Akaroa Swim with Dolphins Tour from Christchurch
3.5
Akaroa Swim with Dolphins Tour from Christchurch
By Leisure Tours
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About
Lowest price guaranteeFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 50 per group
Duration: 9h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
- Cheese tasting at Barry's Bay
- Live commentary on board
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Wet suit hire
- Use of Snorkelling equipment
What's not included- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Start:Multiple pickup locations offered.Hotel pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included hotels.End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2950CLT09A- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children must be 8 years and over to swim with the Dolphins
- Customers must declare any pre-existing medical conditions. A basic level of fitness is required. Customers will be floating in the water and will be required to swim to and from the boat - distances up to 50 meters (150 feet) at a time.
- Minimum 4 adults required before tour can operate
- Must be able to swim, you will be floating in the water (ocean) and will be required to swim to and from the boat – distances up to 50 metres (150 feet) at a time. You will not be able to touch the bottom.
- Life Jackets and Floaters are not permitted.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 50 travelers
- If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
- If you cancel within 2 days of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
- If you cancel at least 7 days in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2950CLT09A
From
$222.97
per adult
Select date and travelers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- L S0 contributionsAkaroa stunning day and great company.Pete was a great guide. He made it so easy by giving great commentary while taking us to the best spots. The cruise was an additional highlight!Written October 6, 2024
- 199elainev0 contributionsBreathtaking!Tania was the perfect guide for our Akaroa adventure! It is a very lovely area with breathtaking views. The highlight was a 2 hour boat ride where we saw Hector Dolphins, the smallest & rarest of all dolphins.Written October 4, 2024
- Climber494117102370 contributionsGreat tour of Akaroa by TaniaTania did an outstanding tour for us today with interesting facts about the area, humorous anecdotes during the day, and competent and safe driving on the 'long and winding road' to Akaroa. She encouraged us to use our imaginations in the morning when fog and clouds obscured our otherwise wonderful views of the countryside and stopped to let us see the real beauty when, on our afternoon return to Christchurch, the fog had lifted and the beauty of the area was vibrant. In addition to the wonderful info and stories she gave during our ride to and from Akaroa, she was very friendly, encouraged the group to get to know each other, walked us to our restaurant, walked us to our boat, met us on our return from the boat excursion, suggested a very good ice cream parlor, and stopped at the Takahe Sign to see an overlook of Christchurch. Overall, Tania did a wonderful job of giving us a very enjoyable and worthwhile tour of Akaroa and the area between there and Christchurch. Thank you Tania!Written October 4, 2024
- 346kathya0 contributionsDay trip to AkaroaThe trip to Akaroa was delightful. Even though the day began as a foggy, overcast day, Tania, our guide was fabulous. She described the views we should be seeing and then, when the skies cleared later in the day, she stopped on our return to Christchurch so we could see and take photos of those places. She filled the ride with stories, history and facts about the area that were very informative. I was glad Tania was our guide for this trip.Written October 3, 2024
- Alegna4590 contributionsAwesome AkaroaWe arrived at Akaroa where we had a most delicious lunch of Salmon and Blue Cod and after we boarded a catamaran that took us on the harbour where we saw Blue Penquins, fur seals and the smallest NZ dolphins. This whole trip was amazing and the most wonderful trip and our driver, Tania, was wonderful. We highly recommend this one!Written October 3, 2024
- katejW8185YP0 contributionsGreat tour for sampling Waipara wines!Overall a great tour - got to try a really wide selection of wines, I’ve lost count of how many different wines there actually were! Tania was an excellent guide, lots of fun and gave us lots of information about the area. We originally booked on the tour without a lunch - which was then unavailable after we had booked, so not ideal but moved onto the tour with a lunch. Unfortunately, the lunch platter wasn’t really our thing so was disappointed that we had to pay more for something we didn’t actually want, just to be able to do the wine tour.Written September 30, 2024
- annerr590 contributionsWinery tourTania, our guide and driver for the afternoon was very informative and knowledgeable. She made sure everyone on the tour introduced themselves and had a great time. Stephen, our trainee giude, was amazingly friendly as well.Written September 28, 2024
- eduardogW3079ZX0 contributionsBad experienceOperator did not respect items and stops. They sent a note apologizing and publicly say language issue. As a consequence of my review they cancel my last taxi and left us in Christchurch.Written September 27, 2024
- Jbramley19980 contributionsIncredible, beautiful and funIncredible! Minibus picked us up by our local guide Scotty, he was so knowledgeable, friendly and kind! The wineries were all beautiful with amazing views. Lunch was outstanding and the variety of wines was huge! Out of the 20+ wineries trips I've toured this is by far the best! 100% recommend to anyoneWritten September 21, 2024
