Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Tour: Explore Local Township, Dairy Delights, and Sheep Shearing
4.5
11 Ratings
Akaroa
Immerse yourself in the beauty of Akaroa Harbour and experience the local township, indulge in dairy delights at a cheese factory, and witness the fascinating art of sheep shearing on a working sheep farm. Book now!
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Akaroa Harbour - Drive through the beautiful Akaroa Harbour and learn some amazing facts about the history of this area of New Zealand before driving along Summit Road with stops along the way for great photos.
- Hilltop Tavern - Visit the Hilltop Tavern, close to the summit of the crater rim, which affords spectacular views and a short time for coffee or tea.
- Barrys Bay Cheese - A short stop will be made at the Cheese Factory in Barry’s Bay, at the bottom of the Hilltop, where delicious local cheese can be sampled and purchased.
- Coombe Farm - Drive along the inner bays to Coombe Farm and enjoy the experience of watching sheep dogs work, rounding up the flock and penning them for you to touch, examine and photograph. A shearing demonstration has been arranged for you and afternoon tea will be provided.
What's Included
- Driver/local guide
- Worry-free Shore Excursion Guarantee
- Afternoon tea
- Sheep Shearing Demonstration & Sheep Dog Work
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Port pickup and drop-off
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities (optional)
Additional Information
Embark on a 2.5-hour coastal journey that blends an informative tour of Akaroa town and its harbours with a visit to an operational sheep ranch. Commencing from Akaroa Wharf, your bus will navigate through the town and inner bays of Akaroa, ultimately stopping at a local cheese production facility for some tasting sessions, and then traversing the old volcanic crater rim offering breath-taking views of the harbour and peninsula. After a wonderful photo stop, your chauffeur will escort you to a nearby sheep farm where you can witness sheepdog activities, a sheep shearing exhibition, and enjoy some afternoon tea, before returning to your cruise vessel.
- At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Please note that activity times and schedules can be slightly amended depending on your cruise ships timetable.
Location
The Britomart Cannon
From the Main Wharf in Akaroa, head down to the end where you will see the Akaroa I-Site and a small park on the right-hand side. Next to the Canon statue, a representative will be waiting for you. Please arrive by 1.50pm for a 2.00pm departure.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(11 Ratings)
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Kim_b
Dec 3, 2020
Great excursion - Excellent service and the farmhouse and sheep were great. Loved being in a small group. Tea and scones were lovely.
Review provided by Viator
Carrie_d
Mar 23, 2020
Beautiful Akaroa Sheep Farm - The drive was gorgeous and not too long or unnecessary. The photo op stops were perfect for pictures to cherish. The sheep farm was impressive as it is owned by one small family (not a large corporation). Watching herding of the sheep (from up close) was amazing and the shearing demonstration was so interesting that I video’ed the entire thing to show my kids and grandkids. Afterwards, a visit to their lovely and charming farmhouse with a snack of tea and homemade pastries in a flower filled garden. I will always remember this excursion (and I have been on many)!
Review provided by Viator
Florence_b
Mar 21, 2020
Akaroa sheep farm - We really enjoyed this excursion to the sheep farm. It was fascinating to watch Hugh's dog do his job. Hugh explained a lot about the industry, the sheep and the wool. We were invited back to his yard where his wife had hot tea and scones with clotted cream and jam waiting for us. I highly recommend this trip for all ages.
Review provided by Viator
Chrisg
Mar 9, 2020
Don't be sheepish - you need to do this - This was a brilliant experience - Murray was superb host, and it was fascinating to hear how he worked their farm culminating in a practical demonstration. To top it off the afternoon tea experience was absolutely awesome, sat outside on the lawn eating amazing home baked scones from Mrs J. Recommend this.
Review provided by Viator
Dave_g
Mar 3, 2020
Couldn't be better in Akaroa - A superb tour. The farm experience was incredible, all the way from dog sheparding, through shearing, friendliness of the farmer, including an excellent tea with bodies on the front lawn.
Review provided by Viator
Gary_b
Feb 23, 2020
Educational and Entertaining - Very good tour of the area around Akaroa. The guide was very knowledge and spoke the whole time about the areas we were being shown. The farmer explained how a sheet farm and his dog Tom put on a show on working and moving a herd of sheep. The shearing demonstration was good, I thought he had done it relatively fast, but he said the professionals he uses would have done 4 in that amount of time. Tea and scones provided by his wife was a nice touch.
Review provided by Viator
Yuklam_t
Dec 29, 2019
interesting advanture - saw the skillful shearing and the sheep dog its a wonderful experience, the beautiful garden high tea was relax for a moment
Review provided by Viator
Robert_l
Mar 20, 2020
Sheep sheering demo was fascinating - The tour of the Harbour was nothing to get excited about but the stop at the Sheep Farm was outstanding. We loved the demonstration of the dog rounding up the sheep and it was fascinating to watch the sheering demonstration. Having tea on the front yard of the owners of this farm was a nice extra touch.
Review provided by Viator
R2621vymargaretm
Mar 3, 2020
Sheep Farm Excursion - There was no Harbor Tour in the sense of getting in a boat which was discouraging. The sheep farm tour was lovely with tea served, but I thought perhaps we would get to see the dog(s) work them more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Martha_g
Feb 20, 2020
Fun experience - The driver/guide gave us a nice overview of the area with a few scenic stops for photos and was very informative. The stop at the cheese shop was nice (tasted several types of cheese) although they weren't working at the time.
It was fun seeing the sheep and the shearing demo but there wasn't really much for the dog to do which was a little disappointing. The tea and treats were a nice touch at the end, especially on a cool, rainy day.
Review provided by Viator
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