Akaroa Sightseeing Tour from Christchurch: Explore Volcanic Cliffs and Rare Wildlife

Embark on a captivating sightseeing tour from Christchurch to Akaroa. Discover volcanic cliffs, rare wildlife, and the charming Akaroa village. Enjoy a nature cruise and a delicious lunch at Bully Hayes Restaurant.

Duration: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 6 days
Highlights
  • Akaroa - Following a morning pickup by air-conditioned coach from your Christchurch hotel, head out along the road to Akaroa to begin your tour. Tour includes Tourism Award Winning & Supreme Tourism Award winning cruise, on Akaroa Harbour.\n\nVisit the beautiful unspoilt old French whaling depot of Akaroa. A charming small township nestled in a…
What's Included
  • Lunch included (optional)
  • Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Professional driver/guide
  • Air-conditioned vehicle for comfort
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Join us for a scenic excursion to Akaroa, nestled in the beautiful landscape of Banks Peninsula, shaped by the explosive eruptions of two prehistoric volcanoes. Akaroa’s crater cradles the scenic harbor and the charming village of Akaroa. During a Nature Cruise, marvel at the unique, rare Hector’s Dolphin, a native of NZ, along with penguins and a…

Location
Akaroa
Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(223 Ratings)
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Jennifer_l
Jul 20, 2025
A great way to see Akaroa without the stress of driiving! - We landed in Christchurch and stayed a day before embarking on a driving trip around the South Island. We decided on this tour in order to see things we wouldn’t have seen on our own and to have a fun day that didn’t involve driving. Jude, our guide and driver, was delightful—friendly, helpful, and informative. We loved the small-group experience. Lunch and the harbor cruise were both excellent—we saw many dolphins along with seals and an albatross. The roads to get there were windy and would have been somewhat intimidating to us as visitors, but Jude navigated with ease and took us to places with incredible views. We highly recommend this day trip from Christchurch!
Review provided by Viator
Gwen_g
Jun 11, 2025
Small group ... - Small group Excellent knowledgeable guide Gorgeous scenery Good food Saw Hector’s dolphins and a fur seal nursery Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Sherpa54892463409
May 8, 2025
Akaroa with Leisure Tours - This tour was made all the better because of our tour guide - Scottie. He shared so much history and knowledge. We loved the scenery and the cruise. We cannot thank all the staff we dealt with enough. I would highly recommend this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Josemaria_h
May 8, 2025
Great experience, Scotty... - Great experience, Scotty was a knowledgeable and fun guide. The area had scenic views and we were lucky enough to see numerous dolphins and seals on the cruise. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
Melisa_b
Apr 30, 2025
Beautiful place to visit - Had a great relaxing day out. Stopping first at a great lookout. Then onto the picturesque Akaroa, a beautiful quaint town which put on a scrumptious meal. Saw Hector dolphins and seals while on the boat tour which was awesome.
Review provided by Viator
Roselyn_s
Apr 25, 2025
Alan is a friendly and... - Alan is a friendly and informative driver who is kind enough to cater to the requests of his traveller's, he stopped at the lighthouse for us to take photos. Akoroa day trip is perfect way to see stunning scenery and have great experiences on the black cat wildlife cruise, delicious lunch at Bully Hayes. However, for a even greater experience I wonder if a short stop could be made in the old Akoroa township first.
Review provided by Viator
7travelbug
Apr 18, 2025
Akaroa - Rob our tour guide & driver & the crew on our cruise were great. All provided great commentary. They answered everyone’s questions. Very considerate of everyone’s abilities. They also gave us a heads up for any part of the tour that might cause us motion sickness & provided us with strategies to minimize it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andre_m
Apr 16, 2025
Awesome - It was absolutely great Rob the Driver was very nice and took is Time to show us around a Great man.
Review provided by Viator
Nur_s
Apr 13, 2025
Love that its small... - Love that its small group. Smooth pickup and drop off right at the hotel. Excellent driver and guide. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Viator
Lisawt3940rf
Jun 1, 2025
Safe relaxing trip. - Our friendly driver was safe and experienced on the roads. I learnt some history and enjoyed her kiwi humour. I would have liked more time at the first stop (maybe miss the cheese stop). Next time I would miss the organised lunch and be asked to be dropped into the main part of Akaroa which looked much more interesting with better options for shopping/eating. The boat trip operators said it was going to be rough but our ideas of rough may be different - don’t let this put you off the boat trip if they say this. We were warned of no dolphins but that was okay, we enjoyed the seals and the harbour, would have liked more history on the boat tour. Overall a good way to see Akaroa first time around but now I have been I would be comfortable driving myself.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $157
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 6 days before the start of your experience (local time).