- W162UMbrookeg0 contributionsAwesome experience!! Tasty winesAmazing experience and awesome wineries!! Tania was an excellent tour guide with heaps of local knowledge and was awesome company along the trip.Written September 13, 2024
- AmandaF44470 contributionsFabulous wine tour and guideHere’s a revised version of your review: "Our wine tour was exceptional from start to finish, with seamless planning and execution. We visited beautiful wineries, each offering a unique experience. The team was incredibly accommodating, and Tania, our guide, was outstanding. Her extensive knowledge and excellent interpersonal skills truly enhanced the tour. I highly recommend this experience and Tania as a guide!"Written September 13, 2024
- donnavH8878XI0 contributionsWine trailWe had a fantastic day with Tania out your guide. She went above and beyond to make the day fun. Highly recommend the tour and 5 starts for the fabulous TaniaWritten September 13, 2024
- U9747AEbrianc0 contributionsGreat Scenic DayGreat scenic full day trip to Akaroa. Includes stops on the way there and back. Convenient Hotel pick-up and drop-off. The very knowledgeable and entertaining Scotty was our Driver/Guide.Written September 1, 2024
- Robert v0 contributionsEntertaining day outI was collected from the hotel. Our guide, Scot was warm, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. Wonderful scenery to and from Akaroa. Akaroa itself is quaint and not very large, which makes it easy to walk around. Plenty to see, including its French heritage. Good lunch included. The harbour cruise is great with detailed commentary. We saw penguin, seals, and lots of hectors dolphins. A full day out.Written August 10, 2024
- N9482HPjuditha0 contributionsFabulous wine tour!Fabulous wine tour! The driver/guide provided information on the drive to the first winery, Waipara Springs, where we tasted several wines, then had a great lunch. The wine pourer explained the wine processes and answered questions. We also visited George's Road and Torlesse. I was able to discuss the wines we tasted with the owner at George's Road who then offered to let us taste his syrah. Two of us found this one to be the best and we each bought a bottle. Torlesse produces wine in a more French style. All in all, a great day out meeting other wine lovers, and tasting a variety of wines and styles. I would definitely recommend!Written June 16, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.5
7 reviews
Excellent
3
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0
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3
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1
Terrible
0
Parker Finton
3 contributions
Oct 2019
A group of 8 of us came as we were independently traveling as we are studying abroad! We booked the dolphin swim from Christchurch and the ride over was absolutely amazing. The bus driver was very kind and gave a lot of great information! It ended up being that our group was the only on the boat and that made it even more of an awesome experience. Supposedly, we got super lucky! The normal trip sees about 5-6 dolphins that stick around for you to swim with but we ended up seeing 25-30 dolphins and swam with them for the entire 45 minutes! One of the best parts of our trip by far and would recommend to anyone! Staff was very friendly as well!
Written October 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the great review! I am really pleased you had a nice time on your Swim with Dolphins tour in Akaroa. It is a great drive from Christchurch to Akaroa, and I'm pleased that our driver made it all the more special. I'll be sure to pass on your kind words. It's also great to hear that it was just your group on the boat too, and that you got to see 25-30 dolphins. Seeing so many dolphins in the harbour is fairly uncommon, but such sightings is something that does become more frequent in the Spring and Summer months. Either way, you're quite lucky to see so many of these rare dolphins!
Thanks again for the positive review. All the best with your studies!
Written October 20, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
nwoodtli
19 contributions
Feb 2018 • Friends
We had a good day trip from Christchurch to Akaroa. But we didn't go and see the cheese factory. Our guide was a lovely guy but for some reason he picked us up from Akaroa too late.
Written March 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. The Akaroa Doplhin Swimming Day Tour from Christchurch does not normally include a visit to the Cheese Factory, that visit is part of our Akoaroa Day Tour with Lunch and Harbour Cruise. Following the Dolphin Swim we normally allow our customers time to look around the village of Akaroa and get a late lunch prior to returning to Christchurch. I am sorry if you thought the departure time from Akaora was too late. It has been our expereince over the years that our customers enjoy a lesiurely lunch and look around the village and appreciate not being rushed.
Written March 23, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Ian W
Sydney, Australia6 contributions
Dec 2022 • Couples
Boat crew very good.Patience needed to bob around in cool water trying to see dolphins An experience
Written December 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Ian, thanks for taking the time to leave a review. Great photos by the way! I'm unsure though as to why you only rated us 3 stars as you look to have had a great day swimming with dolphins.
