Kaikoura Whale Watch Day Tour from Christchurch including Coastal Pacific Train
Description
Experience the natural treasures of New Zealand on a whale-watching cruise from the picturesque town of Kaikoura. Look for the mighty sperm whales that live in these waters along with dolphins, New Zealand fur seals and seabirds. Start the day with an early morning Train Journey from Christchurch to Kaikoura, Admire breathtaking views of the snow-capped Kaikoura Ranges and visit a fur seal colony on land. Wrap up the day with a wine tasting at a vineyard in North Canterbury. Your experienced guide shares informative commentary throughout the day on this fun and fascinating tour.
Tour Options
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
pickups from most Hotels/Motels & backpackers
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation, if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
- Please note, infants under 3 years of age may not join the cruises but may travel on the light aircraft tours
- Once the tour has commenced only the unused portion of the tour will be refunded should the boats not sail or the planes not fly.
- If due to whale sightings or weather conditions the boat offers a partial refund, this refund will be passed on to our customers.
- If whale watch is undertaken by light aircraft and no whales are seen, no refund applies.
- A decision is made at 6:30am each day, based on local weather conditions, as to whether the tour will depart Christchurch or be canceled. If the tour is canceled, clients are notified by 7:15am and no cancellation fees are charged. If the tour travels to Kaikoura and the whale watch cruises are canceled, whale watch plane tours are offered as an alternative. If clients do not wish to fly, or the plane tours are also canceled, a cash refund of NZD 120.00 per adult is given. Refund is issued on the day of the tour by the tour operator in Christchurch.
- As the wineries close at 5pm daily and on selected public holidays, a stop may not be possible. On these occasions no refund is applicable.
Reviews(9)
4 hours of transportation for nothing. Be aware that you may end up taking a two hour train ride to your destination just to be told the whale watching has been cancelled and now you will spend two hours going back to Christchurch. After a very early train ride, where we mostly looked out a blurry window, we arrived to find out our tour was cancelled due to weather. The power was out in the town and so we ended up getting back on the tour bus and drove to Christchurch. Leisure Tours told us they were not notified by the boat until 9:30am so they could not notify us it was cancelled before boarding the train. Based on their policy as stated in Viator they should have notified us by 7:15am that a storm was coming in so we could cancel our trip and make other plans. This did not occur and they only refunded the boat portion making for a very expensive train ride we would not have taken and a loss of time exploring Christchurch. Check to make sure you don't have weather where you going as they won't do that for you!!
Thanks for your review - however, you are not quite correct. Firstly, the Coastal Pacific train is a true highlight and a stunning trip all in its own right and you had a choice whether to take the train or vehicle. Secondly, the weather Gods we do not control and our Whale Watch boat only cancels at the very last minute based on sea conditions as it is in their very best interest to sail. No sail - no revenue. And as we do not operate the boat we are governed by their strict protocols around safety of passengers - as in you. And on this day they reluctantly made the call not sail to protect you and everyone else. We are sorry our safety procedures did not meet with your favour.
Unfortunately the tour operator wasn’t proactive informing us of the potential that the cruise could be canceled due to weather. Had they informed us, we would have been aware of the possibility & made our own decision. Instead we took a 2 hr train ride to find outcry’s boat was cancelled & then took a 2.5 hour van ride back. The vendor should have communicated, early.
Your comments are noted. However, as conveyed to you on the day of sailing the tour was going ahead until a faster than expected weather front caused the whale watch boat to cancel at very late notice. They do not like cancelling as conditions have to be bad for them to do so. Had we cancelled you then no refund for the boat trip. Because the provider cancelled their own trip you got a refund for the boat trip. Appreciate your comments.
Wonderful opportunity to view whales, dolphins, and sea birds with a excellent guide that accommodated our various transportation needs
Great review and comments - thank you.
