Albatross, seals, and sea birds-Wildlife Cruise
Description
Small group tours, by Otago Harbour's most experienced skipper/guide! You wont find a wildlife guide with more experience on Otago harbour then owner/operator Rachel McGregor. She has had 20 +years experience skippering/guiding/operating commercial vessels on Otago Harbour, including dredger, coastguard, harbourmaster and more. Modern, comfortable, safe, fast and custom built boat. Approx 1.5 hours -2 hours in duration. -Fully commentated. -Quality binoculars provided. -We pass by the historic Quarantine Stations and old shipwrecks. -See and learn about the fishing boats, workboats, dredges and ships as we pass Port Chalmers and Careys Bay. -Look for albatross, penguins, seals, sea lions, sea birds, marine mammals and more as we cruise past roosting, breeding and feeding areas. -See/learn about the historic pilots houses, search light and gun emplacements and the old whaling stations. -Cruise around Taiaroa Head, Nature reserve.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Small group tours, fast custom built vessel. Comfortable, warm, enclosed cabin, or open outer deck. On our tour..... -Approx. 2 hours duration, if joining from Portobello. Or 1.5 hours if joining from Port Chalmers by default, unless specified. -Fully commentated. -Travel from the most scenic part of the harbor, pass by the historic Quarantine Stations and old shipwrecks. -See and learn about the fishing boats, workboats, dredges and ships as we pass Port Chalmers and Careys Bay. -View wading birds and look for penguins sea lions and shags as we cruise past roosting and feeding areas. -See/learn about the historic pilots houses, search light and gun emplacements and the old whaling stations. -Take the time to cruise around Taiaroa Head, exploring the shallow bays to view fur seals and nesting colonies of shags, albatross, sea birds, marine mammals such as dolphins and more. Usual departure times are 10am, 1:15pm, 4:00pm. Please advise which times you'd prefer.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please specify on booking whether you would like to be picked up at Portobello (837 Portobello Road) or Port Chalmers (39 Peninsula Beach Road). Default location is Portobello. Please use Google Maps for accurate address position. We do not offer transport from Cruise building. Cruise Ship passengers need to make their own way, a flat easy 5-10 minute walk.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please be aware there could be sea spray at times, please dress warmly, just incase.
- Please wear a facemask if you have been recently unwell.
Reviews(205)
Such a special experience - highly recommend! So many different things to see with incredible local knowledge from super friendly guide & owner, Rachel. I’m sure every trip would be different & uniquely amazing in its own right due to the nature of the wildlife and environment.
Thank you Philip! So happy to hear this!:) The wildlife and conditions are always changing, so you never quite know what is going to turn up on the day :) Thank you for your lovely words and for your recommendation. It was a pleasure to have you onboard! Rachel :)
Had an amazing trip out with Rachel in a small group, very personal and informative throughout. Managed to see so many amazing sites of the birds including albatross in full flight, blue penguins, and a couple of sea lions alongside many sea birds and learnt so much about the comings and goings of the Otago Peninsular. I only took short. Videos which I can’t download sadly.
Thank you so much for this!!:) We were lucky!! What a show to see all that! There is always so much happening around the harbour! Though you never know exactly what we'll see until we get out there! And I love sharing the stories and wildlife along the way. Thanks for coming out with me, and I'm so pleased you enjoyed the experience! Rachel :)
Fantastic operator. Great knowledge of the area and able to find penguins, deals and albatross. Wonderful customer service. Would highly recommend this trip. Small number of passengers means you get to see everything easily.
Thank you Lee Ann! We were lucky to find penguins, seals and albatross! Im so glad they were all out and active! I really enjoy sharing this beautiful area with visitors, and keeping the groups smaller does make it easier for everyone to see what's going on and ask questions along the way. Thanks so much for your recommendation and for coming out with me :) Rachel :)
This small group tour (just six of us) was fabulous. We saw so much - maybe we got lucky- but Rachel (our boat driver and tour guide) knew where everything was, and got as close as she could. And she was a fount of knowledge about the area and the wildlife.
What a lovely review Judith, thank you! :) It was lovely to meet you! You never know what wildlife will show up, so luck has alot to do with it!:) But in my 20 years plus experience Ive also learnt where to find things in this area! I love sharing the wildlife and local stories of the harbour, so I'm really pleased you enjoyed the experience. Thanks again for coming out with me :) Rachel :)
Great trip. Rachel is very knowledgeable and very friendly. We saw just about everything and more of what she told us about. Highly recommend this trip. The cookie was very nice too that she gave us.
Thank you Susan! I’m so glad you enjoyed the trip and that we managed to see so much wildlife! :) And I’m pleased you enjoyed the snack too! Thanks again:) Rachel :)
The best ride was a blast. It's really a trip for bird lovers which I am not. The guide was very knowledgeable.
