Ranking: 7/10

I joined an Albatross Encounter Tour on 03/02/2012 6am with two other people. The conditions very quite good early in the morning and we had very good views on different Albatross species, Westland Black Petrels, White-chinned, N Giant Petrel and more. A nice addition was a flock of Dusky Dolphins. Mr. Melville was a friendly and knowledgeable guide.
Reasons for "just" 7 points: It was a pitty that I had to drag all the information about the birds out of Mr. Melville`s nose, because he didn`t explain almost anything about the fascinating ecology of seabirds or their identification. And he knows without doubt very much about the birds! That was definetly a crucial lack of the tour, because it is essential to educate people in order to improve the conservation of those threatened bird species.
Furthermore it is a quite expensive experience for 2,5 hours birdwatching.
Sebastian, Germany

Reviewed over 8 years ago and experienced in February 2012

Ranking: 9/10

Expensive but worthwhile if you want to see seabirds. Small boat and small group - so very good. Guide very knowledgable, enthusiastic. Saw all the birds we hoped to see.

Reviewed almost 10 years ago

Ranking: 10/10

This was an experience I was really looking forward to and one I wasn't disappointed with. Everything clicked into place - good weather, a flat calm sea, only three people on the boat and loads of birds. We saw seven species of albatross and had quite exceptional views of all of them. I've been on pelagics in Australia, South Africa and Peru but this was the best yet. I could have stayed out there all day!

Reviewed over 10 years ago

Ranking: 8/10

Went on the albatross encounter and, as promised, saw several species of albatross. Birds were lured right to back of boat with bait. Boat was a little small which made viewing difficult & there were no bathrooms.

Reviewed almost 11 years ago

Ranking: 10/10

I did two trips with Albatross Encounter. They were fabulous. We had 6 species of albatross next to the boat, lots of shearwaters, both species of Giant Petrels, Westland and White-chinned Petrels, and even a Fairy Prion (They have records of their sightings by species on their informative website.

Gary was our guide and his knowledge and enthusiasm were terrific. All the others on my two cruises also had a terrific times. It was far more fun and interesting than the whale-watch boat trips (which I also did) and yields vastly better views of birds.

Photos from my trips at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimscarff/sets/72157623547666660/

Reviewed almost 11 years ago and experienced in January 2010

Ranking: 10/10

Before I arrived in Kaikoura I planned to watch whales and swim with dolphins, but hadn't considered the Albatross Encounter. As the Whale watching was cancelled I decided to give it a go and didn't regret it. The experience of seeing such large seabirds close up was amazing as was the variety of birds that you get to see. On our trip we saw 23 different types of birds. This was one of the highlights of the holiday and I would definitely recommend it.

Reviewed about 11 years ago

Ranking: 10/10

A must to everyone to visit Kaikoura and like seabirds. Very professional with a lot of birds in a close range. A GREAT EXPERIENCE!!

Reviewed about 11 years ago