Water Tours
2 hours
Free cancellation
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Recommended by 100% of travellers
100% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
from
$130
per adult
Ocean Leopard Tours
Ocean Leopard Tours
5
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Full view
About
Explore one of New Zealand’s most breath-taking stretches of coast with the exhilarating and award winning Ocean Leopard Tours. On the 2 hour Full Monty Tour you will cruise 12 km of rugged volcanic coastline visiting nearby islands, stunning beaches, including Lonely Bay, Cooks Beach, Hahei and the spectacular Cathedral Cove where Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia) was filmed. Venture across the Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve where you’ll observe an abundance of marine and bird life. Get up close and personal with towering pinnacles, giant blowholes and huge sea caves including Orua Sea Cave, one of the largest in NZ and only accessible by boat. Throughout the tour your local guide will highlight Mercury Bay’s rich and colourful history giving a fabulous balance of information and time to soak up the sights and sounds.
Tours and Tickets by Ocean Leopard Tours
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(52 reviews)
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5.0
1,080 reviews
Excellent
1,030
Very good
47
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
1
mark k
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Couples
Great cruise with knowledgable guide from the local area. The swim with in the ocean was amazing! Would highly recommend to all.
Written 30 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.
Johnd1961
Mudgee, Australia234 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
This is an amazing adventure by boat along the fascinating coastline from Whitianga. This trip takes you to all the sights including up very close to Cathedral Cove, the various beaches coves and sea caves ( we even went inside a sea cave). You experience the natural beauty of the coastlines unique geological formations which Liam explained very clearly. You also learn some Maori history of the area. We saw a large pod of dolphins, a penguin, snapper and mahi mahi fish.
Everyone on the trip thoroughly enjoyed it !
Everyone on the trip thoroughly enjoyed it !
Written 30 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.
Sithum D
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Couples
Excellent experience and he gave us a great service. teach us about the history around. fantastic guy and definitely recommend to go with him
Written 29 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.
Seaside20399318862
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Friends
Sam was an amazing Tour guide and explained a lot, Paired with epic views, this Tour was a great Addition to our Trip!
Written 29 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.
Emily717
New York City, NY3 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Liam made this trip amazing! He was very fun and knowledgeable about the cove and surrounding areas. The views are once in a lifetime and seeing the area by boat is the only way to go. The people in our group ended up swimming, despite the slightly chilly temperatures. It was worth it. This tour had great information, beautiful views, and great interactions with the local sea life. Cannot recommend this enough!!
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.
Mauriceb17
England, UK172 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Booked the Full Monty trip. Sam, our Skipper, was very friendly, helpful and informative, giving us lots of details about the local area and historic facts. She ensured our safety, and instructed us with our life jackets.
Highlight was Cathedral Cove.
Unfortunately the company changed our trip from our pre-booked time of 1.30pm to the earlier time of 10.30am - they rang us the day before to let us know. However, we had bad weather in the morning, rain reduced visibility, and waves splashed into the boat meaning we were all soaked, which did dampen some spirits, some people just sat with their hoods up not really interacting.
It did spoil the experience a bit, especially as the afternoon was lovely and sunny, so it was a shame they changed our time as the weather really does make or break these trips.
A refund was issued promptly for the difference in price due to not being able to continue with the full tour due to the bad weather.
Highlight was Cathedral Cove.
Unfortunately the company changed our trip from our pre-booked time of 1.30pm to the earlier time of 10.30am - they rang us the day before to let us know. However, we had bad weather in the morning, rain reduced visibility, and waves splashed into the boat meaning we were all soaked, which did dampen some spirits, some people just sat with their hoods up not really interacting.
It did spoil the experience a bit, especially as the afternoon was lovely and sunny, so it was a shame they changed our time as the weather really does make or break these trips.
A refund was issued promptly for the difference in price due to not being able to continue with the full tour due to the bad weather.
Written 22 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.
Jan N
7 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
Some hours in the speedy boat gave us nice insights and views about the costline from Whitianga to Hot Water Beach. The shipper/guide ”Liam” drove safely and made stops in places of special interest where he also gave some interesting information. We also got the opertunity to make some snorkling in a place with really large ”Snappers”.
Written 22 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.
Peter B
Summer Hill, Australia486 contributions
An excellent tour with Liam.
We managed to see a penguin out for a swim, several snappers and some cormorants.
On land, from the boat, we saw an old blowhole, Orua Cave and Cathedral Cove.
There was a moderate swell in the less protected parts of the trip.
Two brave souls from our group went for a quick snorkel in a sheltered spot near the other end of the Marine Reserve.
We managed to see a penguin out for a swim, several snappers and some cormorants.
On land, from the boat, we saw an old blowhole, Orua Cave and Cathedral Cove.
There was a moderate swell in the less protected parts of the trip.
Two brave souls from our group went for a quick snorkel in a sheltered spot near the other end of the Marine Reserve.
Written 22 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.
Craig B
3 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
This was a really interesting and informative trip. Sam , the guide and skipper, is an excellent communicator and made the trip very enjoyable
Written 15 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.
Joanie R
Grand Rapids, MI28 contributions
Nov 2023 • Couples
The views were amazing. Sam was very knowledgeable and made sure everyone had a chance for a good photo I highly recommend this tour.
Written 10 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.
Alison C
Suzhou, China43 contributions
Do you run in July? what should we expect given the time of year?
JPHopkins
Whitianga7 contributions
Hi there, thank you for the enquiry. Generally speaking we run all year around. In winter months when weather conditions are less favourable it's best to call us when you arrive in the area and take it from there. Thank you and apologies for the tardy response!
Cheers, Justin
Do you allow pets ?
JPHopkins
Whitianga7 contributions
Hi sarath k,
thank you for your question, it's one we get asked quite a bit. We love animals but I'm afraid on the Ocean Leopard we do not allow pets. This is really out of respect to other customers who may have allergies or phobias.
Thanks again, Justin
Aussie2066
San Francisco, CA3 contributions
What is the key difference between the 75 minute tour and the two hour tour?
Aussie2066
San Francisco, CA3 contributions
Thanks Justin.we booked the longer one