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Coast Up Close Scenic Wildlife Tours - 2.5 hours - Akaroa
Experience a comfortable up-close encounter with some of the most amazing wildlife and stunning coastlines around Akaroa and Banks Peninsula!
Experience a comfortable up-close encounter with some of the most amazing wildlife and stunning coastlines around Akaroa and Banks Peninsula!
Highlights
- Spectacular views of Banks Peninsula and Akaroa!
- See some of the most amazing wildlife in their natural habitats
- Small groups tours make for a more intimate and incredible experience
- Bring your camera for the best wildlife viewing and photo opportunities!
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!
Available Bookings from 8 Dec to 21 Dec 2025
Change Dates
All prices are shown in NZD ($)
Mon 8 Dec
Tue 9 Dec
Wed 10 Dec
Thu 11 Dec
Fri 12 Dec
Sat 13 Dec
Sun 14 Dec
Mon 15 Dec
Tue 16 Dec
Wed 17 Dec
Thu 18 Dec
Fri 19 Dec
Sat 20 Dec
Sun 21 Dec
- Adult$89.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$89.00
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$69.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$79.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$79.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$69.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$79.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$89.00
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$69.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$79.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
- Adult$69.00 Less than 6 at this price!
- Child$40.00
- Infant Free of Charge
Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme
Great cruise
saleshnid from
NZ
Great cruise
saleshnid from
NZ
Great cruise
saleshnid from
NZ
Amazing informative tour
vikkif from
United Kingdom
Amazing informative tour
vikkif from
United Kingdom
Amazing informative tour
vikkif from
United Kingdom
So much fun!
gajak from
NZ
So much fun!
gajak from
NZ
So much fun!
gajak from
NZ
Best wildlife trip in Akaroa
Nicky Tindall from
NZ
Best wildlife trip in Akaroa
Nicky Tindall from
NZ
Best wildlife trip in Akaroa
Nicky Tindall from
NZ
Awesome experience... best hosts!
joh35 from
NZ
Awesome experience... best hosts!
joh35 from
NZ
Awesome experience... best hosts!
joh35 from
NZ
Amazing
Emma Murphy from
NZ
Amazing
Emma Murphy from
NZ
Awesome Cruise
suew18 from
NZ
Awesome Cruise
suew18 from
NZ
Sensational sea journey!
Sara Paulin from
NZ
Amazing time, lovely hosts.
Anna from
NZ
Amazing time, lovely hosts.
Anna from
NZ
Amazing time, lovely hosts.
Anna from
NZ
Excellent
Karol Carry from
NZ
Excellent
Karol Carry from
NZ
Magnificent Experience
Veera from
NZ
Magnificent Experience
Veera from
NZ
Amazing!
nancy baens from
Belgium
Wildlife tour
Iepie Dykstra from
NZ
Titanic! But only in name 😎
bronnyj from
NZ
A great trip with knowledgeable folk
Jools Kilbey from
NZ
A great trip with knowledgeable folk
Jools Kilbey from
NZ
A great trip with knowledgeable folk
Jools Kilbey from
NZ
The experience is so cool
mengx2 from
NZ
Great scenic trip
laurat7 from
NZ
Great scenic trip
laurat7 from
NZ
Great scenic trip
laurat7 from
NZ
Dolphins galore
Catriona Ritchie from
United Kingdom
Dolphins galore
Catriona Ritchie from
United Kingdom
Dolphins galore
Catriona Ritchie from
United Kingdom
Best wildlife tour in Akaroa
Kelly Bisset from
NZ
Best wildlife tour in Akaroa
Kelly Bisset from
NZ
Absolutely treat
bernicer1 from
Singapore
Absolutely treat
bernicer1 from
Singapore
Absolutely treat
bernicer1 from
Singapore
Great trip with Tony
karank from
NZ
Beautiful scenic tour with experienced captain
Nic from
NZ
Beautiful scenic tour with experienced captain
Nic from
NZ
Beautiful scenic tour with experienced captain
Nic from
NZ
Awesome Trip
Shanshan from
NZ
Awesome Trip
Shanshan from
NZ
Awesome Trip
Shanshan from
NZ
Best Boat Trip
Fran Garrod from
NZ
Best Boat Trip
Fran Garrod from
NZ
Best Boat Trip
Fran Garrod from
NZ
Amazing cruise and friendly captain
kimr2 from
NZ
Amazing cruise and friendly captain
kimr2 from
NZ
Amazing cruise and friendly captain
kimr2 from
NZ
Awesome wee trip!
Mark Gibson from
NZ
Excellent cruise
Lisa Marriner from
NZ
Excellent cruise
Lisa Marriner from
NZ
Amazing experience
Mini from
NZ
Amazing experience
Mini from
NZ
Amazing experience
Mini from
NZ
Brilliant!
