Kaikoura
Beyond Kaikoura

Kaikoura Whale Watch Day Tour from Christchurch

Kaikoura, New Zealand
Kaikoura Whale Watch Day Tour from Christchurch
Likely to Sell Out

From $215.13

Select Date and Travelers

up to 6 days in advance

  • 11 hours
  • Pickup offered
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Overview

Wildlife and nature enthusiasts will love this Kaikoura full-day trip from Christchurch. Look for impressive sperm whales along with migrating humpbacks, southern right whales, orcas, and dolphins on a cruise with live commentary. Visit a fur seal colony on land, glimpse the snowy peaks of the Kaikoura Ranges during your free time, and top off the day with wine tasting (time permitting).
  • Marvel at the scenery as you drive through North Canterburyy
  • Learn about the marine mammals of Kaikoura and the town’s whaling industry history
  • Includes pickup and drop off from central Christchurch hotels
  • Avoid the hassle of self-driving and sit back and enjoy the views

What's Included

  • Air-conditioned vehicle
  • Live commentary on board
  • Whale watching tour by boat
  • Lunch (if option is selected)
  • Fur seal colony viewing
  • North Canterbury vineyard visit and wine tasting (time permitting)
  • Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

07:00 AM

What To Expect

Following a hotel pickup in Christchurch, settle in for a comfortable 2.5-hour scenic drive by coach. You’ll drive through the North Canterbury region of the South Island to Kaikoura, New Zealand’s prime whale-watching locale.

Climb aboard your boat and meet expert guides who explain the town’s whaling history and point out the area’s abundant marine life throughout your Kaikoura whale-watching cruise.

The Hikurangi Trench, located offshore, creates an upwelling that draws the showstopper attraction—mighty sperm whales, who live in Kaikoura’s waters year-round—as well as migrating blue whales, pilot whales, humpback whales, and southern right whales, depending on the season. Keep an eye out for orcas as well as Hector’s dolphins, the world's smallest and rarest dolphins. You’ll see plenty of sea birds, too.

Sate your appetite with lunch at a local restaurant (if option is selected) or buy your own meal. Relax with views of the imposing snow-capped peaks of the Kaikoura Range.

Then re-board the coach to witness New Zealand fur seals at a nearby colony. Stop for wine tasting (time permitting) at a North Canterbury vineyard en route to Christchurch, where your tour ends in the evening when your guide returns you to your hotel.

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • Infant seats available
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation, if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
  • Please note, infants under 3 years of age may not join the cruises but may travel on the light aircraft tours
  • Once the tour has commenced only the unused portion of the tour will be refunded should the boats not sail or the planes not fly.
  • If due to whale sightings or weather conditions the boat offers a partial refund, this refund will be passed on to our customers.
  • If whale watch is undertaken by light aircraft and no whales are seen, no refund applies.
  • A decision is made at 6:30am each day, based on local weather conditions, as to whether the tour will depart Christchurch or be canceled. If the tour is cancelled, clients are notified by 7:15am and no cancellation fees are charged. If the tour travels to Kaikoura and the whale watch cruises are canceled, whale watch plane tours are offered as an alternative. If clients do not wish to fly, or the plane tours are also canceled, a cash refund of NZD 120.00 per adult is given. Refund is issued on the day of the tour by the tour operator in Christchurch.
  • As the wineries close at 5pm daily and on selected public holidays, a stop may not be possible. On these occasions no refund is applicable.
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 6 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 6 full days before the experience’s start time.
  • Any changes made less than 6 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • For a 50% refund, you must cancel 2–6 full days before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
  • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

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Featured review
priyamvadasrivastava
The tour was well organized. We were picked up from our hotel (Mayfair) in central Christchurch. The guide+driver (Scotty) was engaging and made our trip enjoyable. We were lucky to have a relatively empty van (7 people including us in a 16 seater). We weren't lucky enough to go on the boat, as the weather was unfavourable. We took the option of going on a plane and ended up spotting a whale (picture in the review). I would highly recommend doing the plane if you don't get the boat option. You won't end up knowing until the morning when you're on your way to Kaikoura. We stopped on the way back for wine tasting at one of the local vineyards. The landscape along the way was truly breathtaking. All in all, a memorable day. I would highly recommend this tour.

