Aerial Whale Watching: Epic Views in Kaikoura
4.7
202 Ratings
Peketā

Experience the thrill of whale watching from above in Kaikoura with Wings Over Whales. Witness majestic whales and dolphins, enjoy epic views, and cover large areas to see more wildlife.

Duration: 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 617 State Highway 1 - Embark on an unforgettable scenic flight over Kaikoura and soar through the skies. This exhilarating whale watching flight provides a rare chance to observe sperm whales, dusky dolphins, and various migratory whale species that inhabit these abundant waters throughout the year.
    As you fly over the Kaikoura coastline, you’ll…
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What's Included
  • Courtesy shuttle from the town centre
  • Pre-flight Safety Briefing
  • Informative presentation on Kaikoura’s wildlife and geology
  • Hot drinks
  • Gift Shop
  • Children’s play area
  • Terminal Facilities
  • All Fees and Taxes
Additional Information

Discover the excitement of whale watching from above with Wings Over Whales! This extraordinary experience provides unmatched views of the resident sperm whales, the largest toothed whales on the planet. From the sky, you can appreciate the full grandeur of these magnificent creatures, offering breathtaking aerial perspectives of both the whales and the…

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Location
617 State Highway 1
State Highway 1
Find us in our inviting log-cabin Terminal which is located at the Kaikoura Airport, an 8 minute drive south of the main Kaikoura township. Please check in at least 30 minutes prior to your departure time.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(202 Ratings)
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Happiness18519026937
Dec 14, 2025
Wings over whales-just do it! - Wings Over Whales is a great way to see the marine animals off the coast of Kaikoura. We did a 30 minute flight on 17 November, 2025, when the humpbacks were leaving, so no guarantees we would see any. Luckily we saw one humpback and lots of dolphins, plus the amazing scenery of the coast. The pilots are experienced and excellent at their jobs, as well as genuinely nice people. Definitely worth doing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Davencal
Sep 2, 2025
Definitely worth doing - Excellent experience, Jo our pilot was very knowledgeable and kept us entertained throughout the flight and to top it all we saw whales and dolphins
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Barrettd2018
Aug 27, 2025
Incredible experience with lovely people - Fantastic trip. Great pilot who was understanding and accommodating to a couple of very difficult passengers. The flight before us saw a blue whale which sadly we didn’t but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or coordination from the pilot who made sure we saw all we could and had a great experience. Really helpful advice and friendly service. Will definitely use again when back next
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Martijnk456
Jul 26, 2025
Perfect flight and saw two whales. - The crew at Wings over Whales were very friendly. Because of a delayed ferry we stayed in contact during the day. At the end it worked out perfectly and we were still able to go on a flight. And even beter, saw two whales swim beside each other. Something which is very uncommon the pilot told us.
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Davencal
May 23, 2025
Wonderful memories, and great photos. Cannot recommend highly enough. You'll have a whale of a time ;-) - Booked last minute when we saw the great weather. Booking was a breeze and the team at the office were really on the ball. The pre flight video was really good, both informative and humorous. Jo the pilot was great, her local knowledge was second to none. The flight over the mountains was spectacular. Then off out to sea..by communicating with the boats in the area it seemed like a mater of minutes before Jo had found our whale, and a good few dusky dolphins too. The view of these amazing creatures from the plane was superb. Wonderful memories, and great photos. Cannot recommend highly enough.
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Robin1122
Mar 5, 2025
Beautiful flight - The weather when we woke up was wet and very windy. When we arrived for our flight at Wings over Water, the sun was out intermittently but I was sure I would be too windy to fly. However we were told by our pilot, Alexis, and our co-pilot, Sam, that the wind would be no problem for flying. It WOULD make it very difficult to see whales. They managed our expectations extremely well and they were very empathetic. We decided to try anyway. Although we did not see any whales, the flight was amazingly beautiful. We saw a pod of dusky dolphins frolicking. There must been 100 of them. Alexis is an excellent pilot. She grew up in Kaikoura and pointed out some of the devastation caused by the 2016 earthquake. Despite the high winds, she land the plane beautifully. I highly recommend this adventure.
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Lindawarner2016
Jan 31, 2025
A great experience - What an experience. We booked our flight having failed to get on a boat trip and are so pleased that the boat was full. The flight was really great and Shaun our pilot gave us lots of information. We saw a beautiful sperm whale gliding along who the dived so we saw is majestic tail come out of the water. We then followed a large pod of dolphins for a while. Fantastic
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Passenger36738246170
Dec 1, 2025
Weather constraint - I would like to rate 5 star. But unfortunately my session cancelled. Reschedule timing at first then cant fly due to weather. So sad i cant reschedule to another day due my trip already packed. The host is good. Refund to me on the spot. No issue. Maybe next time will try again
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269jennf
Feb 20, 2025
Lack of empathy - Sadly we were unlucky with the weather and the trip was cancelled. However this is not the reason for the bad rating. The front of house staff were excellent and tried their best to rebook to an alternative time / day. As we were only in Kaikōura for 1 night this didn’t work for us. My grievance however comes from the attitude of the pilot, she did not seem to care less that it was cancelled. We had a very distraught child, whilst I understand safety has to be the number 1 consideration a little understanding that whilst flying in a plane and seeing whales is a daily occurrence for her, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for some. There was absolutely no compassion shown, simply a shrug of her shoulders.
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Felipeneiva
Jan 6, 2025
We haven't seen whales - Piloto was very bad mood, we did not see whales, expensive ride and no guarantee of seeing whales. Should call "wings over the sea," not "over whales"
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