Eco Tours
40 minutes
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 97% of travelers
97% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$118
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Air Kaikoura Aero Club
Air Kaikoura Aero Club
Air Kaikoura Aero Club
5
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
The best way to see Kaikoura's World Famous Sperm Whales and Marine Life - Make your trip to New Zealand one to remember with Air Kaikoura Depart from Kaikoura Airport on a trip to view the mighty Sperm whales in their natural environment - from the air you'll have the best view getting to fully appreciate the size of these majestic animals. Air Kaikoura's friendly team have been operating Whale Watching Flights for 30+ years, so you can trust you're getting the most quality experience out there. While on your Whale Watching flight get to appreciate the beauty Kaikoura has to offer from the air - enjoy picturesque views of the dramatic mountains that meet the vibrant turquoise seas. Get to enjoy all of Kaikoura's famous marine life from a 40 minute flight, some things you can potentially see: Sperm Whales, Dusky Dolphins, Humpback Whales, Blue Whales and Orca.
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Air Tours
25 minutes
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this reservation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
from
$103
per adult
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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.
Popular mentions
5.0
565 reviews
Excellent
520
Very good
33
Average
7
Poor
4
Terrible
2
Corina
New Zealand1 contribution
Jan 2022 • Family
What an amazing experience! There was low cloud all day and we were supposed to fly at 4pm, but they called us saying they could squeeze us on another earlier flight as they were worried the cloud would fall again before our scheduled flight and we wouldn't be able to fly. We were glad they did!
It was cool to hear the pilot communicate with the other plane and boat to locate the whale, and we spent a decent amount of time circling and watched it dive.
There was a family on the flight with us that had two small children. One was approx 5-7yo and looked to enjoy it, but the younger one approx 3yo did not have a good time and unfortunately the mother spent the whole flight trying to distract and entertain the child. Don't recommend bringing very young children if you want to have an enjoyable experience yourself.
It was cool to hear the pilot communicate with the other plane and boat to locate the whale, and we spent a decent amount of time circling and watched it dive.
There was a family on the flight with us that had two small children. One was approx 5-7yo and looked to enjoy it, but the younger one approx 3yo did not have a good time and unfortunately the mother spent the whole flight trying to distract and entertain the child. Don't recommend bringing very young children if you want to have an enjoyable experience yourself.
Written January 5, 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.
YY
Singapore, Singapore15 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
We decided to do whale watching by air as we couldn’t get a ticket on the boat that fit our tight schedule. We flew in a 8 seater propeller plane and each passenger had a window seat.
We had an aerial view of Kaikoura which was beautiful as it was a clear day. The pilot circled the area and showed us a pod of dolphins. Unfortunately we were too high up (500 ft) to be able to see them clearly. They looked like moving speckles from above. We managed to see a sperm whale coming up to surface. The pilot circled above it so that each passenger could have good view of the whale. It stayed up for about 2 minutes and then it dived under again. It was nice to be able to see the whale from above but it would have been awesome to see it from a boat.
We had an aerial view of Kaikoura which was beautiful as it was a clear day. The pilot circled the area and showed us a pod of dolphins. Unfortunately we were too high up (500 ft) to be able to see them clearly. They looked like moving speckles from above. We managed to see a sperm whale coming up to surface. The pilot circled above it so that each passenger could have good view of the whale. It stayed up for about 2 minutes and then it dived under again. It was nice to be able to see the whale from above but it would have been awesome to see it from a boat.
Written December 8, 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.
rebeccamarcum724
Louisville, KY4 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
Staff was very friendly and gave us a lot of information about the whales in the area. The plane ride was beautiful. The crew even extended our session a little to ensure we were able to see a sperm whale! Excellent experience!
Written November 23, 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.
RHONDA M
75 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
We had a great 40 minutes flight with Air Kaikoura Aero Club. We got a special deal which made it half price. We saw numerous pods of dolphins and a sperm whale. Our pilot kept circling so everyone on both sides of the plane could get multiple views. Very experienced and friendly staff. Highly recommend
Written April 1, 2023
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.
allieandandy
Christchurch, New Zealand58 contributions
Aug 2022 • Family
Top notch trip out with Murray to see the beautiful Kaikoura South Bay . We saw seals and a pod of hundreds of dusky dolphins, sadly whales were elusive today, but it was a beautiful clear day and we were not in the slightest bit disappointed. Murray is such a lovely host, great with kids - I had 3 boys with me, he was so kind and patient with them. We will book again and would highly recommend this scenic flight and wildlife experience to anyone visiting the area.