Written December 30, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Chelsea W
1 contribution
Nov 2022 • Couples
got cancelled for the secound time now workers had no sympathy towards it or anything, quite disappointed
Written November 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am sorry to learn you had a disappointing experience.
Unfortunately we have no control over the weather and the sea conditions.
Written November 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Caroline A
2 contributions
Nov 2019 • Solo
Our driver was friendly and told us a lot about New Zealand and its animals and nature. Due to the fact that there was a cruise ship arriving in akaroa that day our tour-itinerary was turned around and we started with the cheese factory (which is really just a tiny little shop) and the free time in Akaroa. I found it too much time as we had more than 2 hours and there is really not that much to see. If it would have been after the cruise it would probably have been okay with time for lunch.
Now, what still makes me angry is the fact that because our itinerary was switched around we could not swim with the dolphins. We should have been on the 11 o clock boat but have been switched to the 1 o clock boat instead. Due to a change of weather it was not possible anymore to swim with the dolphins.
Very disappointing especially when you know you should have been on the other boat!
I think the itinerary only makes sense in the way it is described here on trip advisor and not the other way around. Changing that for a cruise ship is random and denied me the one in a lifetime chance to swim with the dolphins.
Now, what still makes me angry is the fact that because our itinerary was switched around we could not swim with the dolphins. We should have been on the 11 o clock boat but have been switched to the 1 o clock boat instead. Due to a change of weather it was not possible anymore to swim with the dolphins.
Very disappointing especially when you know you should have been on the other boat!
I think the itinerary only makes sense in the way it is described here on trip advisor and not the other way around. Changing that for a cruise ship is random and denied me the one in a lifetime chance to swim with the dolphins.
Written December 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caroline
I am sorry that you were disappointed that due to the weather you were unable to swim with the dolphins on the day of travel. The tour was not switched around 12.00 pm and 1.00 pm are our swim times in Akaroa and the actual time of the swim on any given day depends on availability on the boats. This was very unfortunate and completely due to a change in the weather on the day of travel. Should you have the opportunity to visit Christchurch again, as explained on the day we would be happy to take you to Akaroa again without charge.
Written December 23, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Abby
1 contribution
Oct 2019 • Friends
I left my wallet on the tour bus (100% my fault) and I was carrying a lot of cash so I was pretty worried when I lost it, but they found it and made sure to meet up with me before I flew out. Beyond the great service the price is unbeatable and our driver was so nice, and we had a great ride to akaroa. Then we got checked into our dolphin swim for the afternoon and had plenty of time to walk around, shop, and grab lunch. Our dolphin swim was one of the most amazing things ever! We swam with around 30 dolphins which was so cool! This company is definitely the way to go for tours and swimming with dolphins is a must do for christchurch!
Written October 21, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Abigail for the great review and for recognition of our service! I know how stressful it can be to lose a wallet or a phone, so I'm really glad we were able to return that to you before your flight out of Christchurch. It's also great to hear that you had a nice time in Akaroa too. Akaroa is a beautiful town so we try give people as much time there to explore on their own as possible. As for your swim with dolphins tour, that's awesome to hear you got to see so many. This month there have been more and more sightings of large groups of Hector's Dolphins in the harbour so it means that our customers have had the privilege of swimming with large pods of dolphins at the same time!
Thanks again for the awesome review and recommendation. We hope you get to visit NZ again soon!
Written October 21, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amy M
Idaho67 contributions
Dec 2018 • Solo
Awesome tour! I was the only one who booked this transfer so I got to talk to the driver and learn even more about the area than usual. Cheese factory stop on the way was neat and we got to taste 4 cheeses. We got to akaroa early so I got extra time in the town to walk to the lighthouse and through the town shops. Lovely small town! The cruise was awesome! We found 3 pods of Hector's dolphins and got to spend a few minutes in the water each time with them. Since they are endangered animals and are completely wild, you cannot touch them. But that makes it even more cool when they feel comfortable enough to swim only about 10 feet from you.
Written January 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for such a positive review Amy. I'm really pleased you enjoyed the beautiful harbour of Akaroa. And it's always great to hear that you had a nice time with both your driver/guide and booked activities. The Hectors Dolphin's are usually quite comfortable around people and its not uncommon for them to get very close to the swimmers. And as they are some of the world's rarest dolphins, it's a real thrill to see them! Thanks again for the positive review and I hope you have the opportunity to visit New Zealand again at some point in the future.
Written January 2, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Both of us know how to swim and snorkel, but I am 76 and my wife 71 with a bad knee 3rd knee replacement). Do you think we might have a problem with this activity?
Written May 21, 2018
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