Kaikōura Whale Watch Tour from Christchurch - Small Group
Description
Discover New Zealand's marine wildlife capital on this whale watching day tour from Christchurch to Kaikōura. Journey along a spectacular coastal route to witness giant sperm whales, humpbacks, dolphins, and seabirds in their natural habitat. Travel through Canterbury with your expert Kiwi guide, stopping at Cheviot and Hundalee Hills where fur seals bask on rocks. Board your whale watching vessel with naturalist guides. The Kaikōura Canyon creates nutrient-rich waters attracting incredible marine diversity. Search for sperm whales, humpbacks, orcas, and dolphins using hydrophone tracking technology. When time permits, stop at Waipara wine region for tastings. Travel carbon-neutral in a Mercedes Sprinter with WiFi and USB charging. With maximum 16 guests, enjoy personalized attention and lunch included on this ultimate whale watching experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your day begins with pickup from your central Christchurch accommodation. Meet your friendly Kiwi guide and fellow travellers in our comfortable Mercedes Sprinter. Settle in with complimentary WiFi and USB charging as we head north through the Garden City, with commentary on Christchurch's landmarks, earthquake recovery story, and Canterbury region highlights.
Travel north along State Highway 1, one of New Zealand's most spectacular coastal routes. Your guide shares insights into the Canterbury region's history, geology, and agricultural heritage as you pass through rolling farmland toward the Pacific coast. Watch the landscape transform as you approach the coastal areas.
Our first stop is in Cheviot, a hidden gem on one of New Zealand’s largest coastal routes. This is a perfect spot to stretch your legs and refuel. After our brief break, we’ll continue through the stunning Hundalee Hills, where you’ll have a chance to spot surfers and local wildlife, including seals! The scenic drive offers spectacular views all along the way.
Arrive in Kaikōura, a small coastal town caught between the snowcapped Kaikōura Ranges and the turquoise waters of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean). The town's name translates to "eat crayfish" in Māori, reflecting its rich marine bounty. Your guide takes you for an authentic Kiwi fish and chips lunch while sharing the town's fascinating history: the significance of the Kaikōura Peninsula as Te Taumanu-o-te-waka-a-Māui (the seat where Māui sat when he fished the North Island up from the ocean depths), the town's recovery from the 2016 magnitude 7.8 earthquake, and its 2023 recognition by Condé Nast Traveler as one of the world's most beautiful small towns. Please note there is no time for additional walks or local shopping at this stop.
Board your purpose-built whale watching vessel with expert naturalist guides who explain Kaikōura's unique marine ecosystem. The Kaikōura Canyon—a deep underwater trench just 1km offshore—creates nutrient-rich waters that attract an incredible diversity of marine life year-round. While on board, you will have the chance to spot marine wildlife, including Giant Sperm, Blue, Fin, Sei, Humpback, Minke, Pilot, Orca and Southern Right Whales, Common Dolphins, Bottlenose Dolphins, Southern Right Whale Dolphins, Hector’s Dolphins, Dusky Dolphins, Elephant Seals and Leopard Seals. Bird species - such as Albatross, Petrels, and Shearwaters - may also be spotted. There is no doubt that this experience will be pretty special, and is one of our most popular day tours.
On our return to Christchurch, we make a brief stop at Gore Bay. A popular surf beach and bach paradise, the bay's coastline is rugged yet beautiful.
Our final stop of the day is at a viewpoint overlooking the nearby Cathedral Cliffs. Created by eroded silt and sandstone, the hillside structure mimics flutes similar to those found in Cathedral pillars; a hidden piece of natural paradise.
When timing permits, we stop at Waipara—a renowned wine region surrounded by lush vineyards and green hills. Here you can taste a selection of locally produced wines from a family-owned vineyard. The Waipara Valley is known for its excellent Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay. Don't worry if wine's not your thing—beer and non-alcoholic options are also available. Note: this stop is strictly subject to timing on the day - refunds are not provided if we skip this stop.