The trip was well scheduled. We chose to take the scenic train ride. By the time we arrived at Kaikoura, we joined back our group for the rest of the day. Sadly we didn’t see the whale (some people at the front of the boat saw his tail), but we got a partial refund. Our guide was nice and friendly. It was a good trip.
Thank you for your kind review. Those whales are huge but sometimes they are elusive and hard to spot. Its always a great trip - even without spotting a whale. Which is always a bonus.
A fun-filled day with a train trip with coast views, whale-watching, full seals, a delicious lunch, and culminating with a wonderful wine tasting at one of the Waipara Valley wineries. Stephanie did a wonderful job covering everything. I was disturbed when we were told at the beginning that there would probably be no stop at a winery, even though advertised on Viator, because stopping to see the fur seals would take the time (the fine print said "optional" wine tasting if there is time). Stephanie modified her schedule so that we could get to the winery before it closed. If interested in the wine tasing, be sure and let your tour guide know so that they can adjust their scheduling accordingly. The lunch was really delicious!
Kiaora and thank you for leaving a review. I am pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with Stephanie! For clarification. The wine tasting usually happens but sometimes the whale watching company schedules our cruise a bit later and thus there isn't time in that instance.
The whale watching was terrific. However, the tour itself was very disorganized. They combined several different tours into one. Directions were not very clear and we ended up having to wait for other people to finish their activities. The guide was friendly and nice, but it was more of transportation from several different activities rather than one cohesive tour.
Kiaora and thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with us! If you had indeed travelled with a guide from Christchurch, as is the standard for most on this tour, you would have received a thorough commentary and all instructions. However you travelled by train and met the tour part way through in Kaikoura. You were then able to do the whale watch and return to Christchurch on the same day. Something that cant be done with any other operator, including just by taking the train. In order for us to offer this service there has to be a certain amount of flexibility, which is explained in the morning. This is also why this tour is also a combined offering with dolphin swimming an option as well.
This tour was booked by a travel agent so was initially unaware that they had chosen Christchurch Leisure Tours as the full day tour operator as the transfer from the hotel was with super shuttle. Super Shuttle failed to pick us up from the hotel at 6:00am and had to Uber to train station. The 2-1/2 hour ride on the Costal Pafic passes through some beautiful countryside including 30 minutes along the coast during which we saw dusky dolphin near shore. We were met by Carmen from Christchurch Leisure Tours who explained how the remained of the day would go. The 10:00 whale watching went off at 10:30 with growing winds. The high-speed catamaran was a smooth ride out to the canyons to the spot when a whale was last spotted. Spent around half an hour watching a sperm whale resting on the surface before a tail flip and diving for food. Boat then started a slow return to harbour. The remaining whale watching tours were cancel because of high seas. Carmen met us at our return and drove us to the town of Kaikoura for lunch at the Why Not Cafe. Try Whitebait for first time not bad, but the fish and chips were great. After lunch Carmen stopped just south of town to see a seal colony with baby seals that lives road-side. Soo Cute!! Left Kaikoura at 15:00 for the 2-1/2 hour drive back to Christchurch. The road follows close to the rail tracks for much of the way giving a different view and a chance to catch up on some lost sleep. We did not stop at a winery as it was after 17:00 and all wineries close by then. Carmen did an excellent job of guiding and driving us.
Kiaora Diane and thanks for leaving a review. I'm pleased to hear you enjoyed your day with Carmen!
Saw all the marine mammals we were expecting to see. Excellent boat ride. Guide was great. Probably could have been advised that we could get breakfast in the train but that would be the only thing I would add.
Kiaora Jim and thanks for leaving a review. I'm very pleased to hear that you enjoyed your tour with us!
We took the train to Kaikoura, nice view with the awesome open air carriage to take some nice photo. Manage to catch the whale after several try. We prefer train ride over the sightseeing van but the van ride offers nice commentary from the lovely tour guide. Kaikoura worth a stay if you have time.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! We are thrilled to hear you enjoyed the day.
