WHALE WATCHING IN KAIKOURA: MEET THE GIANTS OF THE SEA
18 OCTOBER 2025
Kaikoura is one of the most beautiful places in the South Island of New Zealand. It sits on the upper east coast between Picton and Christchurch and is know mostly for it's incredible wildlife.
The Kaikoura Canyon sits just 500m off the coastline and drops instantly down 1400m, creating a huge underwater canyon which joins onto the Hikurangi Trench and allows nutrient rich water to come close to the Kaikoura coast, which brings in over 10 species of whale to Kaikoura!
Whales aren't the only wildlife you're likely to see in Kaikoura, so let's dive in to this guide and I'll tell you all about it!
The Kaikoura Canyon sits just 500m off the coastline and drops instantly down 1400m, creating a huge underwater canyon which joins onto the Hikurangi Trench and allows nutrient rich water to come close to the Kaikoura coast, which brings in over 10 species of whale to Kaikoura!
Whales aren't the only wildlife you're likely to see in Kaikoura, so let's dive in to this guide and I'll tell you all about it!
What's in this guide?
- About Whale Watch Kaikoura & what to expect on the cruise
- How to get to the Whale Watch Kaikoura terminal
- Duration, what’s included & what to bring on the cruise
- What wildlife you’ll see on the Whale Watch Kaikoura cruise
- Cost & booking info
- Nearby spots to explore
About Kaikoura Whale Watch & what to expect on the cruise
Kaikoura Whale Watch are an awesome company with really friendly staff who made our trip smooth, fun and informative from the get go! They are the only company in Kaikoura who offer whale watch cruises and I can't recommend them enough.
The whale watch adventure starts in town, where you check in at the Whale Watch terminal. Once everyone’s checked in, a bus takes you to the boat on the other side of the peninsula.
You need to arrive 30 mins before check in. It got pretty busy when we were checking in as it was a Saturday and the tour was full but we arrived just before check in opened but checking in was surprisingly quick and easy. We just gave our name, were given our tickets and that was it!
About 15 minutes before check in, the captain will make the final call on whether the cruise will go ahead. Because the team is dealing with nature (and New Zealand’s famously changeable weather) they wait until the last moment to decide in case the sea conditions are unfavourable as there's no point in going out if no one sees the whales because they're too busy looking into their vomit bags! This is something to keep in mind if you’re travelling from out of town.
If you’re keen to make your experience extra special, sometimes there are seats available in the Captain’s Cabin. You can choose this option when booking or you can ask about this upgrade when you check in (it’s sometimes displayed on the TV behind reception). We asked about upgrading when we checked in but because we had scored a great discount, the total cost for our family of four would’ve ended up higher than our original tickets – so we decided to stick with the standard seats instead!
The bus arrives at the time of departing ie we took the 10:30am tour and this is when the bus arrived. It's a 10 minute bus ride from the terminal to the other side of the Kaikoura Peninsula, at South Bay, where the boat departs from. Once the bus arrives, you hop off, show your ticket to the staff and hop on board. Once we were seated, we left straight away. I feel like it was only about 5 minutes from hopping off the bus till when we departed!
We were so lucky to have a super fine day with calm conditions so we didn't need to use any throwing up bags! The staff keep a big bowl of breath mints near the toilets in case of anyone throwing up and they also have VR goggles to help anyone with extreme sea sickness. We haven't used them, so I can't comment on how well they work but I imagine they must do something good!
Whale Watch have two catamarans they operate and they depart from the channel at South Bay which was a little choppy but this was honestly the rockiest part of our cruise! Once out of the channel, the captain goes to where the whales were last sighted. While we were on our way, our amazing host Tane talked a lot about Kaikoura and the wildlife and he was hilarious and constantly made us laugh!
For our cruise, we headed near Goose Bay, which is a 15 minute drive south of Kaikoura by car, where the marine reserve begins. The early morning cruise had seen humpback whales in this spot, so this is where we went and once we got towards Goose Bay you could see a whale watch plane circling around the bay which is a sure sign there are whales there!
The staff are constantly on the look out for wildlife - whales and dolphins - and the captain will go to where the sightings are and sometimes this means moving the boat multiple times in the cruise. What I appreciated was how our captain would turn the boat around so everyone on different sides of the boat got to see the whales and dolphins. They are required to cut off the engine when the whales are near, so it's nice watching the whales swim along at their pace instead of being scared off from the engines.
We found the seats in the cabin to be really comfy and it is fully enclosed, so good if you need a break from the heat or wind, or just want to relax inside for a bit before heading outside to whichever side of the boat you choose. Everyone left their gear on the seats while they went out on deck and it was a relief to leave our bags somewhere and not carry them around with us! The staff were on board, plus there were camera, so it seemed safe enough to leave it all there (we took valuables with us though).