Thank you so much for your review Michele! Thanks for joining me even though you are not a bird lover!! I’m really glad you enjoyed the trip and had a fun time out on the harbour :) It’s true — we do see a lot of bird life out there, but I’m really pleased you still had a great experience even if you’re not a big bird fan! Thanks for your kind words about the commentary too, I really appreciate it :) Hope to see you out on the water again sometime! Thanks again, Rachel
It is a bit difficult to find the specific dock. Since one of us has mobility issues, it was difficult getting in and out of the boat. A very pleasant ride. Don’t expect to see more than sea birds, seals, and sn albatross or two.
Thank you for your review Susan! And the 4 stars! We send exact info out to passengers when they book to help people find us, so that there is no mistake and no suprises :) Thanks for your description so others know what to expect! You are right! We count ourselves lucky to see an albatross! Most trips will see an albatross fly! If we can find two or more- even better!! And sometimes we see much more then that if we are lucky and conditions are right and the albatross are in the right mood:) Seals for sure and lots of sea birds too on this trip! If we are super lucky there could also be sea lions, penguins and and many other things. The step to get in and out of the boat is 30cm high, for other travellers with mobility issues who are deciding if this trip is for them or not. If they can step down and up 30 cm, then this trip is ok for you!:) Once on the boat and seated, you dont need to move if you dont want to, as I move the boat around so everyone can see from their seat. Thanks again for your support and lovely comments:) Rachel
We had a wonderful experience cruising the harbor with Rachel! To begin with, communication was excellent. I booked very far in advance, and she let me know that she had me down, but needed to wait for more bookings to guarantee that the cruise would go. The weeks ticked by and finally about three weeks out, I got another email confirming my reservation. At this point, I received detailed directions for finding the dock from the cruise port. It is an easy 5 minute walk on a flat path. There are public restrooms right by the dock to use before embarking. There is not a toilet on the boat. We left exactly on the dot of the promised time, so make sure you are there a few minutes early. Binoculars were provided (although if you are picky, bring your own, I thought mine were better) and a page with photos to id the various wildlife we saw. Rachel did a great job finding birds and seals, and then kept the boat by them long enough for everyone to look their fill. The whole time, she kept up commentary on what were seeing, and some of the history of the area. The harbor itself is beautiful, and it was great to see all the birds - including little blue penguins just swimming along! While we did see, quite up close, a whole bunch of fur seals, for the most part this was a birder's outing. I'm not sure it would be the best fit for excitable children as the boat is compact and really you're just riding along and looking at birds. We had about 10 people onboard, all adults, and everyone was very happy with how the morning went. We returned to the dock exactly on time, and Rachel provided suggestions for next things to see or do. There is a lovely little gravel path right from the dock if you want to spend more time looking at the harbor. Overall a lovely way to spend the morning and highly recommended!
Thank you so much for such a detailed and thoughtful review! :) Im so happy to hear you appreciated my detailed instructions and timly-ness! Im a stickler for time!!) I really appreciate you taking the time to share all of this, it means a lot and helps other know what to expect:) I’m so glad everything went smoothly from booking through to the trip, and that you enjoyed the wildlife (we were lucky to see penguins! they are usually hard to find/spot!!). Thanks as well for mentioning the practical bits too, that’s really helpful for future guests. (For others reading, its best to use the bathroom nearby before coming onboard. We do have a bathroom onboard, but most people are more familiar with the onshore bathrooms, so for ease, we encourage you to use these if possible.) It was a pleasure having you onboard, and I’m glad you enjoyed your morning out on the harbour! Thanks again for coming out with me and for your recommendation :) All the best!:) Rachel :)
Rachel is the boat captain, the navigator, the tour guide with a wealth of information at her disposal. Allows everyone to move about, take pictures. Use the boats’ binoculars and provides a document on all that you will see and track wildlife and then to keep. Amazing tour in just the perfect amount of time. OH! That’s not all- she provided delicious biscuits so you have a sweet snack on board as well.
Thank you so much Sheree! I’m so glad you enjoyed being able to move around, spot everything and make the most of the trip (and the biscuits of course!) Thanks heaps for coming out with me and for your lovely words and details review :) Thanks again:) Rachel
Rachel was great! Great experience. We took an 2.5 year old and she was well prepared and equipped for that as well, with a set of kids binoculars, a stuffie for her to hold onto case she was nervous and also a life jacket sized properly for her. She knows the area very well and was an exceptional host. She was great with all the passengers, showed us all the important places and wildlife and was amazing!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad your little one enjoyed the trip too! It’s important to me that everyone feels comfortable and has fun. It was such a pleasure having you all aboard and sharing the wildlife and sights with you. Thanks again for coming out with me and for your lovely words :) Rachel:)
