Experience a comfortable up-close encounter with some of the most amazing wildlife and stunning coastlines around Akaroa and Banks Peninsula!
Join us for a wildlife tour that explores the spectacular volcanic coastline and abundant wildlife of Banks Peninsula and Akaroa.
Our wildlife tour numbers are kept limited, offering you a small and intimate tour that will take you where others can’t, with amazing views of New Zealand’s wildlife. Our friendly and knowledgeable crew love meeting and talking with our guests. Tony, a real Kiwi, has been exploring the waters around the Peninsula since the 1960s. He’ll entertain you with his the stories of his adventures and share his enthusiasm for this wonderful environment and stunning wildlife.
Our characterful and comfortable boat - Wairiri, is a 41-foot Kauri Launch built in 1964. Our tours specialise in small groups and enough space to move around the boat for the best wildlife viewing and photo opportunities! On your tour you’ll see gigantic cliffs, go inside sea caves and get close to all the incredible wildlife. Tony often still has a lobster pot out and we pull it up on some of our trips. We never know what we find in it: Lobster, octopus, conger eel, starfish and sand sharks are just a few of the creatures we might have caught.
Experience Akaroa and Banks Peninsula on this intimate boat tour where you’ll see stunning wildlife and extraordinary views of the coastline!
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
Hi Quentin Thank you for joining us and recommending us. We hope you had a lovely Christmas and enjoy the rest of your travels. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
L'équipage est déjà très sympa, concernant la sortie en mer nous avons vu dauphins, otaries, oiseax et même un ou deux pingouins sauvages. Ça vaut le coup et les paysages sont magnifiques, je recommande
Mercy beaucoup for joining our wildlife cruise and your nice review. We love our wildlife and glad we could share it with you. Cheers, Tony and crew
Highly recommend Coast Up Close. Knowledgeable staff who share the history of the region. Fabulous scenery and amazing wildlife.
Hi Erica Thank you for joining us yesterday and this 5 star review. It was a pleasure to have you all on board and see you again sometime soon. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
This was a magical experience! It’s the perfect vessel size for a trip around the Akaroa head and harbour, Tony is really friendly and knowledgeable about the wildlife and history of the landscape! We saw the dolphins and seals up close, it was truly a wonderful experience!
Hi Stella Thank you for joining us yesterday and this fab feedback. It was a pleasure to have you all on board. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
Great organization and attention tò the customers
Thanks so much Massimo. Regards, Mafi and Tony
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quentind5 from France wrote on 26 December 2023
Excellente balade / Organisateur au top
Balade a la découverte de la faune local, nous avons pu apercevoir plusieurs dauphin ainsi que des phoques et une multitude d'oiseaux, le personnel est super sympa et mets tous de suite à l'aise en venant discuter avec vous, nous avons aussi reçu de magnifiques explications sur les environs ( attention à l'accent kiwi, assez difficile a comprendre avec le bruit du vent et du moteur) A recommander, si nous revenons ici ce sera à coup sûr avec la même organisation. Merci a vous !