I got burned by the whale watch boat company as well. Thankfully Wings Over Whales offers a great and completely unusual experience. You get your own window seat and the pilot makes every effort to make sure everyone gets plenty of chances to see the whales and dolphins. The views of the Kaikoura landscape were also gorgeous. Great pilot. They also have a shuttle you can book for a small fee from Kaikoura city center, if you don't have a car.

My husband and myself booked this trip as unable to do the boat trip.
I did not want to miss out on the seeing the Whales, but was dubious about flying in a light aircraft. After reading the many positive reviews for this company, we went a head with the booking.
We were given a very informative talk on the different types of whales that we might encounter. I had mentioned I was nervous, so the pilot, Edward let me sit up front in the cockpit with him. Once we were up in the air and with his kind advice, I settle into the flight and enjoyed the experience.
We saw four Sperm Whales, unfortunately no other species. As explained to you that this is nature, nothing is planned. I would recommend this company and if like me on the nervous side; you will be totally reassured and feel safe.

A trip to kaikoura isn't complete without a trip with wings over whales. I would describe it as a once in a lifetime experience....but I know I'll be back again! It was so incredible - fantastic value for money and the whole experience from booking on the phone to stepping out of the plane at the end was flawless.
When we saw the sperm whale, we all got so emotional & I will treasure that moment forever. We saw the whale fluke & dive and seeing that from the air is indescribable.
I work for a whale & dolphin conservation charity, so I have done lots of observations from boats, but by plane gives you a whole different perspective, through the beautifully clear water you can see the whole animal from blowhole to tail!
I will never forget my time in the plane - I was even lucky enough to sit up from with the pilot :)
Staff was so lovely, friendly & approachable & our pilot Jesse was fantastic & very informative.
Cannot recommend enough.

We had a great time on our flight and were lucky enough to see two spermwhales and heaps of dusky- and hectors dolphins. Before our flight we were briefed on safety as well as receiving information about whales, which was great. Our pilot Eddie truly made this flight one of the best so far! Thank you. 5 stars from Tomas, Karl and Angie!