Reviews

4.0
123 reviews
Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
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Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 123 reviews
Wonderfully memorable
Sheila_H, Apr 2024
The tour driver, Jude, was a joy. The stop to see the seals was a wonderful experience. The whale watching experience was amazing. We got to see a Sperm whale and watch it dive, showing us its fluke (tail). We would highly recommend
Kaikoura Whale Watching from Christchurch
Susan_F, Apr 2024
Amazing day out ! This tour option really suited us as we were not driving around NZ & wanted to use Christchurch as a base for some activities. Carmen our tour guide was so lovely and informative & due to the tour size that day it really felt like a few friends out for an adventure! We were picked up from our accommodation, made the tour in Kaikoura with plenty time to spare, when out on the water we were so happy to see a hump back whale and pods of dolphins...back to town for some lunch with time to wander the shops then off we set back to Christchurch with a stop for some seal spotting along the way! All in all a great day out...would recommend for those who want to leave the car behind or are not driving like us!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Kiaora Susan and thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with Carmen!
Great driver, great scenery, no whales
Julie_N, Mar 2024
Seeing dolphins,seals, the community. Flying over the ocean to see several beautiful sights. Driver answered our questions, gave us lots of info! No whales, but that can happen.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Kiaora Julie and thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us!
Was a nice trip
Katharina_H, Mar 2024
Was a nice experience. I have seen the „big 5 of Kaikoura“: Albatross/ seals/ sperm whales/ two kinds of dolphins. The „Whale watching“ crew managed to find two of the sperm whales. But my personal highlight were the dolphins who swam with and near our boat. We could spend our lunch break at the beach (brought my own lunch) and enjoy the view. After that we have seen a lot of seals chilling on the rocks next the coast. Everything went well and I could recommend this trip to others.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Kiaora Katharine and thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us!
Just do it!
Paul_M, Mar 2024
We saw 3 sperm whales. All had names, which was cute. Crew was passionate about it. Saw tuna, seals and albatross as well. Outstanding!
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Kiaora Paul and thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us!
The cruise was great but was not a huge fan of the guide
MeghanMarie_V, Feb 2024
The cruise experience was amazing, though we only saw one whale from far away. The dolphins were great though, we came across a huge group of them jumping out of the water. I didn't really enjoy the tour guide's attitude though. I believe her name was Carmen. It seemed like she was angry with me for staying in a certain accommodation for some reason and made comments about it ("How am I supposed to know where reception is??" [after coming almost 20 minutes late] "Ugh that's really out of the way." "Well we're already past your stop, what do you expect me to do?") and acted like it was an inconvenience to pick me up or drop me off there (part of the tour package). She also spent most of the way there talking, which is to be expected, but her microphone volume was super low so you had to really strain to hear. She kept getting me mixed up with another woman as well, and she ended up skipping my drop off spot due to that as well so I got dropped off late.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Thank you for taking the time to submit the review. Although we are pleased to here that you really enjoyed your Whale Watching experience, it is disappointing to hear that our guides attitude towards you was both unprofessional and not meeting the standards we set and expect from our staff. For this we are sincerely sorry and have immediately sat down with Carmen and discussed the situation and are in the process of providing her with some additional training and guidance. It is our continued intention to meet and where possible exceed our customers expectations.
An excellent day.
Geoffrey_W, Feb 2024
The journey to the experience was very good and made even better by Pete, our tour guide for the day. He was excellent. Seeing the tail fluke of Sperm whale rise and then dive into the water was fantastic
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Kiaora Geoffrey and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with Pete!
Take the wine tasting out of the description
Amy_B, Jan 2024
The guide was great but there is no wine tasting unless the whale watching boat cancels, because the wineries close before the tour could possibly get there.
Response from Host, Feb 2024
Kiaora Amy and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us!
Fun, no wine stop.
Stacey_W, Jan 2024
Would have given 5 stars except the ad states a wine tasting as part of the day. After we left, they told us they don't do that anymore and have asked Viator to remove that part. Good day overall, just thought we were paying for one thing and didn't get all that was claimed.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. The wine stop you refer to is a comfort stop we make subject to the timings on the day. It is not an automatic inclusion. Due to licensing the wineries have to stop serving by 5 pm and if we are unable to reach the Waipara Wine area in time then a stop is just not feasible. We are pleased to learn that you had a good day overall.
Highly recommended
Begoa_E, Jan 2024
It was a very exciting experience to see whales. We also saw several groups of dolphins following the boat. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us!
Not worth the price
Melanie_S, Jan 2024
It’s alright, this was the most expensive tour we did. I booked it because I thought it was a multi activity tour but it was notWe basically had to spend 4 hours in a van just to get on a massive boat to look for whale with many other tour groups. I wouldn’t recommend it as the cost doesn’t match the value.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Thank you for taking the time for submitting the review. Fortunately we are all individuals with different expectations and emotions and hence our experience of the same product differs greatly. Whilst you do not recommend this tour others rate it highly and as a must do whilst in New Zealand. In fact a review received minutes after your from customers travelling on the same day and tour as you experienced rate it as a 5 star experience and highly recommend this option.
The tour itself was...
Hannah_S, Jan 2024
