NZ Tourism.com 2024 New Zealand Tours, New Zealand self drive tours & coach tours
Akaroa Tours
Akaroa (just 75 kilometres from Christchurch), is the oldest colonial town in the South Island, and famous as New Zealand’s only French settlement. The sparkling waters of this beautiful harbour are home to a variety of sea life including the worlds smallest and rarest dolphin, the Hectors Dolphin. It’s here you will find New Zealand fur seals, little blue penguins and a myriad of bird life.
Experience Akaroa
- Historic French settlement
- Charming Cottages + French Street Names
- Breathtaking Onawe Peninsula
- Cafes and Crosissants
- Superb seafood
You´ll ❤️ these great things to see & do…
- Swim with Hector Dolphins
- Cruise the harbour and beautiful bays
- Take the Village Walk
- Drop into Little River
- Stroll along the beach and watch the world go by.
Useful Akaroa Resources
Akaroa is a place to unwind, to wander through the charming little streets seeped in history. There are also activities for everyone including wildlife cruises, eco friendly sailing cruises, swimming with the dolphins, boat hire, paddle boats, fishing and sea kayaking. There are also Penguin colony tours, horse trekking and mountain bike riding.
Akaroa Day Tours & Attractions
Listing view
The historic French Village of Akaroa and its spectacular harbour is just a 90 minutes drive from Christchurch. Here you can cruise around an extinct volcanic crater and experience majestic scenery and stunning wildlife on daily harbour cruises. Your cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin - the Hector's Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you'll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa's fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting. Your modern catamaran, the 60 foot /20 metre Black Cat (previously the Canterbury Cat), is perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour. Our vessel is the largest and most luxurious on the harbour. Each cruise is fully narrated by your skipper who has extensive knowledge of the nature, wildlife and history of the harbour. The highlight of this trip is undoubtedly the sighting ....
Akaroa Harbour is the flooded crater of an extinct volcano. Apart from the huge and awe-inspiring volcanic cliffs, this also means that the harbour is very sheltered. A lot of the time, especially in summer, your dolphin swim will be inside the sheltered harbour. With Black Cat Cruises you will enjoy an incredible experience, swimming with some of the world’s smallest, friendliest and rarest dolphins. Hector’s Dolphins are protected in Akaroa Harbour by a marine mammal sanctuary and our cruise gives you the chance to see these beautiful marine mammals close up. Black Cat’s Dolphin Swimming adventure allows only 12 swimmers per vessel, so you’ll have more chances to come face to face with the dolphins We operate up to 16 cruises per day November – March (Summer), up to 8 per day in April and October and 1 per day May – September (Winter) With only 12 swimmers allowed per vessel, cru....