NEW ZEALAND · DOLPHIN WATCHING

Dolphin Watching Tours in New Zealand: Our Top 15

29 trips  ·  from $71 a head

Akaroa has the world’s smallest dolphin and the Bay of Islands has the bottlenose. These 15 trips are compared on sailing length, sea conditions and what happens if nothing shows.

Akaroa Dolphins ~ Harbour Nature Cruise - A roomy catamaran with useful comfort
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Akaroa Dolphins ~ Harbour Nature Cruise

1.Akaroa Dolphins ~ Harbour Nature Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,143 reviews · from $80Our pick

Review of Akaroa Dolphins Harbour Nature Cruise, with Hector’s dolphins, seals, penguins, local guides, catamaran comfort, and practical tips.

“George and the team at Akaroa Dolphin Cruises could not have been any more personable and lovely if they tried! They are such down to earth people who are proud of where they are from and showcasing the knowledge they have of the land, fauna and history! We saw many Dolphins, Seals and one Albatros and a Penguin. Just amazing. Supporting a local families company is easy when they are so great at what they do! Including George’s banter and entertaining speeches!”

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Auckland Dolphin and Whale Watching Eco-Safari Cruise - Viaduct Harbour, the bridge, and Waitemata Harbour
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Auckland Dolphin and Whale Watching Eco-Safari Cruise

Auckland: Whale and Dolphin Watching Half-Day Eco Cruise - North Head, Devonport, and Rangitoto
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Auckland: Whale and Dolphin Watching Half-Day Eco Cruise

3.Auckland: Whale and Dolphin Watching Half-Day Eco Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,072 reviews · 4h 30m · from $130

Review of Auckland’s 4.5-hour whale and dolphin eco-cruise, with wildlife, Rangitoto views, marine research, pricing, and practical tips.

“Quite impressed with the interest of the guides in the whales and other fauna, as was their knowledge of the behaviour patterns of the whales, birds and dolphins. Also found it very professional in terms of keeping distance from the animals, as well as the scientific keenness of the guides. And most were young kids!”

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Paihia/Russell: Hole in the Rock, Dolphins & Island Cruise - Leaving Paihia or Russell and finding your sea legs
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Paihia/Russell: Hole in the Rock, Dolphins & Island Cruise

Akaroa: Dolphin Nature Cruise - Volcanic cliffs, caves, and harbour stories
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Akaroa: Dolphin Nature Cruise

5.Dolphin Nature Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 440 reviews · 2 hours · from $77

Cruise Akaroa Harbour for rare Hector’s dolphins, seals, penguins, volcanic cliffs, local stories, wine, cookies, and a friendly dolphin dog.

“Honestly we can see how this is one of the best attractions in New Zealand. The skipper and crew were very friendly and helped make the experience unforgettable. We were lucky on the day, saw plenty of dolphins, seals and even penguins. Akaroa is a beautiful town too, well worth the short trip from Christchurch! Seriously recommend.”

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Auckland: Tikapa Moana Whales, Dolphins and Islands Cruise - The first stretch: Auckland Harbour to the wildlife grounds
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Auckland: Tikapa Moana Whales, Dolphins and Islands Cruise

Swimming with Wild Dolphins in Akaroa - Why Hector’s dolphins make this different
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Swimming with Wild Dolphins in Akaroa

7.Swimming with Wild Dolphins in Akaroa

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 261 reviews · from $128

Swim with rare Hector’s dolphins in Akaroa Harbour on a small-group boat tour with wetsuits, hot showers, wildlife and expert guides.

“A great day going to see and swim with the hector dolphins. Chris was a great captain and Charlotte was a great first mate!!! If you are prone to seasickness take something ahead of time. We took the less drowsy Dramamine and so happy we did! The dolphins were so cute and a bonus to see the seals!!!!”

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Akaroa Harbour 2-Hour Dolphin Nature Cruise - Searching for Hector’s dolphins near Akaroa
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Akaroa Harbour 2-Hour Dolphin Nature Cruise

Hole in the Rock Scenic Cruise including Dolphins and Island stop - From Paihia or Russell to the open bay
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Hole in the Rock Scenic Cruise including Dolphins and Island stop

Swim With Wild Dolphins in Tauranga - Searching the Bay of Plenty for a pod
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Swim With Wild Dolphins in Tauranga

10.Swim With Wild Dolphins in Tauranga

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 189 reviews · from $102

Review of Tauranga’s six-hour wild dolphin cruise, with swimming, snorkeling, guides, wildlife, pricing, weather limits, and booking advice.

