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
$164
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.
Kaikoura, New Zealand
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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5.0
660 reviews
Excellent
574
Very good
52
Average
13
Poor
15
Terrible
6
Cycleirv
2 contributions
Feb 2020
I was recommended this by family who had flown with wings over whales when they visited Kaikoura last year. Worth every penny and one of the few ways to see an animal that's actually wild in this day and age. If you don't get to see a whale then it's still a beautiful flight and you learn a lot from the knowledge pilots about the whales and the Kaikoura region. Had my booking moved a day earlier because I called about the complimentary shuttle bus and they said the weather was better today and they'd been seeing Killer whales in the morning. Very good customer service. Low and behold we saw a pod of killer whales! Thanks Wings over Whales.
Written 7 February 2020
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.
Hi Bethan
Thank you for taking the time to write review. We are glad you enjoyed your experience flying with Wings Over Whales. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. I will pass the kind words onto the staff. We hope you enjoy the rest of your travels around New Zealand.
Written 10 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
rupakparekh
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Family
Thoroughly enjoyed our flight with Mike in January. The whole experience from booking, to checking in and with Wings Over Whales was smooth and the team were very friendly. They were even able to accommodate our 10.5 month old daughter on the flight. It is worth noting that there is no guarantee any whales will be seen and although we spent quite a lot of time in the air before we were fortunate enough to see a giant sperm whale, Mike did everything he could in order that we could enjoy that moment. Thanks WOW for an excellent experience!
Written 4 February 2020
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.
We are glad you enjoyed the whole experience with Wings Over Whales. We are proud to be a family friendly organisation and love providing an incredible experience for guests of all ages. We hope you enjoy the rest of your travels around New Zealand. I will pass the kind words onto Mike your pilot.
Written 6 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ElDeanos
Horsham District, UK16 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Took a private flight in search of sperm whales. We were just about to give up the search when we saw one. Our pilot circled above it so we all got a great view of its awesomeness. Great company and helpful friendly staff
Written 12 January 2020
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.
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are happy you enjoyed you time with Wings Over Whales. Enjoy the rest of your time in New Zealand.
Written 13 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Claire&Co
Auckland, New Zealand115 contributions
Jan 2021 • Family
We came to Kaikoura to see whales and we were not disappointed. We went on the boat and saw two, then the following day went out with Wings over Whales and saw another one (and dolphins!) Doing both was great as from the air the experience is very different and you can really appreciate the size of the whales. The WoW staff were all very friendly and relaxed and our pilot Emily was wonderful in finding the whales, clever comms with the boat crew to locate them foe that brief window they are on the surface! Would recommend to all :)
Written 23 January 2021
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.
Thank you for the review. Im glad you enjoyed your time with Wings Over Whales. I will pass the kind words onto the team.
Written 8 February 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
moonbase11
Leicester, UK43 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
We had been booked with the boat tours. But because it had been windy overnight and there was a big swell, all boat tours for the day were cancelled. As we were only there for a day we booked on the small plane flight. However we didn't realise that Wings over Whales use information from the boats to identify the location of the whales. So our chances of seeing a whale that day were greatly reduced.
We didn't see any whales. That's always a risk but I feel that they should make it clear that if the boats aren't sailing your chances of seeing a whale are reduced.
Flight itself was very smooth and everyone had a great view.
We didn't see any whales. That's always a risk but I feel that they should make it clear that if the boats aren't sailing your chances of seeing a whale are reduced.
Flight itself was very smooth and everyone had a great view.
Written 4 December 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, ME1,193 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.
Gill O
Ascot, UK656 contributions
Dec 2023 • Couples
Watched the weather forecast carefully to make sure we chose a reasonable time and that worked out well. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any whales, which is always possible but we did see a huge pod of dusky dolphins and the scenery is beautiful. The sun shone, the pilot was very good and I overcame my fear of flying to go up and enjoy it.
Will certainly try again another time and hope for the best!
Will certainly try again another time and hope for the best!
Written 12 December 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.
crr859
Christchurch, New Zealand1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Family
Felt very safe and professional with knowledgeable staff. Highly recommended, you will not be disappointed. We saw 2 x humpbacks, a sperm whale and a pod of 60-80 dolphins! Kaikoura a fabulous place to enjoy a scenic flight even if the ocean residents don't appear.
Written 24 January 2020
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.
We are glad you had a fabulous experience flying with Wings Over Whales. Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We hope you have a wonderful time traveling around New Zealand.
Written 28 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bob306
Liverpool, UK23 contributions
Jan 2020 • Friends
Sadly the only day we could fit in this flight was dogged with low cloud. BUT, the guys were very friendly and helpful. We got a later slot but the cloud position changed more quickly and we still couldn't go. We were offered lots of options or a quick refund which we had to take. BOTTOM LINE, they wanted to make sure we had a good flight. Thanks guys. See you next time.
Written 28 January 2020
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.
Hi Bob
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. We are sorry we didn't get you in the air this time the cloud has been very tricky the past few days. At Wings Over Whales we try our best to accommodate everyone. Enjoy the rest of your travels around New Zealand. We hope to see you again in the future.
Thanks again from the team at Wings Over Whales.
Written 28 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
arina p
St. Petersburg, Russia1 contribution
Feb 2020
me & my friends enjoyed our experience with Wings Over Whales. For approximately 20 minutes we've been searching for a whale and already lost hope, when suddenly a whale appeared. We were extremely happy to see him, but we expected a closer view (like it was shown on videos or pictures)
Written 25 February 2020
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.
We are glad to hear you enjoyed your experience with Wings Over Whales. We follow strict regulations set out by the Department of Conservation for the whales protection on how close we can get to the whales. As we state in our pre flight briefing we can not fly any lower than 150 meters above the whale. We hope you enjoy the rest of your travels around New Zealand.
Written 26 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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.
Written 18 October 2015
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
Written 18 October 2015
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