Kaikoura is one of the best places in New Zealand to experience whale watching and Whale Watch Kaikoura offer a fantastic experience on their boats where you have the chance to see sperm whales, humpback whales, blue whales, pilot whales, southern right whales and even orcas!

There are never guaranteed sightings but the sperm whales are in the area all year round and there are different times of year where there are more whales than others, like during whale migration season.

The full experience is around 3.5 hours long and it begins with a short bus ride from the Kaikoura Whale Watch HQ in town, to South Bay where the boat cruise departs from. The captain heads to areas where whales were last seen and will stop along the way when sightings occur, turning the vessel so everyone gets a great view from all sides of the boat.

You’ll often see dusky dolphins playing around the boat in large pods (we saw HEAPS on our cruise), as well as New Zealand fur seals lounging on rocks or swimming about. We saw one thrashing around an octopus which was a unique experience!

You can upgrade to the VIP Captain's Cabin experience where you get a private shuttle, access to the captain's cabin exclusively for 12 guests, business class seating as well as as food box.

Minimum age for the cruise is 3 years old, although this can change in poor weather or rough sea conditions for safety reasons.

Read the full guide for the Whale Watch Kaikoura tour on my website