Akaroa Swim with Dolphins Tour from Christchurch: Explore Akaroa and Meet Wild Hector's Dolphins

Embark on a full-day tour from Christchurch to Akaroa and experience the thrill of swimming with wild Hector’s dolphins. Explore the charming coastal town, cruise into the harbor, and indulge in a cheese tasting session at a local factory.

Duration: 9 hours
Cancellation: 6 days
Highlights
  • Akaroa - Discover volcanic landscapes and breathtaking scenery on New Zealand’s South Island on this 9 hour Akaroa day trip from Christchurch. Take in top attractions including Governor’s Bay, Gebbies Pass, Lake Ellesmere and Lake Forsyth with your guide. Ascend the Banks Peninsula for beautiful views over Akaroa Harbour and the volcanic…
What's Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Cheese tasting at Barry’s Bay
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Wet suit hire
  • Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on a memorable journey to the seaside village of Akaroa and seize the unique opportunity to swim with dolphins on this engaging full-day tour from Christchurch. Traverse through the stunning landscapes of New Zealand to reach Akaroa, taking in captivating sights such as Governor’s Bay and Lake Ellesmere on your way. Sail into the port with your…

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
4.0
(34 Ratings)
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Theresa_b
Feb 7, 2025
The guides were... - The guides were knowledgeable about the dolphins and took good care not to chase or harass them. We got to swim with the dolphins when the dolphins signaled they wanted to play. It was awesome!
Review provided by Viator
Diana_m
Nov 15, 2023
Memorable Experience - This trip was amazing! We saw many dolphins and one penguin. The dolphins got within a couple feet of us. This was definitely a highlight of our trip to New Zealand.
Review provided by Viator
Wendy_l
Jan 15, 2025
Good trip - be careful about the weather - I give this trip 4 stars because none of the disappointments on the trip had anything to do with the tour provider. Carmen was friendly, on time, and made the journey pleasant. That being said, the night before our tour, we were informed that swimming with the dolphins would not be an option because of the unsafe ocean conditions. They offered us the tour with the harbor cruise instead, and refunded us the difference. Unfortunately, we did not see any dolphins on the cruise either (or seals, or penguins, or really any wildlife). Black Cat tours that provides the tour did give us a voucher for a free return visit, but we were not able to use it this trip.
Review provided by Viator
Titiksha_b
Jan 3, 2023
Lovely Cruise and guide to Akaroa - The cruise was great with a good guided explanation of marine life. I enjoyed every bit of it. The highlight was the Orca - killer whale for which the captain was very generous to stop for the entire duration of spotting.
Review provided by Viator
Marianne_z
Feb 29, 2020
Cutest dolphins - Frindly, funny and professional guided. Wonderdul landscape, very scenic. The dolphins come very close to the boat and are very gute. Unfortunately they did not want to swim with us. However it was still a wonderful day and we got a partial refond.
Review provided by Viator
David_l
Feb 10, 2025
A lot to see Little to do - Fun bus ride from Christchurch and the boat ride was nice. We saw a lot of dolphins, but only got in the water 1 time and the dolphins were gone pretty quickly. It was fun to see dolphins, a penguin, a couple seals, but prob better off just doing a cruise be getting into a wetsuit and all that goes with it. It would be nice if they supplied towels for the hot shower afterwards to make it an all inclusive type trip. I didn't realize we needed to bring them and if I did I would be dealing with a wet towel for 4 hours on a bus
Review provided by Viator
Ianjock007
Dec 30, 2022
A one off - Boat crew very good.Patience needed to bob around in cool water trying to see dolphins An experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolineaw4136bh
Dec 22, 2019
Disappointed - Our driver was friendly and told us a lot about New Zealand and its animals and nature. Due to the fact that there was a cruise ship arriving in akaroa that day our tour-itinerary was turned around and we started with the cheese factory (which is really just a tiny little shop) and the free time in Akaroa. I found it too much time as we had more than 2 hours and there is really not that much to see. If it would have been after the cruise it would probably have been okay with time for lunch. Now, what still makes me angry is the fact that because our itinerary was switched around we could not swim with the dolphins. We should have been on the 11 o clock boat but have been switched to the 1 o clock boat instead. Due to a change of weather it was not possible anymore to swim with the dolphins. Very disappointing especially when you know you should have been on the other boat! I think the itinerary only makes sense in the way it is described here on trip advisor and not the other way around. Changing that for a cruise ship is random and denied me the one in a lifetime chance to swim with the dolphins.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
695masakom
Dec 30, 2024
Female driver, you were the only one who was great. - The female driver for the ride was kind and the best. The bad thing about this tour is that you don't check your swimming level at the time of application. I was informed on the day that I couldn't experience it on my level, so I just watched it from the boat. I think I wouldn't have had to pay such a high price if I had known at the time of application. And what made this tour one of my worst memories of the trip was the same horrible experience I had on the shuttle bus on the day I knew I couldn't swim with dolphins. That there was a rogue tour-goer who put coffee cup trash and chip trash in my luggage. The clothes smelled like coffee and were disposed of. The experience of being mean made the tour itself one of my worst memories.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E5714uvchelseaw
Nov 13, 2022
akoroa swimming with dolphins - got cancelled for the secound time now workers had no sympathy towards it or anything, quite disappointed
Review provided by Tripadvisor