The whale watch adventure starts in town, where you check in at the Whale Watch terminal. Once everyone’s checked in, a bus takes you to the boat on the other side of the peninsula.
You need to arrive 30 mins before check in. It got pretty busy when we were checking in as it was a Saturday and the tour was full but we arrived just before check in opened but checking in was surprisingly quick and easy. We just gave our name, were given our tickets and that was it!
About 15 minutes before check in, the captain will make the final call on whether the cruise will go ahead. Because the team is dealing with nature (and New Zealand’s famously changeable weather) they wait until the last moment to decide in case the sea conditions are unfavourable as there's no point in going out if no one sees the whales because they're too busy looking into their vomit bags! This is something to keep in mind if you’re travelling from out of town.
If you’re keen to make your experience extra special, sometimes there are seats available in the Captain’s Cabin. You can choose this option when booking or you can ask about this upgrade when you check in (it’s sometimes displayed on the TV behind reception). We asked about upgrading when we checked in but because we had scored a great discount, the total cost for our family of four would’ve ended up higher than our original tickets – so we decided to stick with the standard seats instead!
The bus arrives at the time of departing ie we took the 10:30am tour and this is when the bus arrived. It's a 10 minute bus ride from the terminal to the other side of the Kaikoura Peninsula, at South Bay, where the boat departs from. Once the bus arrives, you hop off, show your ticket to the staff and hop on board. Once we were seated, we left straight away. I feel like it was only about 5 minutes from hopping off the bus till when we departed!
We were so lucky to have a super fine day with calm conditions so we didn't need to use any throwing up bags! The staff keep a big bowl of breath mints near the toilets in case of anyone throwing up and they also have VR goggles to help anyone with extreme sea sickness. We haven't used them, so I can't comment on how well they work but I imagine they must do something good!
Whale Watch have two catamarans they operate and they depart from the channel at South Bay which was a little choppy but this was honestly the rockiest part of our cruise! Once out of the channel, the captain goes to where the whales were last sighted. While we were on our way, our amazing host Tane talked a lot about Kaikoura and the wildlife and he was hilarious and constantly made us laugh!
For our cruise, we headed near Goose Bay, which is a 15 minute drive south of Kaikoura by car, where the marine reserve begins. The early morning cruise had seen humpback whales in this spot, so this is where we went and once we got towards Goose Bay you could see a whale watch plane circling around the bay which is a sure sign there are whales there!
The staff are constantly on the look out for wildlife - whales and dolphins - and the captain will go to where the sightings are and sometimes this means moving the boat multiple times in the cruise. What I appreciated was how our captain would turn the boat around so everyone on different sides of the boat got to see the whales and dolphins. They are required to cut off the engine when the whales are near, so it's nice watching the whales swim along at their pace instead of being scared off from the engines.
We found the seats in the cabin to be really comfy and it is fully enclosed, so good if you need a break from the heat or wind, or just want to relax inside for a bit before heading outside to whichever side of the boat you choose. Everyone left their gear on the seats while they went out on deck and it was a relief to leave our bags somewhere and not carry them around with us! The staff were on board, plus there were camera, so it seemed safe enough to leave it all there (we took valuables with us though).
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How to get to the Whale Watch Kaikoura Terminal
The Whale Watch terminal is located on Whaleway Station Road (yes - whaleway, such a fun name!), beside the beach in Kaikoura. It's the only building on the road so it's easy to spot! Find the Whale Watch Kaikoura Terminal on Google Maps.
There is plenty of parking at the terminal for cars and campervans but no overnight parking is allowed in their carpark.
Inside the terminal there are toilets, a gift shop and seating inside and outside of the terminal. The gift shop has clothes, cute stuffed teddies (whales, seals etc), fridge magnets and jewellery. There's even a small playground for kids plus the terminal is right next to the beach, so you could hang out there for a while before the bus arrives if the weather is on your side!
If you're prone to sea sickness, you can buy some sea sickness tablets at the gift shop before you hop on board, as they don't currently sell it on board. There are some homeopathic ones too which we chose to buy but thankfully our cruise was so smooth that we didn't need to use them.
There is plenty of parking at the terminal for cars and campervans but no overnight parking is allowed in their carpark.
Inside the terminal there are toilets, a gift shop and seating inside and outside of the terminal. The gift shop has clothes, cute stuffed teddies (whales, seals etc), fridge magnets and jewellery. There's even a small playground for kids plus the terminal is right next to the beach, so you could hang out there for a while before the bus arrives if the weather is on your side!
If you're prone to sea sickness, you can buy some sea sickness tablets at the gift shop before you hop on board, as they don't currently sell it on board. There are some homeopathic ones too which we chose to buy but thankfully our cruise was so smooth that we didn't need to use them.