“Didn’t see any dolphins. Very sad but only their fifth time not seeing them since November. Wish we could have at least gone for. Bit of a swim. We do have a free trip whenever we come back!”

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Motuara Wildlife Sanctuary Tour and Dolphin Cruise from Picton - Wildlife watching in the Marlborough Sounds
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Motuara Wildlife Sanctuary Tour and Dolphin Cruise from Picton

11.Motuara Wildlife Sanctuary Tour and Dolphin Cruise from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 180 reviews · from $104

Review of Picton’s Motuara wildlife cruise, with dolphins, seals, seabirds, a guided island walk, costs, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Fantastic experience! The boat ride was fun in itself, but made even more special by our captain (Daniel) and guide (Cam) providing great information about the landscape, wildlife and tree species we were seeing along the way. They stopped several times for us to admire seals and beautiful birds, and three times they slowed the boat down and let us “play” with dolphins! We saw two different species and got to enjoy them jumping out of the water, speeding past the boat, and even swimming along with their babies in tow. The stop at the bird sanctuary was really nice, too. Cam is very knowledgeable and was able to answer…”

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From Tauranga: Half-Day Swimming with Dolphins Tour - Searching for common dolphins in open water
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From Tauranga: Half-Day Swimming with Dolphins Tour

Akaroa: Swimming with Wild Dolphins Experience - The safety briefing sets the tone
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Akaroa: Swimming with Wild Dolphins Experience

13.Swimming with Wild Dolphins Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 123 reviews · from $123

Swim with rare Hector’s dolphins in Akaroa, with expert guides, warm wetsuits, harbour wildlife, hot showers, and a small 12-swimmer group.

“This was fantastic. Staff were very honest about the low chance of swimming with dolphins due to the orca activity in the area and offered a transfer to the sightseeing cruise instead. I accepted the risk that we would not swim and went anyway. SO glad that I did. We did indeed get to swim with these beautiful creatures. Thomas took photos and unlike other activities where you are asked to purchase photos for an inflated price - we were all emailed the photos for free shortly after the tour. This tour was simply terrific. I highly recommend.Read more”

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Half Day Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise - Tauranga - Reading Tauranga from the water
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Half Day Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise – Tauranga

14.Half Day Dolphin & Wildlife Cruise – Tauranga

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 103 reviews · from $108

Review of Tauranga’s half-day dolphin cruise, with wildlife sightings, boat details, price value, route, tips, and booking advice.

“What a great day out on the water! Brandon and Amy were such wonderful guides. It was a beautiful day and they took us further out onto the ocean than normal because of the calm waters; perfect conditions for sighting marine life. And sight we did! Flying fish, sharks, seals. But the highlight was a school of dolphins which we tracked for some time and finally caught up with. So many and so close to the boat! Jumping and competing with birds for food, then swimming alongside the boat. So much fun, and far beyond expectation. A great day in Tauranga; highly recommended.”

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From Tauranga: Dolphin and Wildlife Cruise - Tauranga Harbour, Mauao, and the bridge
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From Tauranga: Dolphin and Wildlife Cruise

15.From Tauranga: Dolphin and Wildlife Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 96 reviews · 5 hours · from $104

Review of Tauranga’s 5-hour dolphin and wildlife cruise, with practical tips on wildlife, boat comfort, price, timing, and what to expect.

“unfortunately wind prevented us from going out to sea. we did see common dolphins and then cruised the harbor. very pleasant day in the water.”

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New in New Zealand

★ 5.0Dolphin & Wildlife EncountersFrom $1086 reviews
★ 5.0The Original Full day Bay of Islands Cruise with DolphinsFrom $13613 reviews
★ 4.0Kaikoura Whale and Dolphin Overnight Tour from ChristchurchFrom $4629 reviews
★ 5.0Akaroa with optional dolphin cruise (Small Group Tour)From $3403 reviews
★ 4.0Auckland: Tikapa Moana Dolphin, Whale and Island CruiseFrom $10517 reviews
★ 4.8Paihia: Bay of Islands Dolphin Eco Cruise & Island StopoverFrom $8912 reviews
★ 4.6From Christchurch: Kaikōura Day Tour With Dolphin EncounterFrom $20612 reviews
★ 5.0Auckland: Bay of Islands Day Tour with Dolphin CruiseFrom $28311 reviews

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