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Reviews 85%
South Island ▷ Kaikoura Region ▷ Kaikoura ▷
The Albatross Encounter is a boat based tour taking you to visit up to 14 different kinds of albatross. You will be amazed at how close you get to the largest wingspan in the entire world!
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Contact
Email: info@dolphin.co.nz
Website: Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Phone: +64 3 319 6777
Kaikoura Address:
96 Esplanade, Kaikoura
17 reviews with the most recent first, showing page 1 of 2.
batzi
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
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pepette31
Ranking: 8/10
Recommended for anyone who wants to see albatross up close. I really enjoyed the tour, there were only 3 of us on the boat with the skipper and we saw lots of different species plus as a bonus Hector's dolphin.
Two reasons why I didn't put 10/10 :
* the price is quite expensive and the tour doesn't last 3 hours as indicated but rather 2 hours.
* using chum (bait) does garantee great birding, but it makes me wonder if it's not a bad habit for the birds, which probably have changed their feeding behaviour due to these tours.
Albatross Encounter Kaikoura responds:
Many thanks for your review! It’s great to hear you had a wonderful time and recommend the tour. I am sorry to hear your tour lasted only 2 hours as that is rather unusual. The tour should be 2.5 hours in duration. Can I please ask, where did you see the tour advertised as 3 hours?
There is certainly no evidence to support the belief that providing chum for the birds influences their behavior. The pelagic birds are consistently feeding around and following the fishing boats in search of food. Pelagic birds are typically a scavenger type of bird which is demonstrated by their behavior when near to fishing boats. We encounter a variety of species and varying numbers of albatross, some of which are identifiable by bands on their legs. If our tours had such an influence on their habits then I am positive we would be seeing the same birds day after day, which is certainly not the case.
If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact us at info@dolphin.co.nz. Many thanks.
Cheryl & Ged Knight
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.
Albatross Encounter Kaikoura is open for business… Visit Website …now's your chance to take a closer look.
Wendy
Ranking: 10/10
This pelagic birding trip surpassed all expectations with really great views of so many species of albatross and mollymawks, petrels, shearwaters, etc. The memories of all those sightings will remain with me for a long time and the opportunities for photography were extraordinary. Many thanks for such a wonderful experience. Wendy, USA
PaulJames
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!
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Tim Smith
Ranking: 10/10
Superb 6am dawn + 5 different types of albatross. We were the only 2 on boat (but the maximum would have been 10).
Peter Brown
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.
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Every camping site on your iPhone™, iPad™ or Android™ phone or tablet. Avoid camping penalties using this council approved app. Featuring offline maps.
Chris Lloyd
Ranking: 9/10
I am involved in pelagic bird trips outside of NZ so these expeditions can be a bit of 'buspersons holiday'. Gary Melville's knowledge and unobtrusive style ensures its not - enjoyed both trips.
Jim Scarff
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/
Congratulations Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Wim Put
Ranking: 9/10
Many birds (albatrosses etc), also a whale and seals and dolphins.
AndyL
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.
Albatross Encounter Kaikoura is open for business… Visit Website …now's your chance to take a closer look.
TonyS
Ranking: 10/10
Excellent. Stunning views of albatross and petrels very close to the boat, giving great photo opportunities. The guides would help to ID the many birds. We were so pleased that we returned for a second trip 2 weeks later.
Pedro Menendez
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!!
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batzi
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
Top Ranked NZ Deals Pass
Access savings worth hundreds of $$ on Top Ranked NZ Accommodation and Activities for just $1 per day.
pepette31
Ranking: 8/10
Recommended for anyone who wants to see albatross up close. I really enjoyed the tour, there were only 3 of us on the boat with the skipper and we saw lots of different species plus as a bonus Hector's dolphin.
Two reasons why I didn't put 10/10 :
* the price is quite expensive and the tour doesn't last 3 hours as indicated but rather 2 hours.
* using chum (bait) does garantee great birding, but it makes me wonder if it's not a bad habit for the birds, which probably have changed their feeding behaviour due to these tours.
Albatross Encounter Kaikoura responds:
Many thanks for your review! It’s great to hear you had a wonderful time and recommend the tour. I am sorry to hear your tour lasted only 2 hours as that is rather unusual. The tour should be 2.5 hours in duration. Can I please ask, where did you see the tour advertised as 3 hours?
There is certainly no evidence to support the belief that providing chum for the birds influences their behavior. The pelagic birds are consistently feeding around and following the fishing boats in search of food. Pelagic birds are typically a scavenger type of bird which is demonstrated by their behavior when near to fishing boats. We encounter a variety of species and varying numbers of albatross, some of which are identifiable by bands on their legs. If our tours had such an influence on their habits then I am positive we would be seeing the same birds day after day, which is certainly not the case.
If you would like to discuss this matter further, please contact us at info@dolphin.co.nz. Many thanks.
Cheryl & Ged Knight
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.
Albatross Encounter Kaikoura is open for business… Visit Website …now's your chance to take a closer look.
Wendy
Ranking: 10/10
This pelagic birding trip surpassed all expectations with really great views of so many species of albatross and mollymawks, petrels, shearwaters, etc. The memories of all those sightings will remain with me for a long time and the opportunities for photography were extraordinary. Many thanks for such a wonderful experience. Wendy, USA
PaulJames
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!
Avoid Camping Fines!
The only camping map where each location is approved by every regional council in NZ. So if it shows on the map, you’re allowed to stay.
The Rankers Camping NZ app, is also in association with…
Tim Smith
Ranking: 10/10
Superb 6am dawn + 5 different types of albatross. We were the only 2 on boat (but the maximum would have been 10).
Peter Brown
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.
Camping NZ App
Every camping site on your iPhone™, iPad™ or Android™ phone or tablet. Avoid camping penalties using this council approved app. Featuring offline maps.
Chris Lloyd
Ranking: 9/10
I am involved in pelagic bird trips outside of NZ so these expeditions can be a bit of 'buspersons holiday'. Gary Melville's knowledge and unobtrusive style ensures its not - enjoyed both trips.
Jim Scarff
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/
Congratulations Albatross Encounter Kaikoura
Wim Put
Ranking: 9/10
Many birds (albatrosses etc), also a whale and seals and dolphins.
AndyL
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.
Albatross Encounter Kaikoura is open for business… Visit Website …now's your chance to take a closer look.
TonyS
Ranking: 10/10
Excellent. Stunning views of albatross and petrels very close to the boat, giving great photo opportunities. The guides would help to ID the many birds. We were so pleased that we returned for a second trip 2 weeks later.
Pedro Menendez
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!!