KAIKOURA · WHALE WATCHING
The trips worth heading out on.
The 11 kaikoura whale watching tours travellers head out on most, side by side. What you are likely to see, how far offshore the boat goes, how long you are out, the operator running it and what a place on board costs.
Kaikōura sperm whale cruise on a speedy catamaran with live commentary, possible whale sightings, and an 80% no-whale refund.
Most Popular“Beautiful and very well organized tour. Reached the whale area at the right time and they gave us enough time to take photos. Then we went through the playful dolphins and that was crazy cool 😎 loved it 😍”
Fly Kaikōura’s coast in a small plane for whale sightings with live pilot commentary, window seats for everyone, and 40 minutes of wow.
“Appears to be well run with well maintained Cesnas. Pilot did a very good job with flying and narrating. Only saw 1 whale, but that is the luck of the draw (the flight before mine saw 3). Location is easy to reach with ample parking.”
Kaikoura whale watching by plane: small-group scenic flight with a briefing and a real shot at sperm whales and dolphins.
“Very professional outfit. You'll be well taken care of. Show up early at their office in town. Transportation can provided to airfield.”
Whale watch from Christchurch to Kaikoura with hotel pickup, live onboard commentary, seal colony stop, and optional wine tasting.
“I recommend it. A known risk of buying tickets for whale watching is that you might not see any whales. In our case, due to rough seas, we actually couldn’t go out far enough to see whales, so it became a dolphin watching experience. They Read more”
Kaikoura whale watching flight: a 30-minute scenic trip to spot sperm whales and dolphins from above, with headset guide commentary.
“Super friendly staff, amazing flight. Ben the pilot was really knowledgeable about the area and great info about the Whales that frequent the area...AND... *WOW* got to watch a Humpback whale jumping out of the water. Such a special flight. Recommend doing this, you won't regret it ever!!”
Fly for about 30 minutes over Kaikōura’s whale canyon with live headset commentary, no seasickness, and small-group personalized attention.
“Excellent service, we arrived early & wasn’t an issue taking us earlier than our scheduled time. Seen a whale and dolphins during our flight! Highly recommend this company. Thank you”
Kaikōura helicopter whale watching with a 45-minute ocean safari, remote hilltop landing, and small-group wildlife views.
“A fantastic experience Dan was brilliant. We saw lots especially the orcas a great way to to see whales. A definite must if you are in the area.”
A small-group helicopter ride over Kaikōura Canyon with a mountain-peak landing for whale spotting and big photo views, usually in good weather.
“Daniel, his wife and entire crew provided a welcoming and seamless experience!! The communications were helpful , we felt entirely safe and totally feel as if we got our moneys worth!”
A 40-minute helicopter whale watch from Kaikōura’s beachfront pads, with pilot commentary and extra time to spot sperm whales and more.
“Die Basis von Kaikoura Helicopters war einfach zu finden. Nach kurzer unkompliziertem Check in sind wir dann auf das Abflugfeld wo wir vom Piloten in Empfang genommen wurden. Nach Einführung ging es dann auch schon ab auf den FluRead more”
Kaikōura helicopter whale watching with a 1hr 20min flight, mountain landing, and close-up chances at whales, dolphins, and seals.
“The ride was fantastic. We saw a sperm whale,, lots of pilot whales, and enjoyed the mountain landing for a picnic. Go for it!”
Kaikōura helicopter flight from beach to whales and snow-capped peaks, with pilot commentary and alpine landing, about 1 hour.
“It’s absolutely worth going to Kaikoura to do this whale watching flight. Our guide was great and made the trip very enjoyable. He was very knowledgeable about the whales and the surrounding areas. We did see a couple pods of dolphiRead more”
Every coast worth sailing, harbour by harbour.
