikoura we stopped for the great viewpoint of local fur seal colony and saw lots of them (the pups too) and many seabirds nesting. That was a great experience and we are very thankful for showing us the place! Also, the thorough information on NZ and Christchurch from our guide! Much appreciated, every single detail of the day!

We just wanted to say thank you to Jeanine for taking us from Christchurch to Kaikoura on 7th February 2019 for the whale watching tour. We were lucky enough to see a sperm whale and a pod of pilot whales on this trip.Jeanine was our guide, she was really easy to talk to and kept us entertained along the way! She was kind enough to stop and show us a seal colony on our journey and advised us to visit the museum after our boat trip which proved to be extremely worthwhile. Definitely recommend this tour, great guides - Thanks Jeanine!

Excellent Trip.Well organised and the knowledge of Janet was phenomenal . She made the whole trip interesting. Definitely 10/10

No trip for us because these guys were honest. No whale noise detected in the bay, the whales are not there to see, trips are cancelled. Many places say that's the nature of nature, sometimes it doesn't show. Here, if it's definitely not to be seen, they offer an alternative or a refund. (Serendipity for us, as a series of fortunate events followed, including feeding albatrosses, a day free and dinner on the Christchurch tram.)

Just the two of us with driver guide Pater. Nice drive up the coast from Christchurch to Kaikoura. Unfortunately unable to go on whale watch because boats could not go out in rough seas. Had a nice lunch and climbed over rocks to see seals. On way back stopped at Greystone Winery and tasted several wines. Peter did a great job of improvising around the lack of whale watch.

We have just been dropped off from an unforgettable day whale watching and spending the day with Sue, our tour guide. Sue was fantastic: enthuastic and informative. She took time to get to know us and make recommendations (we even stopped by a winery on the way home to Christchurch after mentioning we enjoyed a glass of NZ sav).The whale watching itself was a stunning experience, a memory to cherish forever. Very choppy waters though but plenty of sick bags available! Staff onboard were kind, friendly and informative. Thank you, Sue, for a wonderful day. It was great to meet you and we are so grateful for everything you shared with us!

Whale Watch did an amazing job taking us to see whales! They were confident in their abilities, so much that they give you 80% of your money back if you DONT see whales! Fortunately, they were able to keep my money, and we saw two Sperm whales. They took us right up to them! On the way back we saw a pod of dusty dolphins, hundreds of them! They took us right into the middle of the pod and we watched the playful little guys swimming all around and under our boat. One dolphin was feeling particularly playful and was showing off his backflip skills! So awesome!

great day out whale watching, a dream come true for my partner. Well organised and knowledgeable guides, you can't ask for anything more. Would recommend for sure!

Whale whatch tour is a very serious and professionell company. Good and interesting fact about the whales and the sea, much humour from the crew and high interest that we really would be able to see some whales, dusky dolphins and albatrosses, which we did. We were om the morningtour, can be highly recommended. Absolutely worth the cost! A memory for life👏👏👏