Aerial Whale Watching: Epic Views in Kaikoura
4.7
196 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
  • Children’s play area
  • Hot drinks
  • Gift Shop
  • 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
(196 Ratings)
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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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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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Robyng423
Dec 30, 2024
Amazing experience. Highly recommend! - We made a last minute decision to take a flight over Kaikoura, booking just the night before. We were fortunate to have the plane to ourselves (we are a family of 4) Two adults and 2 children. Jo was our pilot. She gave a great introduction talk about the Kaikoura sea life before we flew, and throughout the flight gave a great commentary. We saw many dusky dolphins. Sadly the whales remained elusive but this did not detract from the experience and we all had an amazing time, the views were incredible, and Jo’s calm manner made for a very relaxing morning. Thank you to all. Highly recommend for anyone visiting!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susanv4girls
Dec 29, 2024
Unique viewing of a sperm whale and beautiful scenery on a smooth and easy flight - Our family of 6 had our own plane. Everything was smooth and easy, and we were able to watch a sperm whale for several minutes before it dove down. The views of the Kaikoura area was stunning. Right on time and very enjoyable 45 minutes!
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Kirsten114
Dec 22, 2024
Incredible once in a lifetime experience - Incredible experience that we will never forget! Our pilot Jo was brilliant, she has a lot of knowledge about the whales and knows where to look for them. It was a very smooth flight and we felt safe the whole time. We were very lucky to see a blue whale, 2 orcas and dusky dolphins. We can highly recommend booking a flight with Wings over Whales! Thank you Team for making this experience so special for us! ✨🐋
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trinityj951
Nov 6, 2024
an experience that you'll never forget! - To start with we booked the whale watch cruise but it got cancelled due to weather, fortunately Wings over whales had one last seat for us before we had to leave! the views were unreal, you all get a window seat so you get the best view possible. our flight time was coming to an end with us yet to see a whale ( we seen 100's of dolphins ) our pilot knew the whale would be coming back up any minute so we done another little loop around so we were sure to see one :) definitely an experience that I will never forget!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P4401vnashleyc
Oct 20, 2024
Incredible experience - Sam was an incredible pilot, made us feel safe and made it fun! We saw whales, dolphins and seals! They make sure everyone sees the whale and get plenty of photos. Everyone has a window seat! Thanks for an amazing time! Ash and Rebecca x
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Alexralexr
Sep 27, 2024
Wonderful flight and view - Pleasant flight, lovely commentary about the animals and land, and very glad we saw a whale and dolphins!! A unique and wonderful way to see the whales, i highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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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From $151
From $151
up to 7 guests
1 - Adult
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Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).