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Duration & what’s included & what to bring on the cruise
Duration
The entire experience takes around 3 hours and 15 minutes, which includes check in, the bus ride to and from the terminal and just over 2 hours on the water.
What’s Included
Standard Cruise
The standard cruise is an incredible experience and this is the option we chose. It includes the bus ride to and from the terminal, indoor seating on the boat and you have access to the whole bottom decks of the boat, plus the back and half of the sides of the top deck.
Captain’s Cabin VIP Cruise
The Captain's Cabin cruise is a little more VIP, where you are taken to the boat in a van and are the first to embark on the cruise. You get exclusive access to the captain's cabin and a boxed picnic while on board. There is also a section roped off on the top deck just for the VIP guests which is at the front and half of the sides of the top deck. There are less people in the VIP section and the indoor seats are slightly angled.
If you can afford the Captain's Cabin and want a little touch of luxury, then that's a great choice otherwise we felt like the standard cruise was absolutely incredible and didn't feel like we were missing much!
What to Bring on Your Cruise
The entire experience takes around 3 hours and 15 minutes, which includes check in, the bus ride to and from the terminal and just over 2 hours on the water.
What’s Included
Standard Cruise
The standard cruise is an incredible experience and this is the option we chose. It includes the bus ride to and from the terminal, indoor seating on the boat and you have access to the whole bottom decks of the boat, plus the back and half of the sides of the top deck.
Captain’s Cabin VIP Cruise
The Captain's Cabin cruise is a little more VIP, where you are taken to the boat in a van and are the first to embark on the cruise. You get exclusive access to the captain's cabin and a boxed picnic while on board. There is also a section roped off on the top deck just for the VIP guests which is at the front and half of the sides of the top deck. There are less people in the VIP section and the indoor seats are slightly angled.
If you can afford the Captain's Cabin and want a little touch of luxury, then that's a great choice otherwise we felt like the standard cruise was absolutely incredible and didn't feel like we were missing much!
What to Bring on Your Cruise
- Camera – A must if you love photographing wildlife like me!! A telephoto or zoom lens helps capture the whales if they’re a bit further out.
- Windproof jacket – It can get breezy out on the open water and you’ll want to stay comfortable while spending time on deck.
- Warm layers in winter – Kaikoura can be chilly in winter, especially with a southerly breeze, so bring a few extra layers to help keep you warm.
- Sunglasses and hat – The sun reflects brightly off the water, and sunnies make it much easier to enjoy the view without squinting!!
- Sunscreen – We always choose a natural sunscreen without harsh chemicals and in summer you will want to bring some along. There is 5 minute burn time in the middle of the day in summer and it's even easier to get burnt when you're around water.
- Water and snacks – Handy to have on board, especially if you’re travelling with kids or prone to getting peckish as they don't sell food on the boat.
- Comfortable shoes – Flat shoes are your best bet for moving around the deck when the boat is rolling around on the high seas. Ok it's not that bad most of the time but it can move around, even on calm days like we had, I had moments where I had to hold the rail.
- Motion sickness tablets – Even on calm days, the boat can roll around in the waves. You can buy natural or regular tablets at the gift shop before boarding or check out the pharmacy in Kaikoura. They don't sell any of the tablets on board so be prepared if you're prone to sea sickness!
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What wildlife you'll see on the Kaikoura Whale Watch cruise
Each whale cruise is different from the next and what you'll see and how many of those you'll see all varies. Whale Watch Kaikoura told us that we'd see 1 or 2 whales on our trip and I actually lost count of how many we saw! I know someone who went years ago and didn't see any whales and another person who went and was absolutely surrounded by them! Did you know that Whale Watch refund 80% of your fare if you don't see any whales on your trip? This gives you some peace of mind when booking the cruise.
There are over 10 species of whales you can see in Kaikoura - I'm sure you can see now just how special this part of New Zealand is! The most common whales to see on the cruise are sperm whales (which live there all year round), humpback whales and blue whales. You can also see southern right whales, orcas and pilot whales. Some whales are seen during migrating season between June and August, and I've been told this is one of the best times to go on a whale watch cruise, and some whales are seen all year round.
Whales aren't the only wildlife you'll see on the cruise - there are also dolphins, which are so cool to watch as they swim alongside the boat and many jump around, showing off and this was honestly one of the highlights of the cruise for us! We saw lots of dusky dolphins and sometime you can see hectors dolphins which are the world's smallest and rarest dolphin.
You can also see New Zealand fur seals and we saw one near the boat that was thrashing around an octopus - it was very much dead at this stage!! The seals do this to rip up the octopus into smaller pieces so it's easier for them to eat. We have seen many seals around New Zealand but usually they're laying on the rocks, like at the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway.
