Great day trip from Christchurch - Very nice! Akoroa was such a cute village and the stops along the way were pleasant surprises! Tasted and bought some cheese and had contracted for the lunch which was DELICIOUS! I had the salmon and my husband had the fish and chips. The crew on the boat were equally as helpful and got into some fun conversations with Ben who helped spot those dolphins and a few penguins.

Great trip and beautiful location - Akaroa is a beautiful place visit, everything is so pretty there, the houses, land scapes, plants, trees, shops and cafes etc. we had a best salmon dish there as part of the tour in Bully Hayes restaurant, the coffee is nice in one of the cafe. Since we couldn’t go on boat trip due to the weather I got half money refund. On the way back we stopped at some scenic locations. It’s worth a trip, thank you

Great trip - Great trip, wonderful guide, well organized. Saw seals, dolphins, and penguins. Lunch was excellent. We were very pleased.

Akaroa - Tres Magnifique - Our driver Tanya (with a "Y") was a hoot - very much the character, and quite a knowledgeable guide. The boat and crew for the cruise were outstanding and you're in good and safe hands should you sail with them. One of the patrons had a medical episode and the crew put into play their training and dealt with the matter efficiently and carefully. Akaroa and its harbour are a must see for anyone visiting the South Island.

Great tour, would recommend - Lovely day trip to Akaora. Scotty the coach driver and guide was very friendly and knowledgeable about the areas we were travelling through. Lunch was superb and the cruise to the marine reserve was great. It was a bit rough out on the water but we did get to see dolphins and penguins as well as lots of seals. Would definitely recommend

A Fantastic Day - Exploring the French whaling village, seeing lots of wildlife during the boat ride and visiting the cheese store were definite highlights. Pete was an excellent guide/driver, so knowledgeable and friendly. The Banks Peninsula/Akorua area is so beautiful.

Wonderful easy-going trip - Wonderful easy-going trip, yet full of attractions. Picturesque small town, beautiful countryside on the way, nice photo-ops, and above all the cruise: penguins, dolphins, seals, they all showed up :) (That all may depend on weather, but we were lucky enough.) Good amount of info, both on the boat and from our driver/guide - two thumbs up, Pete!

Scenic visit from Christchurch - We booked this day trip as a quick turnaround after our Adventure Park zip line tour was suddenly canceled (due to wild fires), so didn’t have much time to research. Our driver, Andrew, picked us up directly from our hotel in an air conditioned small bus. Had a total of 10 passengers, and Andrew provided commentary with a headset/microphone for the passengers. We quickly squirted up the mountainside, and at first we thought we were missing out on some photo ops, as he seemed determined to stick to a schedule, but ultimately we had other opportunities to get some great shots. We made it up to Akaroa, which is quite the scenic little town, and we had lunch arranged at a place called Bully Hayes—good food generally. Then we had an afternoon cruised arranged on Black Cat dolphin watching tours for about 2.5 hours in the afternoon. The weather was quite nice (for the area), with blue skies, temps in the mid-20’s, and we definitely saw some Hector’s dolphins, a variety of seabirds, some fur seals, and someone (not us) spotted a white flippered penguin. The boat slipped outside the bay into the ocean, and the captain took us to some volcanic points of interest, since the Akaroa area is essentially a volcanic caldera. After the tour, Andrew gathered us up and got us back down to Christchurch, stopping at Barry Bay’s cheese shop for a quick sampling. The cheese shop has a number of different items for sale, including some wine and other snacks. Everyone—something we’ve noticed—was very nice compared to visiting locations in the USA. There’s a general warmth here (and Australia) that evades service industry people in the states. Overall—a nice trip, good people, good food, great photo ops.

A day in Akaroa with Hector Dolphins - A wonderful day, Scotty provided great commentary on the bus ride, recommend the lunch which was delicious, but the highlight was the nature cruise with Black Cat Cruises. We saw lots of Hector dolphins (even spotted them jumping which is rare) and NZ fur seals. The cruise went outside the harbour but wasn’t too rough, suggest taking a spray jacket.

Great time at Akaroa. - The tour pick up from our hotel was precise and on time. The guide was knowledgeable and fun, providing info and stories along the way. The cruise was great, where we were able to see dolphins swimming & seals lazing among the rocks. Recommend this tour to anyone any time!!!