Top Akaroa Water Tours

Experience majestic scenery and stunning wildlife, including Hector’s dolphins, blue penguins and birdlife, on a narrated 2-hour Akaroa Harbour cruise. Ride a spacious luxury catamaran with prime views of the harbor’s sea caves and volcanic cliffs. Your skipper stops at a salmon farm in Lucas Bay and takes you past a New Zealand fur seal colony at Seal Bay.

Swim with dolphins at Akaroa Harbour, where Hector’s dolphins—found only in New Zealand—visit the waters of the Banks Peninsula. Cruising the sheltered harbor by jet-powered catamaran so you can swim up close, learn from the highly trained crew how to interact safely with the world’s smallest and rarest dolphins. Just 12 swimmers are permitted per vessel, ensuring an intimate experience in a small group. Wetsuits and masks are provided, along with a hot shower and drink on board.

The rarest dolphins in the world live in the waters around Akaroa, and you can get up close to them on this eco-friendly sailing tour. Feel like you’ve stepped back in time as you board the vintage wooden sailboat. Glide quietly through the waters, leaving the dolphins, penguins, seals, and albatross relatively undisturbed. This is a private tour, so grab your friends for a fun day on the water, or your significant other for a romantic experience.

Spend your time in port in Akaroa on a small-group shore excursion, sea kayaking around the harbor. Bask in the scenery of remote bays and inlets, and catch a glimpse of local marine life, including penguins, orcas, and endangered Hector’s dolphins. You’ll paddle for three hours with a guide through the basin of an extinct volcano and stop for a snack and swim at a coastal beach. This tour departs within walking distance of the cruise port.

Discover remote bays and native marine wildlife in New Zealand on this 3-hour sea kayak tour from Akaroa. Following an orientation session, paddle out onto the waters around Akaroa’s extinct volcanic basin with your guide. Test your newfound sea kayaking skills in the shallows of the harbor. Then, head out onto the gently rolling waves and enjoy panoramic views over the rugged coastline. Watch the skies for native birdlife such as heron, egrets, oystercatchers and bitterns, and keep an eye on the waves for sightings of playful seals and dolphins.

Swap your cruise ship for a kayak on this 3-hour shore excursion from Akaroa and enjoy a thrilling close encounter with native wildlife. Paddle your way around remote bays, inlets and sandy beaches; admire the dramatic scenery of the once-active volcano basin; then cool off with a swim. Along the way, keep a lookout for some of New Zealand’s rarest wildlife sightings, including Hector Dolphins, penguins and orca whales.

Our tours numbers are kept limited, offering you a small and intimate tour that will take you where others can't with amazing views of New Zealands wildlife. Our friendly and knowledgeable crew love meeting and talking with our guests, and Scruffy our friendly boat dog, joins us on our afternoon trips. Tony, a real Kiwi, has been exploring the waters around Banks Peninsula since the 1960s. He'll entertain you with the stories of his adventures and share his enthusiasm for this wonderful environment and stunning wildlife.