Albatross, seals, and sea birds-Wildlife Cruise
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Small group tours, by Otago Harbour's most experienced skipper/guide!
You wont find a wildlife guide with more experience on Otago harbour then owner/operator Rachel McGregor. She has had 20 +years experience skippering/guiding/operating commercial vessels on Otago Harbour, including dredger, coastguard, harbourmaster and more.
Modern, comfortable, safe, fast and custom built boat.
Approx 1.5 hours -2 hours in duration.
-Fully commentated.
-Quality binoculars provided.
-We pass by the historic Quarantine Stations and old shipwrecks.
-See and learn about the fishing boats, workboats, dredges and ships as we pass Port Chalmers and Careys Bay.
-Look for albatross, penguins, seals, sea lions, sea birds, marine mammals and more as we cruise past roosting, breeding and feeding areas.
-See/learn about the historic pilots houses, search light and gun emplacements and the old whaling stations.
-Cruise around Taiaroa Head, Nature reserve.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please be aware there could be sea spray at times, please dress warmly, just incase.
Please wear a facemask if you have been recently unwell.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Port To Port Cruises and Wildife Tours
Small group tours, fast custom built vessel. Comfortable, warm, enclosed cabin, or open outer deck. On our tour..... -Approx. 2 hours duration, if joining from Portobello. Or 1.5 hours if joining from Port Chalmers by default, unless specified. -Fully commentated. -Travel from the most scenic part of the harbor, pass by the historic Quarantine Stations and old shipwrecks. -See and learn about the fishing boats, workboats, dredges and ships as we pass Port Chalmers and Careys Bay. -View wading birds and look for penguins sea lions and shags as we cruise past roosting and feeding areas. -See/learn about the historic pilots houses, search light and gun emplacements and the old whaling stations. -Take the time to cruise around Taiaroa Head, exploring the shallow bays to view fur seals and nesting colonies of shags, albatross, sea birds, marine mammals such as dolphins and more. Usual departure times are 10am, 1:15pm, 4:00pm. Please advise which times you'd prefer.
What‘s Included
Experienced guides
Use of high quality binoculars for adults.
Small-group tours
Live commentary on board
Wildlife Identification sheet provided
Pickup points
Portobello Wharf
Port Chalmers (Back Beach)
Options
Port Chalmers Departure
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes: Albatross Wildlife and Harbour cruise, starts and finishes at Port Chalmers. 5 minutes walk from cruise terminal building.
Starting point:
39 Peninsula Beach Road, Port Chalmers, Dunedin 9023, New Zealand
Pickup included
Portobello Departure
Duration: 2 hours: Albatross Wildlife and Harbour Cruise, departing from Portobello. 837 Portobello Road, Otago Peninsula.
Starting point:
837 Portobello Road, Portobello, Dunedin 9014, New Zealand
Pickup included
Reviews
205 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Magical experience
PhilipB,Apr 14, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Such a special experience - highly recommend! So many different things to see with incredible local knowledge from super friendly guide & owner, Rachel. I’m sure every trip would be different & uniquely amazing in its own right due to the nature of the wildlife and environment.
An up close personal tour with a small group.
167victoriam,Apr 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Had an amazing trip out with Rachel in a small group, very personal and informative throughout. Managed to see so many amazing sites of the birds including albatross in full flight, blue penguins, and a couple of sea lions alongside many sea birds and learnt so much about the comings and goings of the Otago Peninsular. I only took short. Videos which I can’t download sadly.
A wonderful trip.
LeeAnn F,Apr 8, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Fantastic operator. Great knowledge of the area and able to find penguins, deals and albatross. Wonderful customer service. Would highly recommend this trip. Small number of passengers means you get to see everything easily.
Grab this opportunity to see so much nature if you can
judithmartin33749,Mar 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This small group tour (just six of us) was fabulous. We saw so much - maybe we got lucky- but Rachel (our boat driver and tour guide) knew where everything was, and got as close as she could. And she was a fount of knowledge about the area and the wildlife.
Great trip. Rachel is...
Susan J,Mar 24, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great trip. Rachel is very knowledgeable and very friendly. We saw just about everything and more of what she told us about. Highly recommend this trip. The cookie was very nice too that she gave us.
The best ride was a...
Michele P,Mar 8, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00The best ride was a blast. It's really a trip for bird lovers which I am not. The guide was very knowledgeable.
Not quite a wildlife tour
Susan H,Mar 7, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00It is a bit difficult to find the specific dock. Since one of us has mobility issues, it was difficult getting in and out of the boat. A very pleasant ride. Don’t expect to see more than sea birds, seals, and sn albatross or two.
Fantastic Birder's Cruise
695kristinel,Feb 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful experience cruising the harbor with Rachel! To begin with, communication was excellent. I booked very far in advance, and she let me know that she had me down, but needed to wait for more bookings to guarantee that the cruise would go. The weeks ticked by and finally about three weeks out, I got another email confirming my reservation. At this point, I received detailed directions for finding the dock from the cruise port. It is an easy 5 minute walk on a flat path. There are public restrooms right by the dock to use before embarking. There is not a toilet on the boat. We left exactly on the dot of the promised time, so make sure you are there a few minutes early. Binoculars were provided (although if you are picky, bring your own, I thought mine were better) and a page with photos to id the various wildlife we saw. Rachel did a great job finding birds and seals, and then kept the boat by them long enough for everyone to look their fill. The whole time, she kept up commentary on what were seeing, and some of the history of the area. The harbor itself is beautiful, and it was great to see all the birds - including little blue penguins just swimming along! While we did see, quite up close, a whole bunch of fur seals, for the most part this was a birder's outing. I'm not sure it would be the best fit for excitable children as the boat is compact and really you're just riding along and looking at birds. We had about 10 people onboard, all adults, and everyone was very happy with how the morning went. We returned to the dock exactly on time, and Rachel provided suggestions for next things to see or do. There is a lovely little gravel path right from the dock if you want to spend more time looking at the harbor. Overall a lovely way to spend the morning and highly recommended!
Rachel is a one man show- perfection!
sheree K,Feb 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Rachel is the boat captain, the navigator, the tour guide with a wealth of information at her disposal. Allows everyone to move about, take pictures. Use the boats’ binoculars and provides a document on all that you will see and track wildlife and then to keep. Amazing tour in just the perfect amount of time. OH! That’s not all- she provided delicious biscuits so you have a sweet snack on board as well.
Rachel was great! Great...
Alyssa C,Feb 19, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Rachel was great! Great experience. We took an 2.5 year old and she was well prepared and equipped for that as well, with a set of kids binoculars, a stuffie for her to hold onto case she was nervous and also a life jacket sized properly for her. She knows the area very well and was an exceptional host. She was great with all the passengers, showed us all the important places and wildlife and was amazing!
From NZ$190.00
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Operated by Port To Port Cruises and Wildlife Tours Ltd