Madhu Gopal-Boyd from
NZ
Amazing Experience!
travelwithsam from
NZ
Amazing Experience!
travelwithsam from
NZ
Amazing Experience!
travelwithsam from
NZ
Amazing
Mariangeles Flach from
Argentina
Amazing day out
chrisd22 from
NZ
Amazing day out
chrisd22 from
NZ
Excellent afternoon on the water
sarahh14 from
NZ
Wonderful trip
anneliseb1 from
NZ
Wonderful trip
anneliseb1 from
NZ
Wonderful trip
anneliseb1 from
NZ
Amazing Adventure
Purva from
NZ
Amazing Adventure
Purva from
NZ
Amazing Adventure
Purva from
NZ
Excellent trip, great fun,knowledgeable Capn
johnm20 from
United Kingdom
Excellent trip, great fun,knowledgeable Capn
johnm20 from
United Kingdom
Mr
ondrejh from
Czech Republic
Amazing boot trip with Tony
kristinl2 from
NZ
Amazing boot trip with Tony
kristinl2 from
NZ
Amazing boot trip with Tony
kristinl2 from
NZ
Amazing Tour
marieu from
Germany
Just an amazing tour
Natalie from
Germany
Fantastic tour - highly recommended!
codyf from
NZ
Fantastic tour - highly recommended!
codyf from
NZ
Authenticated Reviews & PhotosAll of our reviews are from people who have booked and paid for this activity thru Bookme
Showing all 229 authenticated Bookme reviews
From Coast Up Close Scenic Wildlife Tours - 2.5 hours - Akaroa
HI Klabi Thank you for choosing Coast Up Close and this lovely 5 star review. We hope your travels in New Zealand are going well. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
Jürgen Dittrich from Germany wrote on 03 December 2023
Super Boot Tour
Die Tour fand in einem familiären Rahmen statt und mit einer tollen Crew. Können die Tour nur empfehlen.
From Coast Up Close Scenic Wildlife Tours - 2.5 hours - Akaroa
Hi Juergen Thank you for joining us yesterday and this fab review. It was a pleasure to have you on board. Enjoy the rest of your travels. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
Nigel Prosser from New Zealand wrote on 24 November 2025
Simply Amazing!
If you're looking for a busy overbooked rushed boat trip.. don't bother booking here. However if you're looking for the best ever personal boat trip that is just amazing and out of this world this is definitely the place to come. Amazing people and just Amazing! Thank you for such a perfect trip. Needs to be a 10 start rating option as 5 don't do it justice.
From Coast Up Close Scenic Wildlife Tours - 2.5 hours - Akaroa
Hi Nigel Thank you so much for this amazing 5 star review. It was a pleasure to have you and your family on board and we are looking forward to seeing you again sometime soon. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
jo-anna from New Zealand wrote on 18 November 2025
A Perfect Family Adventure on the Water
We had an amazing experience with Coast Up Close! Tony and Mafi were incredible hosts — warm, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about Akaroa and its wildlife. We saw dolphins, seals, and beautiful coastal scenery, all while learning fascinating history about the area. A special moment for us was when Tony let our daughter steer the boat — you could just see how thrilled she was. He made her day! Coast Up Close exceeded our expectations in every way. If you’re visiting Akaroa and want a genuine, heartfelt, and knowledgeable wildlife cruise, we can’t recommend them highly enough. Thank you, Tony and Mafi, for an incredible adventure and beautiful memories.
From Coast Up Close Scenic Wildlife Tours - 2.5 hours - Akaroa
Hi Jo-Anna Thank you so much for this amazing 5 star review. it was an absolute pleasure to have your family on board and it always makes us very happy to know people enjoyed their time on the boat with us. All the best and hopefully see you back sometime soon. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
julietteleethatsme from New Zealand wrote on 09 November 2025
Two hours that feel like a whole day’s relaxation
Tony has a lifetime of sea stories to tell and is a keen and thoughful nature observer and guardian. His trips take the time to allow you to experience what it’s like to live on the sea.
From Coast Up Close Scenic Wildlife Tours - 2.5 hours - Akaroa
Hi Juliette Thank you for joining us the other day and this five star review. It was lovely to have you on board and we are happy you enjoyed your time out there with us. See you around. Cheers, Tony and Mafi
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klabi from Germany wrote on 04 February 2024
Eine tolle Erfshrung
Wir hatten einen windigen Tag - trotzdem haben wir uns sehr sicher gefühlt . Die Skipper haben sich sehr persönlich mit allen unterhalten und hatten einen guten Instinkt wo wir Tiere sehen würden. Unermüdlich wurde Ausschau gehalten und berichtet . die Tour ist sehr zu empfehlen