Kaikoura Whale Watch Day Tour från Christchurch inklusive Coastal Pacific Train

4 hours of transportation for nothing. Be aware that you may end up taking a two hour train ride to your destination just to be told the whale watching has been cancelled and now you will spend two hours going back to Christchurch. After a very early train ride, where we mostly looked out a blurry window, we arrived to find out our tour was cancelled due to weather. The power was out in the town and so we ended up getting back on the tour bus and drove to Christchurch. Leisure Tours told us they were not notified by the boat until 9:30am so they could not notify us it was cancelled before boarding the train. Based on their policy as stated in Viator they should have notified us by 7:15am that a storm was coming in so we could cancel our trip and make other plans. This did not occur and they only refunded the boat portion making for a very expensive train ride we would not have taken and a loss of time exploring Christchurch. Check to make sure you don't have weather where you going as they won't do that for you!!

Unfortunately the tour operator wasn’t proactive informing us of the potential that the cruise could be canceled due to weather. Had they informed us, we would have been aware of the possibility & made our own decision. Instead we took a 2 hr train ride to find outcry’s boat was cancelled & then took a 2.5 hour van ride back. The vendor should have communicated, early.

Wonderful opportunity to view whales, dolphins, and sea birds with a excellent guide that accommodated our various transportation needs

The trip was well scheduled. We chose to take the scenic train ride. By the time we arrived at Kaikoura, we joined back our group for the rest of the day. Sadly we didn’t see the whale (some people at the front of the boat saw his tail), but we got a partial refund. Our guide was nice and friendly. It was a good trip.

A fun-filled day with a train trip with coast views, whale-watching, full seals, a delicious lunch, and culminating with a wonderful wine tasting at one of the Waipara Valley wineries. Stephanie did a wonderful job covering everything. I was disturbed when we were told at the beginning that there would probably be no stop at a winery, even though advertised on Viator, because stopping to see the fur seals would take the time (the fine print said "optional" wine tasting if there is time). Stephanie modified her schedule so that we could get to the winery before it closed. If interested in the wine tasing, be sure and let your tour guide know so that they can adjust their scheduling accordingly. The lunch was really delicious!

The whale watching was terrific. However, the tour itself was very disorganized. They combined several different tours into one. Directions were not very clear and we ended up having to wait for other people to finish their activities. The guide was friendly and nice, but it was more of transportation from several different activities rather than one cohesive tour.

This tour was booked by a travel agent so was initially unaware that they had chosen Christchurch Leisure Tours as the full day tour operator as the transfer from the hotel was with super shuttle. Super Shuttle failed to pick us up from the hotel at 6:00am and had to Uber to train station. The 2-1/2 hour ride on the Costal Pafic passes through some beautiful countryside including 30 minutes along the coast during which we saw dusky dolphin near shore. We were met by Carmen from Christchurch Leisure Tours who explained how the remained of the day would go. The 10:00 whale watching went off at 10:30 with growing winds. The high-speed catamaran was a smooth ride out to the canyons to the spot when a whale was last spotted. Spent around half an hour watching a sperm whale resting on the surface before a tail flip and diving for food. Boat then started a slow return to harbour. The remaining whale watching tours were cancel because of high seas. Carmen met us at our return and drove us to the town of Kaikoura for lunch at the Why Not Cafe. Try Whitebait for first time not bad, but the fish and chips were great. After lunch Carmen stopped just south of town to see a seal colony with baby seals that lives road-side. Soo Cute!! Left Kaikoura at 15:00 for the 2-1/2 hour drive back to Christchurch. The road follows close to the rail tracks for much of the way giving a different view and a chance to catch up on some lost sleep. We did not stop at a winery as it was after 17:00 and all wineries close by then. Carmen did an excellent job of guiding and driving us.

Saw all the marine mammals we were expecting to see. Excellent boat ride. Guide was great. Probably could have been advised that we could get breakfast in the train but that would be the only thing I would add.

We took the train to Kaikoura, nice view with the awesome open air carriage to take some nice photo. Manage to catch the whale after several try. We prefer train ride over the sightseeing van but the van ride offers nice commentary from the lovely tour guide. Kaikoura worth a stay if you have time.