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Whale Watch Kaikoura

Whale Watch Kaikoura

Whale Watch Kaikoura

677 Rankers Reviews

605 Face-to-Face

4 Whale Watching

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Paikea & whale
Stunning tail shot
Kaikoura Peninsula

Information

Whale Watch Kaikoura

Whale Watch is a multiple national and international award winning New Zealand nature-based Tourism Company owned and operated by the indigenous Ngāti Kuri people of Kaikōura, a Māori sub-tribe of the South Island's larger Ngāi Tahu Tribe.

Whale Watch was formed in 1987 at a time when Māori were casualties of Kaikōura’s declining economy. At this time of difficulty, Ngāti Kuri leaders like (The late) Bill Solomon believed the local Sperm Whales held the answer to the unemployment problems of the Māori community. They knew their ancestor Paikea had journeyed to a new life in New Zealand on the back of the whale Tohorā. It seemed appropriate for Paikea's descendants to again ride on the back of the whale to a new life and prosperity.

And so it proved to be.

The Ngāti Kuri founders of Whale Watch mortgaged their houses to secure a loan to start the business. In the early days passengers travelled aboard a 6.7 metre inflatable vessel carrying 8 passengers at a time. In the first year of operation 3,000 passengers were carried. In time, the inflatable was replaced by a larger vessel with an upper viewing deck until today the Whale Watch fleet numbers four modern catamarans specially designed for whale watching, each holding 48 passengers. Now up to 100,000 passengers can be carried each year. The expansion of the Whale Watch fleet required the building of an entire marina in South Bay. It is from here that all whale watching tours now depart.

Due to the phenomenal success of Whale Watch, Kaikōura is now one of New Zealand's leading eco-tourism destinations offering a diverse range of exciting activities and experiences. The company has stimulated investment in new accommodation, restaurants and an impressive array of cafes and galleries filled with the work of local artists.

Paikea and Tohorā still form the symbolic centre of Whale Watch. They represent the spiritual bond between the human world and the natural world and speak of the possibilities that reveal themselves when the world of nature is revered rather than exploited.

Details

Feature Value Info

Organisation

Whale Watch Kaikoura

Commercial organisation

Location

South IslandKaikoura RegionKaikoura

Categories

  • Activity__boat_cruisesBoat Cruises
  • Activity__whale_watchingWhale Watching

Operating Season And Hours

Daily salings from 7.15am to 12.45pm

Directions

To Coordinates

Coordinates

-42.3959717467607

173.68083961308

Latitude
-42.3959717467607
Longitude
173.68083961308

Reviews

    • Well organised, 80% refund.
    • Best tour we have had so far.
    • Friendly staff, amazing experience, good value.
    • Also very good and a good crew!!
    • Well organised and successful.
    Rating Count Percentage
    10/10 169
    25%
    9/10 174
    26%
    8/10 148
    22%
    7/10 97
    14%
    6/10 40
    6%
    5/10 24
    4%
    4/10 9
    1%
    3/10 8
    1%
    2/10 4
    1%
    1/10 4
    1%
  • 5.0/5

    Very professional.

    Recommend the VIP upgrade if you can. You get a private minibus. First on first off and a seat in the captains cabin. It really did feel like VIP treatment. Only a few seats. We saw a whale give a great big flip. The commentary was really good and the company is hot on conservation.

    Reviewed 7 months ago

    Jane's avatar

    Jane

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Whale watch Kaikōura were professional from start to finish.

    I felt safe and informed. The staff were great. Shout out to Jack for being so passionate & informative

    We saw a sperm whale and then circled back to see him again.

    We also saw a huge pod of dolphins, fur seals and 2 albatross

    It was magical to see the whale and I got 2 videos of tail flips.

    One of the best experiences of my life. What a beautiful setting & a great team.

    Reviewed over 2 years ago

    Annie Penetito's avatar

    Annie Penetito

    Customer

  • 0.5/5

    Today was a warm, sunny day with virtually no wind.

    Nonetheless less the 13:30 tour was canceled due to "rough seas". I had read another review by someone complaining that their boat ride was canceled for the same reason on a seemly nice day and they had a hard time believing that the "rough seas" excuse was true.

    The email/txt from whale watch kaikoura asked us to call or come to their office to get our refund. And why? Given they had canceled the tour it seems to me that the refund should have been immediately and automatically refunded to my credit card.

    Reviewed 7 months ago

    Lois's avatar

    Lois

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Amazing morning could not have been better!

    Friendly informative staff saw sperm whales, 2 blue whales(staff very excited about that) fur seals, dolphins, albatross and petrol. Thank you. Jean

    Reviewed over 5 years ago

    Jean's avatar

    Jean

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Over the years we have done several commercial boat trips and are boaties ourselves.

    Have also done a whale watch trip in Australia which was good but have never done as good and professional a trip as this before. The crew are all very professional and have a fun, passion and enthusiasm you don’t normally see in a tourist activity. We saw a sperm whale, a Right Whale, hectors dolphins, decal types of albatross/Molly mask and giant petrel plus Huttons Shearwater. Thanks to the organisation and especially Jamie, Josh and Jagen (don’t know the spelling sorry but an amazing and passionate speaker) and the Captain whose name I don’t recall. It was a great trip.

