Dunedin Wildlife Cruise-Albatross, seals and harbour

Overview

Available languages

German

Chinese

English

French

Spanish

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.

-Full professional amplified commentary

-Quality binoculars provided.

-Bathroom onboard, heated cabin

-Learn about 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

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

We depart a 5-10 minute easy walk, from cruise ship terminal building, Port Chalmers.

We do not offer transport from Cruise building. Passengers need to make their own way, a flat easy 5-10 minute walk.

Not recommended for travelers with signifigant mobility problems (must be able to step down into vessel, 300mm)

Please be aware there could be sea spray at times, please dress warmly, just incase.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Binoculars and jackets

Wildlife information sheets

Restroom on board

Snacks

What To Expect

Otago Peninsula

Scenery, wildlife, shipwrecks, ocean birds, albatross, seals and more.

2 hours • Admission Included

Albatross, seal, sea birds and much more, by boat.

2 hours • Admission Included

Options

Port Chalmers Departure

Port Chalmers pick up
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes: From Port Chalmers. If youd like more time on the vessel this can be arranged on the day for no extra cost.
Port Chalmers, Taiaroa Head
Boat
Starting point:
39 Peninsula Beach Road, Port Chalmers, Dunedin 9023, New Zealand

Portobello Departure

Starting point:
837 Portobello Road, Portobello, Dunedin 9014, New Zealand

Reviews

4.93

107 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

A great wildlife experience with Rachel
Kim G,
Nov 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
This small group tour took 8 people out in the bay seeking wildlife. Rachel, our guide, was amazing. She conducted the tour alone - docking & driving the boat and narrating as we went. She had a keen eye to spot birds, seals and albatross. She was extremely knowledgeable sharing mating, nesting and other habits of the animals we saw. I highly recommend this tour!
Friendly and knowledgeable skipper and a stunning location
Cassie W,
Nov 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Very much enjoyed this tour, especially loved watching the seals playing in the ocean and seeing the albatross soaring over the heads.
Wonderful tour
Chloe S,
Nov 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Fantastic tour! Rachel was a great guide with really interesting commentary covering not only wildlife but also the industry and history of the area. We were lucky enough to see 3 albatross up close (rare apparently) plus seals, a sea lion and loads of other birds. The scenery was stunning too so even without the wildlife it stillwould have been amazing.
Great experience on board
Trish S,
Oct 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great tour. A friendly sole trader who was very knowledgeable Very disappointed in the Viator experience. I accessed the site from NZ and I didn’t realise until afternoon booked that prices are in USD not NZD. it made a huge difference to the price and was a LOT more expensive than booking direct 5 stars to the tour 2 to Viator
Rachel was a very...
Colleen R,
Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00
Rachel was a very informative tour guide and easy to contact. Unfortunately, we had a day where the wildlife wasn’t all that cooperative and the sea was quite rough.
Great trip for kids
Daniel S,
Sep 25, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Fantastic trip to take the kids on. The wildlife to see is amazing and the trip doesn't take too long so an ideal "short break" for the day.
Great experience
Peter I,
Sep 7, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Great experience. The guide really knew her stuff about the albatross and other Sea birds and seals. Was very friendly
A lovely way to see some...
Natalie O,
Apr 16, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
A lovely way to see some of the local wildlife, harbour etc. Very informative and well spoken guide who was very knowledgeable and passionate. A great morning on the water.
Pleasurable ride
William T,
Mar 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Rebecca is an experienced, careful cruise pilot who knows "the ropes" about finding the best places to find wildlife and in some cases they come to you such as the albatross that loved hanging around our boat. I was wishing I had a fish to throw to him.
Five Star Tour Guide
Rebecca R,
Mar 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Tour guide was so knowledgeable. We really learned a lot about albatross (we saw four varieties). We also saw seals and a sea lion. Tour guide was expert at knowing what areas to go and spot the wildlife.