We arrived in Akaroa to wind and rain in the morning . Our cruise was in the afternoon . Thankfully the rain cleared by the time we boarded. We were lucky to see lots of pods of the Hector dolphin . They all came out to play . Such beautiful creatures . Passed by Cathedral Cave on the way to see the seals. Lounging in the afternoon sun on the rocks , they have the perfect life . This cruise is well worth the time and money . Crew are pleasant to deal with. A commentary about the animals and area was very informative . Highly recommend this to everybody .

A few spare days after the Test match in Christchurch (that we won convincingly 😉) and we hired a car and drove to beautiful Akaroa where we booked this experience. Captain Thomas was ably assisted by crew members Charlie and Helen. They advertise one is 95% certain to see the rare Hector's dolphins and we weren't disappointed. We also saw plenty of fur seals and birdlife. Thomas was very knowledgeable and articulately communicated relevant information as we went out and returned. A thoroughly recommended tourist experience. The Black Cat organisation made our day and helped create lifelong memories - a big thank you from the Stratford family (UK) 💥

We did the ‘swim with dolphins’ trip. The advertisements show dolphins jumping out of the water while when the trip starts we learned that unlike some other dolphins, those here are actually not that playful, and most of the time they are busy finding food as opposed to having time to interact with humans. This makes me feel the pictures on the advertisements are a bit deceiving. We did indeed find two or three groups of a few dolphins, and we could see them from the boat. However, none were showing interest in interacting according to the crew. Nevertheless in the end we entered the water (I got the idea this was more a futile attempt by the crew to say that at least we did go swimming). From in the water, there was less to see than from the boat. Just according to what we learnt at the start, we didn’t see any dolphins emerging out of the water, so don’t expect this also if you do the tour where you stay on the boat. Don’t get me wrong, I do understand these are wild animals and it’s not a zoo. However given what the crew told us, I suspect the chances of interacting or seeing dolphins from close by in the water are not that high.

An amazing tour that included seals and dolphins. Well described by Skipper Thomas during the tour. Very informative history and nature discovery. Shout out to Ben and Helen who were very professional and friendly crew.

Cruise of 2 hours seeing wildlife and cute dolphins was an amazing experience. Thank team Blackcat for all the hospitality and great commentary

We were so lucky with the day, not a breath of wind. Was smooth sailing the whole two hours. Saw Hector's dolphins they are incredibly fast, also saw a couple of fur seals and absolutely stunning scenery. The crew and skipper were both fantastic answering all questions put to them in a warm and friendly manner. We used leisure tours via trip advisor. Whole day was awesome

INCREDIBLE. What a place. Within a short 2 hour period we saw Dolphins, seals and learnt heeps about the local geological heritage from our devilishly handsome young captain, Thomas. If you need a nice relaxing morning with peeks of excitement , this is the thing for you

Great time today onboard with Thomas, Harriet, and Helen. Thomas was extremely knowledgeable about what we saw on land or sea. If you’re wanting to learn about dolphins and/or Akaroa and it’s history, this is a must do!

Superb, close up and extended views of Hector's dolphins. Also saw NZ fur seals, white-fronted shags, pied shags and even a Giant Northern Petrel Very clear, knowledgeable and informative commentary. Lovely boat. Free tea, coffee etc A great way to spend two hours!

A wonderful experience cruising Akaroa Harbour with Black Cat Cruises. Most informative and beautifully entertained by numerous Hector’s Dolphins playing around the boat and interacting with us!! Also saw a colony of NZ Fur Seals just outside the harbour sunning themselves on the rocks - and one swimming around the boat! Learned lots about the geography and history of Akaroa from the wonderfully informative Carl. Will definitely recommend this fabulous cruise!

Awesome crew, perfect weather and lots of dolphins and other wildlife. Would recommend wearing a jacket it can get cold

This was a wonderful day out, I thoroughly recommend. Yes, we did see dolphins and seals, but even if we hadn’t, I still would’ve enjoyed, lovely scenery, and great people both on the boat and in the checkin area.

This trip was amazing. Incredibly informative with a good amount of cultural inclusion. All staff on CAT were lovely and welcoming. We spent a good amount of time looking for the hector dolphins and were lucky enough to experience and observe their behaviours. I particularly love that Black Cat Cruises are offering kids go for free over the school holidays. Overall a fantastic experience and highly recommend.

The cruise was so good! The staff were excellent, great commentary and all very friendly. We were thrilled to see the Hectors dolphins, and the skippers made sure we got the best possible experience with them. We loved the up close views of the seals and geology. It was a great trip and we highly recommend it.

Excellent and informative wildlife and local history tour- relaxed and friendly staff- very comfortable boat. Highly recommend.