    Reviewed about 6 years ago

    Penny Mackay's avatar

    Penny Mackay

    Customer

  • 4.0/5

    Very enjoyable trip.

    disappointed that the whales were too far offshore to see many but grateful the team were able to locate a single sperm whale that they knew was nearby tot he shore. God trip very professional

    Reviewed over 6 years ago and experienced in February 2018

    UNITED KINGDOM
    Derek Green's avatar

    Derek Green

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Friendly staff, amazing experience, good value.

    Reviewed almost 7 years ago

    PUERTO RICO
    Richard's avatar

    Richard

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    We did whale watching with Whale Watch Kaikoura - it was great.

    Reviewed almost 7 years ago

    GERMANY
    Wilhelm Wiechel's avatar

    Wilhelm Wiechel

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Unfortunately we did not see any whales on our trip - however we did see dusky dolphins, seals and albatross.

    The boat was nice and the crew was great. Would recommend.

    Reviewed almost 7 years ago

    UNITED KINGDOM
    Lizzie Edmonds's avatar

    Lizzie Edmonds

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Very professional setup, safety paramount.

    Short coach trip to south harbour then 2+ hours at sea. Very knowledgeable staff. We were probably very lucky in that we saw a whale almost straight away, followed by a pod of 200 or more dusky dolphins who performed fantastic acrobatics for at least 30 mins. Also saw petrels, albatross and a couple of sharks. Not a cheap trip but how often can you see whales? And the dolphns were magical.

    Reviewed over 8 years ago

    UNITED KINGDOM
    paulmiles's avatar

    paulmiles

    Customer

  • 0.5/5

    Today was a warm, sunny day with virtually no wind.

    Nonetheless less the 13:30 tour was canceled due to "rough seas". I had read another review by someone complaining that their boat ride was canceled for the same reason on a seemly nice day and they had a hard time believing that the "rough seas" excuse was true.

    The email/txt from whale watch kaikoura asked us to call or come to their office to get our refund. And why? Given they had canceled the tour it seems to me that the refund should have been immediately and automatically refunded to my credit card.

    Reviewed 7 months ago

    Lois's avatar

    Lois

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Very professional.

    Recommend the VIP upgrade if you can. You get a private minibus. First on first off and a seat in the captains cabin. It really did feel like VIP treatment. Only a few seats. We saw a whale give a great big flip. The commentary was really good and the company is hot on conservation.

    Reviewed 7 months ago

    Jane's avatar

    Jane

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Whale watch Kaikōura were professional from start to finish.

    I felt safe and informed. The staff were great. Shout out to Jack for being so passionate & informative

    We saw a sperm whale and then circled back to see him again.

    We also saw a huge pod of dolphins, fur seals and 2 albatross

    It was magical to see the whale and I got 2 videos of tail flips.

    One of the best experiences of my life. What a beautiful setting & a great team.

    Reviewed over 2 years ago

    Annie Penetito's avatar

    Annie Penetito

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Amazing morning could not have been better!

    Friendly informative staff saw sperm whales, 2 blue whales(staff very excited about that) fur seals, dolphins, albatross and petrol. Thank you. Jean

    Reviewed over 5 years ago

    Jean's avatar

    Jean

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Over the years we have done several commercial boat trips and are boaties ourselves.

    Have also done a whale watch trip in Australia which was good but have never done as good and professional a trip as this before. The crew are all very professional and have a fun, passion and enthusiasm you don’t normally see in a tourist activity. We saw a sperm whale, a Right Whale, hectors dolphins, decal types of albatross/Molly mask and giant petrel plus Huttons Shearwater. Thanks to the organisation and especially Jamie, Josh and Jagen (don’t know the spelling sorry but an amazing and passionate speaker) and the Captain whose name I don’t recall. It was a great trip.

    Reviewed about 6 years ago

    Penny Mackay's avatar

    Penny Mackay

    Customer

  • 4.0/5

    Very enjoyable trip.

    disappointed that the whales were too far offshore to see many but grateful the team were able to locate a single sperm whale that they knew was nearby tot he shore. God trip very professional

    Reviewed over 6 years ago and experienced in February 2018

    UNITED KINGDOM
    Derek Green's avatar

    Derek Green

    Customer

  • 1.5/5

    Would not recommend.

    Not worth either the time or the money. The whales are nice, but you spend soo much time in order to get to them, and then they are there for 2 minutes, after which you spend a lot of time looking for the next one. Too commercialized also, with three boats basically hunting the whales around, after planes or helicopters had spotted them. The crew created a massive hype, which really did not materialize. One of the engines of the boat broke down on the way back, which also extended our trip by around 40 minutes. Did see seals and a few albatros, which were nice, but those can easily be spotted from the shore elsewhere.

    The boat and the crew were nice, but it was just such a waste of time and money anyways. Also I do not see why everyone has to gather in the city, in order to take a bus to the jetty, when most people have a car anyways. Probably just so that people will buy stuff from their souvenir shop.

