See Dolphins in “Abundance”. There is so much wildlife in and around the Banks Peninsula. Akaroa Harbour is home to the Hectors Dolphin; one of the smallest and rarest in the world. Get up close and personal with this beautiful and unique animal which can only be found in New Zealand.
New Zealand Fur Seals also abound on the Peninsula. We visit several colonies where anything from big, powerful bull seals to tiny newborn pups can be seen playing in rock pools.
Not only are there plenty of these awesome marine mammals, but there are also over 20 species of bird on the coasts of the Banks Peninsula! Our cruise will be a highlight for the bird enthusiast. You might see one of the smallest penguins in the world, the Little Blue, and if we’re lucky, the rare White Flippered Little Blue and Yellow Eyed penguins. We often see various species of Shag (we visit several colonies) including the Grey Spotted, Little, Pied and King Shags. Black Backed Gulls, Redbilled Gulls, White-fronted Terns, Pied and Black Oystercatchers, Paradise Ducks, Canada Geese, Black Swans, Mallards, Grey Geese and Cape Pigeons are also seen regularly. We also occasionally see Royal Albatross, Wandering Albatross, Mollymawks, Giant Petrels, Black and Storm Petrels, Gannets and Caspian Terns.
Akaroa Sea Ventures takes you FURTHER than any other tour company. You will venture out beyond the heads of Akaroa Harbour, into the Pacific Ocean, and along the exciting coast of the Banks Peninsula. You will experience cliffs, caves, waterfalls and incredible beauty all along the way. The scenery is spectacular! On our cruise you will visit as many as 10 different sea caves, see 1000 foot sheer cliffs, waterfalls, gorges, gulleys, and at least three different bays including:
Haylock's Bay (tide and weather permitting), a secret lagoon with a waterfall and seals that only smaller boats can get to, Damon's Bay with its caves and seal colony.
The tour includes Scenery Nook, an interesting landscape and unique volcanic feature with striking colours and formations. You will enter Cathedral Cave, an enormous sea cave created by a giant volcanic gas bubble, with its giant cliffs looming up all around you! Pass by The Spyglass, a magnificent hole in the rock which frames the Akaroa Head lighthouse. Then circle the Longboat, a rocky island home to hundreds of White Fronted Terns in the summer months. See the interesting rock striations at Jacob's Ladder. Pass by the Paua Pearl & Akaroa Salmon Farms and Three Point Island as we head towards Onawe, the very centre of the volcanic crater.
At Akaroa Sea Ventures we treasure our local wildlife and are very environmentally responsible. Although many marine mammals are very friendly and inquisitive, and they love boats; we will not chase or harass them. We avoid making loud noises or sudden manoeuvres near any marine mammal. We will not interfere with their normal behaviour by stopping or circling them and we do not feed or try to attract them in any way. We follow all Department of Conservation (DOC) rules and recommendations on how to behave when close to these wonderful animals. If we do encounter any marine mammals, we will slow down to less than 5 knots and make sure we do not prevent them from continuing safely.
