Black Cat Cruises

Akaroa

Step aboard the Black Cat for an unforgettable kiwi experience. Voted the number 1 wildlife activity in New Zealand, your award winning cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin - the Hector's Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you'll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa's fascinating past. Black Cat Cruises was founded by the Bingham family who were the first to offer daily nature cruises around Akaroa harbour. The families love and passion for their surrounding environment and it's wildlife live on today. Travel In Style Your modern catamaran, the 60 foot /20 metre Black Cat, is the largest, most stable and comfortable vessell on Akaroa harbour. With it's 360 deck it's perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour. There's lots of room on the two decks for unimpeded viewing and plenty of covered seating, for shade and shelter. Inside there's a bar and toilets. Relax, stretch out and discover the harbour with our award winning Black Cat Cruise team. Each cruise is fully narrated by your skipper who has extensive knowledge of the nature, wildlife and history of the harbour. So what else will you see? Also on the trip you will catch glimpses of the White Flippered Blue Penguin, the smallest penguin in the world. There are many different bird species in the harbour, including five different cormorant (shag) species and the endangered yellow-eyed penguin. You'll also see New Zealand Fur Seals sunning themselves on the rocks near Seal Bay. On every two-hour cruise we will endeavour to show you native wildlife plus the many sea caves and volcanic cliffs. As Akaroa Harbour was a live volcano millions of years ago, there are many spectacular ancient lava flows to be seen.

Description

The historic French Village of Akaroa and its spectacular harbour is just a 90 minutes drive from Christchurch. Here you can cruise around an extinct volcanic crater and experience majestic scenery and Akaroa dolphins on daily harbour cruises. Black Cat Cruises are here to give you one of your most memorable experiences in New Zealand. They are current New Zealand Tourism award winners. They also are the only cruise operator in Akaroa with the Enviro-gold award, as well as being the first to be award the 'SMART' accreditation by New Zealands Department of Conservation. They donate a portion of all tickets sales back towards the education and research of Hector's dolphins. Black Cat Cruises also offer Swimming With Dolphins in Akaroa. This activity only carries 12 swimmers per boat and has been voted the number 1 bucketlist activity in New Zealand and available all year round. Cruises and swims depart every day, weather permitting.

24 hours notice is required of cancellations to avoid cancellation fees. Less than 24 hours notice 100% cancellation fee applies. Groups of 5 or more require 4 days notice to avoid 100% cancellation fee.

Main Wharf, Akaroa, New Zealand

Map

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