You can also see many sea birds on the cruise like albatross, petrels, shearwaters and shags. Kaikoura has one of the biggest variety of seabirds on mainland New Zealand, so you're spoilt for choice!
There are over 10 species of whales you can see in Kaikoura - I'm sure you can see now just how special this part of New Zealand is! The most common whales to see on the cruise are sperm whales (which live there all year round), humpback whales and blue whales. You can also see southern right whales, orcas and pilot whales. Some whales are seen during migrating season between June and August, and I've been told this is one of the best times to go on a whale watch cruise, and some whales are seen all year round.
Whales aren't the only wildlife you'll see on the cruise - there are also dolphins, which are so cool to watch as they swim alongside the boat and many jump around, showing off and this was honestly one of the highlights of the cruise for us! We saw lots of dusky dolphins and sometime you can see hectors dolphins which are the world's smallest and rarest dolphin.
You can also see New Zealand fur seals and we saw one near the boat that was thrashing around an octopus - it was very much dead at this stage!! The seals do this to rip up the octopus into smaller pieces so it's easier for them to eat. We have seen many seals around New Zealand but usually they're laying on the rocks, like at the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway.
You can also see many sea birds on the cruise like albatross, petrels, shearwaters and shags. Kaikoura has one of the biggest variety of seabirds on mainland New Zealand, so you're spoilt for choice!
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Cost & Booking Info
Booking info
Over winter, Whale Watch Kaikoura and Air Kaikoura have been running a buy 1 get 1 free deal on a cruise + scenic flight (not whale watching!) so keep an eye on the deals over winter time. This is another reason why I LOVE exploring New Zealand in winter, there are so many amazing deals on!
Standard cruise
We paid $175 per adult and $60 per child for the cruise, in September 2025.
Captain's Cabin cruise
$255 per person (kids are the same price) and this includes the VIP shuttle and picnic box.
Prices can change at any time, so be sure to check for updated prices!
- The cruise times all year round are 7.45am, 10.30am and 13.15pm. Between November and March, they also run a 6.00pm cruise when the days are longer.
- Children under 3 are not permitted on board for safety reasons and sometimes they raise the age if the weather is too rough.
- Book in advance as they do sell out, especially in summer and on weekends.
Over winter, Whale Watch Kaikoura and Air Kaikoura have been running a buy 1 get 1 free deal on a cruise + scenic flight (not whale watching!) so keep an eye on the deals over winter time. This is another reason why I LOVE exploring New Zealand in winter, there are so many amazing deals on!
Standard cruise
We paid $175 per adult and $60 per child for the cruise, in September 2025.
Captain's Cabin cruise
$255 per person (kids are the same price) and this includes the VIP shuttle and picnic box.
Prices can change at any time, so be sure to check for updated prices!
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Final Thoughts
Seeing the humpback whales is one of the most incredible experiences we have had in New Zealand and being able to see them just a few metres away from the boat is absolutely unreal! Seeing dolphins and seals along the way was the icing on the cake for us and although it's never guaranteed to spot them, we were so happy we did! The crew at Whale Watch Kaikoura make the whole experience even better and I’ve got my fingers crossed that you’ll get to see a whale (or two!) on your trip.
Nearby spots to explore
Kaikoura is one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand and I have so many great spots to share in the area:
- Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway - An incredibly beautiful clifftop track that shows off the rugged coastline and turquoise water, as well as the seal colony that calls this area home.
- Hinau Walk - an easy 40 minute loop track through the forest, at the base of Mt Fyffe.
- Kaikoura Museum - a great interactive museum showcasing the past and present of the Kaikoura community and landscape.
- Kaikoura Esplanade - Eat and drink at one of the restaurants or cafes along the esplanade or head down to the beach for bird and seal watching! Our favourite coffee spot in Kaikoura is Hiku which is beneath the Sudima Hotel and right across the road from the beach.
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Ready to start planning your perfect New Zealand adventure?
Click here to explore our services and get started!
We’ve got you covered with everything you need for an unforgettable adventure. From fully customized itineraries tailored to your interests and group, to expert consultations, detailed maps and insider travel guides — our services take the stress out of planning so you can focus on enjoying your journey. Because we have such an in depth knowledge of travelling New Zealand (full time since 2022!) we're able to offer so much insight into what makes New Zealand so special and where go, beyond the guide books.
Whether you’re exploring solo, traveling with family, or adventuring with friends, we provide personalized support and local knowledge every step of the way. Discover hidden gems, plan your perfect routes, and unlock the best experiences New Zealand has to offer, all in one place.
Ready to start planning your perfect New Zealand adventure?
Click here to explore our services and get started!
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