Written August 3, 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.
Sue Bullen
6 contributions
Jan 2020
We are visiting our son who booked the whale watching by air !! To say I was unsure about the flight was an understatement but they put me at ease. Very knowledgable on the whales and their feeding habits in the area and how they keep in contact with other companies to locate where the whales are daily. Austin was our pilot and was very informative on history of the area and although we couldn’t see any whales to start with he stayed out longer not to disappoint us, we saw a pod of dolphins having fun and then Austin spotted a sperm whale and circled for us all to get some pictures. Amazing experience.
Highly recommended
Highly recommended
Written January 26, 2020
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.
Lisa M
Whangarei, New Zealand27 contributions
Jan 2022 • Solo
Wow- whale watching from the air, what a fantastic experience. The scenery is breath taking with the beautiful colours of the ocean against the mountain backdrop. We were lucky enough to see two sperm whales and a super pod of dusky dolphins. Pilot and ground crew were great. Would highly recommend this trip. I love whale watching from the ocean but this new perspective helps you to appreciate the size of these majestic creatures.
Written January 19, 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.
Peter B
2 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
Seeing the orka’s en the dolphins was great. The pilot did his best to give us a good view several times. We where very pleased that we could book the morning that we heard that our whale watch tour was cancelled because of the weather. Air Kaikoura is a very good alternative. The flight went very smooth.
Written February 22, 2023
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.
Jordan J
2 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
I did a whale watching flight around a week ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The flight was delayed to allow fog and cloud to clear, which they did. While the delay pushed out other plans, I appreciated the operators explanation and flexibility. Managed to see one whale - a juvenile humpback and a huge pod of dolphins. I almost threw up following multiple tight turns that made me incredibly queasy. I recommend people have a QuickEze or another stomach remedy before you fly. There are sick bags provided and the pilot did check in about how people were feeling. All up though it was a great experience with the added bonus of supporting a struggling tourism industry!
Written April 26, 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.
Bronwen
Christchurch, New Zealand455 contributions
Jan 2021 • Couples
My husband and I thought our whale watching flight was absolutely brilliant! We would highly recommend this as a fun and different way to do whale watching as you get the benefit of spotting whale/s and also get to see the coastline of Kaikoura and dolphins if you’re lucky. Our pilot was Austin who was extremely good (best landing!) and very knowledgeable and friendly. We spotted a pod of about 300 dolphins as well as a sperm whale and saw parts of the coast that we would never have seen from a boat. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Written January 15, 2021
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.
SharminR
Singapore, Singapore
Hi there
We will be in NZ end of May 2020. Would love to do the Whale watching flight on the 24th or 25th of May. Is that possible? Thanks
Written March 2, 2020
Hello there , My wife and are traveling from Waiau motor Camp site on 12th Feb 2020 , arriving in the Kaikoura area around 12.30 , would love to have a flight with you guys on a whale watch, We are arriving in our RV campervan 7.7mtrs long, is it possible we can park up on your aerodrome whilst we take the flight with you? looking forward to hearing from you. regards Paul .
Written October 30, 2019
Hello Paul, yes there is plenty of room at the Kaikoura Airport park. We are situated in the Big black hangar.
Warm regards Team Air kaikoura.
Written October 31, 2019
Can I please be picked up and returned to the Kaikoura Top Ten Holiday Park at 34 Beach Road? I would be willing to make a donation to the aero club. I don't have a vehicle.
Written October 27, 2019
Yes all good. Please give us a call on 0800247524.
Warm regards Team Air Kaikoura.
Written October 28, 2019
What is the age limit for a flight? We have a 3 month old and we're thinking of trying to do a flight.
Written February 25, 2019
Good morning. We take lots of babies so no issues with your 3 month old.
Warm regards.
Team Air kaikoura
Written February 25, 2019
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