The tour itself was totally fine. Pickup at the hotel worked out very well and we travelled in a small comfy bus. Also we did a few stops on the was to Kaikoura and back. We arrived on time for the whale watching checkin and had to wait about 30 mins to get picked up, which I used for a walk on the beach. After the whale watching I was a bit disappointing that we had to rush for lunch instead of taking 5 mins to look at dolphins directly on the beach. Also it should definitely be cleared out that whine tasking only takes place if the whale watching is cancelled and not included by default! Since I didnt have time to travell to Kaikoura myself the tour was a good option to do the whale watching and do a short walk through the town.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Hannah and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us! To be clear, the wine tasting can only take place if the Whale watching tour is the 10am excursion, which is not always available for us to book at short notice, as we receive bookings up to the day of departure.
Great crew onboard, where...
Janette_A, Jan 2024
Great crew onboard, where as excited as we were to see Orca as well as Sperm whale. We were so lucky! Pete our driver was a fab host also.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Janette and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Pete!
Exceptionally great experience
nichole_f, Jan 2024
Very professional and had respect for the whales and other sea life. Plenty of time to view the Whales when we saw them, we were not rushed.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Nichole and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us!
Pete, our driver/tour guide saved the day
Franz_H, Jan 2024
The booking experience and staff who handled the reservation was perfect and very efficient. However the tour itself was wasting unnecessary time. Why we had to leave CHC at 8am, reaching Kaikoura at 11am for a 01.45pm departure is asking questions ? Some PAX didn't even have lunch booked and had to wait for almost 3 hours. The whale watch was not so exciting and the crew knew there was only 1 whale at present off shore. This is like going to the circus but not adventurous. All the other wildlife was not what we booked for...it`s called whale watching, and Albatros or whatever bird is no substitute. We did whale watching in Alaska before, and this was the experience we did not get in Kaikhoura it was rather poor...thumbs down...sorry. I made the same comments already to your Trustpilot website.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. As you are aware Kaikoura is 200 kilometers north of Christchurch and at this busy time of year with most New Zealanders on holiday the travel times can vary widely. To ensure that the tour is not rushed and everyone has time to see the seals at the seal colony and have time to have such lunch prior to the Whale Watch Tour we depart Christchurch at a reasonable time. In our experience most people are appreciative of the addition time in this beautiful township rather than sitting around their hotel room. With regard to your comments in respect of the Whale Watching everyone has different expectations and hence experiences things differently. You will see from the other numerous 5 star reviews of this product that you are in a minority. Furthermore in Alaska it is primarily Orca and not the Giant Sperm Whale so although Whale Watching a completely different experience.
Seeing a whale careening...
Vincent_H, Jan 2024
Seeing a whale careening was amazing and onboard commentary was informative and interesting. Land journey and lunch quality needs improvement.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Vincent and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us! Thanks for your feedback.
Whales, dolphins and fur seals!
Toni_C, Dec 2023
Spotting a blue whale was sheer luck! Following the sperm whale was fun. Watching the dusky dolphins perform acrobatics was delightful. Being up close and personal with fur seals ended a great day.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Toni and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us!
Excellent Adventure
Richard_D, Dec 2023
The trip was phenomenal. Our driver Scotty was excellent very professional friendly and a wealth of information. We saw 100’s of dolphins a Blie Whale and a Sperm Whale. I know nature is unpredictable but we were very fortunate luck shined on this trip. We also Saw many fur seals and finished with a wine tasting. I highly recommend this trip. I know wildlife is unpredictable but again fortune was with us. Outstanding
Response from Host, Dec 2023
Kiaora Richard and thanks for your review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your tour with Scotty!
Experience of a lifetime although quite tiring
Kenneth_L, Dec 2023
Bus ride to/fro Christchurch and Kaikoura was long and tiring. We had a 20-seater mini-bus and not a big 40-seater tour bus. And the mini-bus was almost full. Was quite uncomfortable but still manageable. Not sure if this is the usual arrangement. Those with long legs and/or are of a bigger size might want to take note. After check in at Whale Watch Centre, we were then transferred to another bigger bus (operated by Whale watch company) to be brought to the docks to board the boat. So expect a few transfers along the way. Boat ride was ok. Boat was big and new. A forecast of sea state will be provided before setting sail. Sea sick pills are available at check in (need to buy on own expense). Commentary and educational info were shared during the boat ride out to sea. Found it interesting and informative. We managed to see 2 different whales at 2 different locations. After seeing the first one, I thought we would be heading back to shore early. To my pleasant surprise, we were brought to another location to search for another whale. This is definitely a plus! Good on the Whale Watch company. The method used to search for the whales was interesting and almost guarantees success! Whale watch staff was also very experienced! They could even give us heads up on when the whale would be diving down so that we could all get our cameras ready to catch the tail fin of the whale "waving" before it goes underwater. Recommend to choose the lunch option as the selection was great! We were brought to a cafe/restaurant in Kaikoura town and could choose any main + drink from their curated menu. For those that didnt, they were also given the same amount to time to grab their lunch in the same area of town. We didnt have enough time so didn't stop at the winery.
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Kenneth and thanks for leaving such a detailed review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us!
Excellent trip, would highly recommend
Liam_W, Dec 2023
Both the bus tour and boat tour were fantastic! All tour guides were super friendly and informative! We got to see a sperm whale, a huge pod of dolphins and lots of baby seals!
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Kiaora Liam and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us!
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