Wildlife Watching
30 minutes
Free cancellation
Not sure? You can cancel this booking up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Recommended by 92% of travellers
92% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$225
per adult
Wings Over Whales
Wings Over Whales
5
Dolphin & Whale WatchingNature & Wildlife ToursAir Tours
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Experience Kaikoura's mighty Sperm Whale, playful Dusky Dolphin and majestic scenery from above! Wings Over Whales Kaikoura conduct whale watching flights, scenic mountain tours and private charter. Endorsed by Qualmark New Zealand, our professional and experienced team will ensure you have a safe and comfortable flight. Passengers have their own window seat and our high-winged aircraft will allow you to enjoy unobstructed views of Kaikoura's marine wildlife and spectacular scenery. Wings Over Whales operate two aircraft; a 4-seater Cessna 172 as well as an 8-seater Gippsland Airvan. Wings Over Whales are situated at Kaikoura Airport, an 8km drive south from the town centre. Located in an inviting log cabin terminal, customers can enjoy great facilities with on-site gift shop, cafe and rest room facilities. In typical 30 minute flight you will see the majestic Sperm Whale preparing for his next dive and up to 500 Dusky Dolphins playfully swimming. Occasional sightings include Orca, Humpback,Pilot and the rare Blue Whale.
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5.0
649 reviews
Excellent
566
Very good
51
Average
12
Poor
14
Terrible
6
Jon P
Haringey, UK4 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Unfortunately a 30 minute flight searching for a non-existent whale - very disappointing. A large pod of dolphins was the only sighting.
Written 28 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
J0nM0n
Bradford, UK19 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
We had an amazing experience with Wings over Whales. Very friendly humorous and attentive staff. Pilots Keeley and his colleague did a great job and were highly informative. We got a great view of a sperm whale and dolphins and the pilots kept a respectful distance. We thoroughly loved our time with them
Written 19 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elaine A
Canberra, Australia8 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
i was on an afternoon flight Thursday 26 October. It was very windy. Whale watching cruises were cancelled. The pilot explained it was very hot in the aircraft and it would be bumpy until we were over the water. The first bump was certainly a BIG bump and from then on, I felt scared, unsafe and sick. There was no airflow. Was very relieved when we landed and then I was physically sick. I have flown in small planes and helicopters before and felt safe.
Even if we had seen a whale, it wasn't worth the experience. The next flight was cancelled. Should we have flown? Elaine
Even if we had seen a whale, it wasn't worth the experience. The next flight was cancelled. Should we have flown? Elaine
Written 2 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rhonda A
South Portland, ME1,065 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
Loved, loved our 30 minute adventure to look for sperm whales! Kaikoura is uniquely set up for this as there is deep ocean depth near to land. From the waiting area to the pilot to the plane - a first class operation. They work with other local companies to spot whales and timed our flight for the optimal time to see a sighted whale. As in all nature there are no guarantees ( we didn’t see a kiwi in Kapiti Island) but we were lucky on this flight! Really a must do if in the area!
Written 27 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robbyne L
Waiheke Island, New Zealand56 contributions
Jul 2023
This was an awesome experience offering a different perspective of viewing the amazing Kaikoura coastline and the magnificent Sperm whales. We went at the magick hour just before sunset. Our lovely pilot made sure everyone had a stunning view and quickly spotted the whales and dolphins to make this an epic adventure. Highly recommend this adventure as it will be a highlight.
Written 20 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wingsoverwhales1
Glad you enjoyed your experience, hope to have you fly with us again! Thanks so much for taking time to write a review.
Written 21 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
cathy u
2 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Whether we flew with Emily in the Cessna or Dan in the helicopter it was out of this world amazing experience. They were above and beyond accommodating to all our needs. Travel and sightseeing. Highly recommend!
Written 26 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MB88
London, UK23 contributions
We had done the whale watching by boat but as we didn't see any whales and got some money back, we booked this up to try again. Unfortunately we didn't see any whales but the staff were super friendly and helpful, for example as we didn't have a car they picked us up from town for free.
The plane ride was brilliant and more fun than the boat I'd say.
We got the first flight of the day so I'd recommend not doing that if you can as they mentioned that they don't know where the whales might be, whereas after a few trips in a day you'd probably have more luck.
The plane ride was brilliant and more fun than the boat I'd say.
We got the first flight of the day so I'd recommend not doing that if you can as they mentioned that they don't know where the whales might be, whereas after a few trips in a day you'd probably have more luck.
Written 10 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wingsoverwhales1
Thanks for the review Matt, we are glad you enjoyed your flight and experience with us.
We hope you come to see us again.
Written 11 April 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
GregL
Auckland Central, New Zealand100 contributions
We were here Two years Ago and did the Boat trip,And we noticed that there was a light Aircraft Flying over The Boat,And I Thought next time we were here I would love to do that,So On our next trip to Kaikoura we Immediately Booked with Wings over Whales,And wow we were not Disappointed,This is a very Well run ,Professional operation,The pilot ,Kurt was fantastic,Giving us a Full commentary on the flight,I can’t Rate this Fantastic Operation Highly Enough,We will back am sure,Thanks Wings Over Whales,Highly Recommend ❤️👍
Written 25 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wingsoverwhales1
It was a pleasure to have you fly with us!
Written 26 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Martin C
Swindon, UK32 contributions
We had a whale watching experience with Wings over Whales in 2019 and were eager to it again now that we can travel post-covid. Our first opportunity was cancelled due to high winds but the team were extremely helpful in rescheduling us as a priority two days later when the weather had improved. Emily was a great pilot who managed to locate us a sperm whale and we managed to get some great photos. Definitely a trip to go on.
Written 23 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wingsoverwhales1
Thank you :)
Written 26 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
St80249
Heidelberg, Germany61 contributions
It is really hard to put this flight into words.
We were really lucky to see three whales in one go.
As Whale Watching is the thing here in Kaikoura all vendors here use an open channel to broadcast whale sightings and Wings over Whales times the flights according to whales coming up for air.
Our Pilot started of with a quick look over some dolphins when she steered off to the whales.
We had the luck to see a blue whale first and than two sperm whales.
You have to be patient, but trust the pilots, they know what they are doing.
We were rewarded with a one hour flight, three whales sighted and hundreds of dolphins.
We were really lucky to see three whales in one go.
As Whale Watching is the thing here in Kaikoura all vendors here use an open channel to broadcast whale sightings and Wings over Whales times the flights according to whales coming up for air.
Our Pilot started of with a quick look over some dolphins when she steered off to the whales.
We had the luck to see a blue whale first and than two sperm whales.
You have to be patient, but trust the pilots, they know what they are doing.
We were rewarded with a one hour flight, three whales sighted and hundreds of dolphins.
Written 20 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wingsoverwhales1
Thanks for you review, always a pleasure :)
Written 26 March 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jobeale
1 contribution
I'm thinking about taking my 18 month old on this tour and wondering how suitable it would be and whether there would be any problems with this.
Wings0verWhales
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Hello,
Thank you for your enquiry. We often have babies and toddlers on our flights and they fly with no problems at all- in fact they usually drop off to sleep! We can provide a set of ear muffs to protect little ears but in saying this the noise levels are not that high. Infants under 3 years of age fly free of charge seated on a parent or caregiver's lap.
If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Kind regards,
Wings Over Whales