Akaroa

Akaroa trip ideas

Akaroa Shore Excursion: Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour

Akaroa, New Zealand

2 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

This small-group shore excursion has been designed to show cruise ship passengers the highlights of Akaroa in just two-and-a-half hours. After being met at Akaroa Wharf you’ll tour the small French-influenced town and check out some spectacular view points. Visit a cheese factory and a working sheep farm. Watch sheepdogs in action, see a shearing show, and refuel with afternoon tea.

A must-do for travelers interested in rural life
Includes port transfers
An easy way to experience a lot in a short time on land
Receive personalized attention on a small-group tour (max. 22)

What's Included

Air-conditioned vehicle
Port pickup and drop-off
Sheep Shearing Demonstration & Sheep Dog Work
Afternoon tea
Driver/local guide
Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee

Food and drinks, unless specified
Gratuities (optional)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

The Britomart Cannon
Akaroa 7520, New Zealand
From the Main Wharf in Akaroa, head down to the end where you will see the Akaroa I-Site and a small park on the right-hand side. Next to the Canon statue, a representative will be waiting for you. Please arrive by 1.50pm for a 2.00pm departure.

Start time

02:00 PM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Akaroa Harbour

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Hilltop Tavern

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Barrys Bay Cheese

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Coombe Farm

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Infants must sit on laps

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
Please note that activity times and schedules can be slightly amended depending on your cruise ships timetable.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 22 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Reviews

4.5

11 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 11 reviews

Great excursion

Kim_B, Dec 2020

Excellent service and the farmhouse and sheep were great. Loved being in a small group. Tea and scones were lovely.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Thank you for the review and pleased to learn that you had such a great day. I do hope you do have the opportunity to visit us again in this unique part of the world at some future date.

Beautiful Akaroa Sheep Farm

Carrie_D, Mar 2020

The drive was gorgeous and not too long or unnecessary. The photo op stops were perfect for pictures to cherish. The sheep farm was impressive as it is owned by one small family (not a large corporation). Watching herding of the sheep (from up close) was amazing and the shearing demonstration was so interesting that I video’ed the entire thing to show my kids and grandkids. Afterwards, a visit to their lovely and charming farmhouse with a snack of tea and homemade pastries in a flower filled garden. I will always remember this excursion (and I have been on many)!

Response from Host, Aug 2020

Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. I am pleased to learn that you had such a great day and enjoyed the Sheep Farm so much. I do hope you have the opportunity to visit this unique region again.

Akaroa sheep farm

Florence_B, Mar 2020

We really enjoyed this excursion to the sheep farm. It was fascinating to watch Hugh's dog do his job. Hugh explained a lot about the industry, the sheep and the wool. We were invited back to his yard where his wife had hot tea and scones with clotted cream and jam waiting for us. I highly recommend this trip for all ages.

Response from Host, Aug 2020

Sheep sheering demo was fascinating

Robert_L, Mar 2020

The tour of the Harbour was nothing to get excited about but the stop at the Sheep Farm was outstanding. We loved the demonstration of the dog rounding up the sheep and it was fascinating to watch the sheering demonstration. Having tea on the front yard of the owners of this farm was a nice extra touch.

Response from Host, Aug 2020

Don't be sheepish - you need to do this

Chrisg, Mar 2020

This was a brilliant experience - Murray was superb host, and it was fascinating to hear how he worked their farm culminating in a practical demonstration. To top it off the afternoon tea experience was absolutely awesome, sat outside on the lawn eating amazing home baked scones from Mrs J. Recommend this.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Gotta love that review title! :D Thanks for the awesome review and recommendation, Chris. We only started this local tour from Akaroa port this year (our tours usually go to Christchurch) and it's fantastic that it received such positive feedback over this cruise ship season! Let's hope this great momentum continues next year. It's also great to hear that the the people at the sheep farm were great hosts too and I'll be sure to pass on your kind words to them. Thanks again and I hope you get to return to Akaroa someday soon.

Couldn't be better in Akaroa

Dave_G, Mar 2020

A superb tour. The farm experience was incredible, all the way from dog sheparding, through shearing, friendliness of the farmer, including an excellent tea with bodies on the front lawn.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thanks for the awesome review, Carolyn! I'm really happy you felt that your Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour was an incredible experience. The sheep farm is a real highlight for many travellers visiting this country as it gives a good insight into New Zealand agriculture and farming. I'm pleased you enjoyed it! Thanks again and I hope you visit Akaroa again soon!

Educational and Entertaining

Gary_B, Feb 2020

Very good tour of the area around Akaroa. The guide was very knowledge and spoke the whole time about the areas we were being shown. The farmer explained how a sheet farm and his dog Tom put on a show on working and moving a herd of sheep. The shearing demonstration was good, I thought he had done it relatively fast, but he said the professionals he uses would have done 4 in that amount of time. Tea and scones provided by his wife was a nice touch.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thanks for the great review, Gary! I'm happy you had such a nice time on your Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour and that you found it both entertaining and educational. The sheep farm we work with are experts in what they do and give an excellent insight to farming and agriculture throughout New Zealand. I'm also happy that your driver/guide also did a great job and I'll be sure to pass on your kind words. Thanks and I hope you visit Akaroa again soon!

Fun experience

Martha_G, Feb 2020

The driver/guide gave us a nice overview of the area with a few scenic stops for photos and was very informative. The stop at the cheese shop was nice (tasted several types of cheese) although they weren't working at the time. It was fun seeing the sheep and the shearing demo but there wasn't really much for the dog to do which was a little disappointing. The tea and treats were a nice touch at the end, especially on a cool, rainy day.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Thanks for the nice review. I'm pleased that you had such a nice time on your Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour, and that you found both your driver/guide and the sheep farm enjoyable. I'll be sure to pass on your kind words. Thanks again and I hope you get to return to Akaroa again soon.

interesting advanture

YukLam_T, Dec 2019

saw the skillful shearing and the sheep dog its a wonderful experience, the beautiful garden high tea was relax for a moment

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Thanks for the awesome review, Sau-Yee. I'm happy you had such an enjoyable experience on your Akaroa Harbour & Sheep Farm Local Tour. I hope you visit Akaroa again soon!

Anti-American Slurs Made by Guide

Barbara M, Nov 2019

Initially our guide made several anti-American comments which disturbed us quite a bit. After awhile he must have picked up on the fact that we were insulted because he stopped the slurs.

Response from Host, Nov 2019

Thank you for taking the time to submit your feedback. Firstly, we appologise for the comments made, those were the opinion of an employee and not those of the company. We have spoken to the driver in question and advised that such remarks are unacceptable, the driver no longer remains in our employment. Notwithstanding these comments I trust you enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Akaroa and the sheep farm.