Whale Watching Flight: Kaikōura's Marine Wonders

Experience breathtaking whale watching flights over Kaikoura’s coastline. Spot majestic sperm whales, playful dolphins, and stunning alpine scenery. Book your adventure today.

Duration: 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Kaikoura Airport - Experience aerial whale and dolphin watching. For a 30-minute flight, please set aside a full hour to enable adjustments to your start time, ensuring the best opportunity to observe marine mammals.
What's Included
  • Children & infants welcome
  • Use of a headset
Additional Information

Experience the world-famous sperm whales and marine life of Kaikōura with an unforgettable Whale Watching Flight. From the sky, enjoy the perfect vantage point to admire these magnificent creatures in their natural environment, fully appreciating their immense size and beauty.
During the journey, there may be opportunities to see dolphins, humpback…

Location
Air Kaikoura Aero Club
State Highway 1
At Kaikoura Airport, 10min drive south of Kaikoura. Turn right on arrival, Free parking. Checkin 30min before your flight. Flight times may be adjusted to align with whale dive times, this may result in earlier departures. If you are not present at the checkin time, the flight may depart without you
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(109 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Michaela_p
Apr 30, 2026
Whales - It was amazing experience and i would do it again and the staff was so friendly and helpful so we were not scared at all
Review provided by Viator
Teemck
Apr 29, 2026
Must do experience - We had an amazing flight saw 2 whales and large pod of dolphins. Booked via tripadvisor and it was priced and charged in USD which wasn’t apparent until the email confirmation arrived so the great price wasn’t so good when converted to NZD 🤦‍♀️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ellam1994
Apr 12, 2026
Fantastic experience - After researching the boat versus aerial pros and cons, we are so glad we chose to fly with Air Kaikoura. Seasickness aside, you wouldn't see much from the boats. It was great to appreciate the full size of the whales and dolphin pods from the air. The team were fantastic from start to finish including answering multiple queries. They are very respectful of not hanging around the whales for too long as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tevita_t
Feb 15, 2026
First time solo traveler to South Island. - Excellent staff customer service. The flying experience & views were definitely worth the time & money. Would definitely recommend & do it again.
Review provided by Viator
Knittingnicky
Feb 4, 2026
A bucket list experience - Amazing experience! We were lucky to see a sperm whale for a few minutes before he dived again, our pilot timed it perfectly. It’s a squeeze to get into the plane but once you’re in it’s fine and you get a great view and useful commentary from the pilot. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G210jvharryg
Jan 22, 2026
Amazing experience and such a helpful team - The day started with a 10:00 pickup from our hotel and a quick transfer to the airfield. Then bad news - there was low cloud over the bay and flights were temporarily grounded. They offered to transfer us to a later flight at the end of the day when conditions improved. But we had to leave just after lunch and so couldn't wait that long. No problem! They arranged a special flight for us in a 4-seater plane at lunch time when the cloud had cleared. We had great flight and saw a sperm whale at close range. Ethan our pilot was great and very knowledgeable. He even gave us a lift back to Kaikoura so we could catch our afternoon train. Thanks to all the team.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maxah6196ro
Mar 11, 2026
Decided to fly after our boat trip was cencelled - Decided to fly after our boat was cancelled due to poor weather. Our flight was then cancelled aswell however the staff organised another flight specifically for us at the earliest opportunity. Our flight was great, the staff were really nice and friendly and we saw dolphins and sperm whales.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
600martim
Feb 23, 2026
Glorious flight! Wanted more info… - The experience is exhilarating and I highly recommend it. If you go, just be aware that the guy talking to you is also flying the plane so he’s not able to provide much context. If the company wants to offer an even more rewarding and worthwhile experience they might consider including a few minutes of whale info during the pre-flight safety orientation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniel_l
Feb 19, 2026
Didn’t happen. - About to board and last minute cancelled due to winds.after driving two hours. Very disappointing! Advanced notice would have been nice.
Review provided by Viator
Annalenaw710
Feb 18, 2026
Disappointing - The flight was cancelled on site due to too low a cloud. An alternative flight the next day could not be offered, nowhere else was it possible to get a flight let alone a boat tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $132
up to 7 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).