Dolphin Watching Akoroa
A trip to New Zealand is not complete without viewing some of the incredible wildlife that calls these islands home. Prior to visiting Akora I was fortunate to have already witnessed New Zealands Fur Seals and Kea’s on a tripp to the insanely beautiful Milford Sound. With this in mind, and the weather closing the mountain at Mt Hutt I made a quick trip to Akora in search of the worlds smallest dolphins.
ABOUT AKOROA
Founded by French settlers, the town of Akoroa sits in the Banks Peninsula on New Zealands South Island. The location is actually an extinct volcanoes crater! Akoroa is a small town that has around 700 permanent residents. This means Akoroa can have a locals feel, but they are well equipped for tourists with plenty of little boutique hotels you can stay in. Lining the streets of Akoroa you will find quaint cafe’s and art galleries and obviously as its New Zealand a merino wool inspired clothing shop.
HECTOR DOLPHINS
Being the worlds smallest dolphins makes Hector Dolphins a bit special. They can be spotted around the South Islands coast line often playing in large pods. During the summer months the Akoroa Harbour can offer a great opportunity to see these playful animals in the wild as they will venture closer to the harbour. Being winter we would need to venture further to increase our chances, but sightings are still possible. Hector dolphins are only found in New Zealand and as one of the rarest breeds of dolphin I thought I would take the risk and go on a cruise.
BLACK CAT CRUISES
I took my tour with Black Cat Cruises who provided a great service. The cost of the ticket was 85NZD (Prices may be more at peak times) and the cruise lasted around two hours. Sadly as with everything prices have now increased to the following: Adult (16+) – $125 ($130 from 1 Sept 2026) Child (5-15) – $60 Under 5 – Free
Leaving from the pier, the tour heads out of the harbour and with information provided by the captain you will leave with lots of knowledge about Akoroa and it’s history. The captain navigated their way to some great spots for wildlife watching and we saw; sea lions, hector dolphins and lots of bird life.
I am not paid to promote Black Cat Cruises.
MY THOUGHTS
I was really unsure as to whether I should take a sightseeing cruise. I was keen to see the dolphins, but thought 85NZD represented a big outlay with little guarantee of seeing dolphins. There are more popular times of the year to visit than winter and planning effectively will maximise your chances of spotting dolphins. In hindsight, I would still opt to take the cruise as the scenery was gorgeous and exploring the harbour in itself was a great experience.
I was fortunate that despite the conditions our captain was knowledgable enough to find a pod of dolphins and it was incredible to watch them playing and enjoying the attention. Sometimes it is easy to find reasons not to do an experience… I am really glad that actually I went ahead with this experience and would recommend it to others.
BE AWARE
Two companies are available for cruises from Akoroa harbour. At the time of my visit Black Cat Cruises were 3NZD cheaper, although this may change. The other company does take less passengers on their boat so at busy times this may be worth the supplement. At no point is a sightseeing tour a guarantee you will see Hector dolphins and you will not receive a refund should you be unfortunate. Luckily you will definitely see some wildlife as Akoroa harbour is home to seal colonies and plenty of bird life. Even without the wildlife the tour will take you past some stunning scenery.