    Reviewed over 6 years ago

    DENMARK
    Troels Karlsen's avatar

    Troels Karlsen

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    We did whale watching with Whale Watch Kaikoura - it was great.

    Reviewed almost 7 years ago

    GERMANY
    Wilhelm Wiechel's avatar

    Wilhelm Wiechel

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Unfortunately we did not see any whales on our trip - however we did see dusky dolphins, seals and albatross.

    The boat was nice and the crew was great. Would recommend.

    Reviewed almost 7 years ago

    UNITED KINGDOM
    Lizzie Edmonds's avatar

    Lizzie Edmonds

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Friendly staff, amazing experience, good value.

    Reviewed almost 7 years ago

    PUERTO RICO
    Richard's avatar

    Richard

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Despite the sea sickness, it was an amazing experience to see the Albatross, seal and the sperm whale for 10 minutes.

    Great, fun and informative guide and staff.

    Reviewed almost 7 years ago

    DENMARK
    Michael Holm's avatar

    Michael Holm

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Fantastic information, great close up action with sperm whales.

    Incredible location.

    Reviewed about 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

    UNITED KINGDOM
    David's avatar

    David

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    An absolutely beautiful experience.

    Reviewed about 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

    NEW ZEALAND
    Wendy's avatar

    Wendy

    Customer

  • 4.0/5

    Very cool experience.

    Two bucket list items ticked off. Got to see sperm whales which is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

    Jack Halligan's avatar

    Jack Halligan

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Very special view from the top of sperm whales and dolphins.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in February 2017

    SLOVAKIA
    Tomas Kotul's avatar

    Tomas Kotul

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    We thoroughly enjoyed this activity - amazing experience, very knowledgeable crew and we saw 2 whales!!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in January 2017

    UNITED KINGDOM
    Felicity  Hughes's avatar

    Felicity Hughes

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Very professional service and a beautiful trip.

    We saw 2 Sperm whales and many, many dolphins.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in December 2016

    BELGIUM
    Sandra Reynders's avatar

    Sandra Reynders

    Customer

  • 4.0/5

    Was not planning to do this but i am glad i did.

    Amazing whale watch and orca,s as a bonus.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2015

    NETHERLANDS
    Peter Beeloo's avatar

    Peter Beeloo

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Incredible experience.

    Professional staff. Just a little bit too short.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

    FRANCE
    Lucie Colpin's avatar

    Lucie Colpin

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Getting to see whales was amazing, the boat and crew were both fantastic.

    We saw Hector dolphins as well as Albatross and seals - an amazing day!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

    IRELAND
    Niall Regan's avatar

    Niall Regan

    Customer

  • 3.5/5

    We saw some dolphins and two whales.

    It was beautiful but you do not really see much of the whales. I liked it but it does not deserve to be $150 per person.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

    FRANCE
    Guilhem's avatar

    Guilhem

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Awesome!

    Saw 2 whales, a few dolphins and a lot of birds. People are very nice and give you a lot of information.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

    NETHERLANDS
    Laura Leoekloek's avatar

    Laura Leoekloek

    Customer

  • 4.0/5

    Just one whale, but a lot of dolphins.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in October 2016

    GERMANY
    Lena's avatar

    Lena

    Customer

  • 4.0/5

    Great experience - saw 2 sperm whales, dolphins and seals.

    Staff were very informative and professional. A little overpriced.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

    UNITED KINGDOM
    Alice Frater's avatar

    Alice Frater

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Brilliant to see the whales and dolphins in Kaikoura and very exciting.

    Only objection is it is a little expensive.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in November 2016

    UNITED KINGDOM
    John Edwards's avatar

    John Edwards

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    We have seen three sperm whales during the tour and a lot of dolphins.

    The money was worth it!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

    NETHERLANDS
    Maayke Reidsma's avatar

    Maayke Reidsma

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Amazing (a word Dutch do not use very often!) tour, well trained and enthusiastic guides!!

    Lots of information, 98% chance of seeing a whale, saw dolphins as well.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

    NETHERLANDS
    Leonie's avatar

    Leonie

    Customer

  • 4.5/5

    Another great thing to do in Kaikoura.

    We got a lot of information about sperm whales and the staff looked out for them with echo location. We saw two. A marvellous moment when they went down.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

    BELGIUM
    Wendy van Boom's avatar

    Wendy van Boom

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    Great trip, great information, great wildlife.

    Many people (big group), but this organisation handles it pretty good. Thumbs up!!

    Reviewed over 7 years ago and experienced in March 2016

    BELGIUM
    Olivier Anciaux's avatar

    Olivier Anciaux

    Customer

  • 5.0/5

    We did this trip with Whale Watch Kaikoura in early March 2017.

    Of our 3 week trip to the South Island, this was probably our favorite day! We saw sperm whales and orcas, HUNDREDS of flipping dusty dolphins that were nothing short of magical! In addition, a couple of sharks and some albatross came by. The staff was very nice, informative, and friendly. We had a beautiful day and I definitely recommend this tour.

    Reviewed over 7 years ago

    UNITED STATES
    Ann Teeters's avatar

    Ann Teeters

    Customer