Arrive back at your original Christchurch pickup location with unforgettable memories of New Zealand's marine wildlife, stunning coastal scenery, and authentic Kiwi hospitality. Your guide drops you at your hotel entrance.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
For a smooth pick-up process please be waiting at your selected pick-up location at least 5 minutes before your scheduled pick-up time. Your vehicle may be delayed due to previous pickups. Please be patient and wait 10 minutes before calling the office. Our drivers cannot wait for late customers. No show / late customers will not be refunded. We only pick up from locations that have a pickup noted. Please make sure you have let us know your pickup location. For hotel pickups please be waiting at or Infront of reception. Please see pick up times below 07:55 Hotel Elms 08:03 Scenic Hotel Cotswold 8:08 Sudima City 08:10 Crowne Plaza 08:12 Novotel City 08:14 Distinction 08:17 Christchurch City Hotel 08:20 Christchurch Bus Interchange (Intercity stop) 08:24 Breakfree 08:27 Rydges Latimer 08:30 Urbanz 08:33 Fino 08:35 The George 08:40 Hotel Give 08:55 Commodore Christchurch Airport 09:00 Sudima Christchurch Airport
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We can accommodate dietary needs such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc. If you have dietary requirements. Please kindly indicate it to the special requirements at the time of booking
- Alcohol will only be served to people 18 years and older
- Travel time included in total duration
Reviews(11)
The weather was pretty nice, the guide was kindly nice as well and such a good driver. We saw 5 adult whales and 1 baby-whale also dolphins and the seals.
The Kaikoura whale watch tour was canceled due to weather. Understandable as there is a need to be safe and there was severe weather. What is not understandable is that even though canceled, Cheeky Kea is not providing a refund. Beware of booking Cheeky Tours.
Our guide, Paul, was friendly and informative. One of our travelling parties cancelled due to motion sickness but decided to participate again to give it a try. Paul called the office immediately to check and his office’s Ms Amy (Sammie?) managed to slot in 1 person back again to the tour and secured the whale watching ticket. We avoided disappointment that one of us may not be able to be part of this great experience! We had one of the most delicious fish & chips for lunch - at a lookout spot with a priceless view - before our whale watch boat ride. We were treated to sighting not one but two sperm whales! Not only did we get to see a pair of whales side by side, the marine giants were on the surface for almost a hour-which is rare! The Whale Watch crew were informative, friendly and professional too. This is one of the best and most memorable tour and experience that we’ll never forget.
I really enjoyed my day, the scenery on the way was pretty and we had good information from our guide, Clive, who was great and attended to everyone's needs extremely well. The fish and chip lunch was fantastic and It was nice seeing the beautiful coastline and the seal colony which was fascinating. We were lucky that we got on the boat trip - due to the weather being windy - and it was amazing to see a sperm whale, dolphins and albatross! A really good day - thoroughly recommend!!
We had a wonderful, experienced guide named Clive who went out of his way to make the trip wonderful for all of us. It was very windy, but our whale watching boat still went out. We were able to see Holey Moley the sperm whale and several dusky dolphins who swam close to the boat. It was pretty special. We took motion sickness medication so we were okay despite the waves (plan in advance). Clive also took us to a special place to see seals. There were many pups and it was adorable!! No tourists trying to invade their habitat, just seals allowed to grow and thrive in nature. New Zealand is truly a special place and we are thankful to be able to visit!
due to the terrible weather the whale watching was cancelled. Our brave and determined guide did her best to make the day worthwhile. She did her best but in the in the rain it is pretty difficult. 3 highlights-an extraordinary seal colony; great wine testing and out guide Diane. She taught us a great deal about life in New Zealand at a high level. Thank you Diane !
So impressed with this tour to Kaikōura and our guide Jess. Even though the weather affected some of the trip, Jess found alternatives and we all still had a great day. Very informative and we saw lots of wildlife and amazing views. Highly recommend. My only regret is booking through a third party instead of booking directly.
Amazing guide (Clive). Lots of opportunities to see marine life of all kinds!! Saw seals, whales, dolphins, albatross, and more!
We had a great trip despite weather preventing us from taking the whale watching tour. Jess did an amazing job of making sure we all enjoyed our trip! The day could easily have been a bust but she sought out amazing wildlife to include baby seals.
Kia ora Laura, We are so sorry that the Whale Watch portion of your tour was cancelled due to rough seas and poor weather, but are so pleased to hear that Jess was able to provide you with alternative options! How cool to see seal pups in their natural habitat!!! Many thanks for the five-star review despite the unfortunate weather on the day of your tour - we really appreciate it and will pass on your kind words to Jess :)
Fantastic day out. Beautiful trip from Christchurch to Kaikoura through the Canterbury plains and over the mountain roads. Stopping along the way to see the seals. Unfortunately, the boat was cancelled due to rough seas, so we were sent up in a flight that lasted 30 minutes. No whales were seen, but a large pod of Dolphins gave a fabulous display. We then had a lovely lunch at the King Tide eatery. On the travels back to Christchurch, we stopped for a fabulous wine tasting. Our guide June was amazing. Highly recommend the trip.
Hi, Thank you for your lovely review, we really appreciate it and hope that we see you again soon!
