Welcome to Banks Peninsula, home of The Hector’s dolphins and eco-tourism pioneers Black Cat Cruises

Monthly Archives: April 2017

Akaroa New Zealand, Wildlife Spotting

AKAROA OFFERS FREE CRUISING FOR KIDS DURING KIDSFEST

Posted on by Black Cat
24
Apr

Black Cat Cruises was started by a family, the Bingham family to be precise, who loved the harbour and it’s inhabitants so much so that they wanted to share their little slice of Banks Peninsula paradise with those who came to visit Akaroa.

A mecca for native wildlife from the Hector’s dolphins to the little blue penguins, the majestic extinct volcanic harbour lends itself not only a visually captivating experience out on the cool harbour water, but an educational one for all ages.

Back then the Bingham family were pioneers of eco-tourism as they first set about organising and running Akaroa’s first ever daily Akaroa harbour nature cruise, and it’s in that same family spirit that we offer free kids cruising for under 5’s on every single Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise, every single day of the year…BUT WAIT…..during the July School holidays all children when cruising with an adult can cruise for FREE.

Yep the ticket for a child is $0 when they travel with a full paying adult ($75)….time to pack the car and head over the Banks Peninsula hills for a Christchurch winter holiday adventure not to be forgotten.

To view more info visit our page on the Kidsfest website https://www.kidsfest.co.nz/event/kids-cruise-free-in-akaroa-with-black-cat-cruises-2/

Kidsfest is organised by the Christchurch City Coundil and they have a lot of awesome activities for children if you are looking for things to do over the Christchurch school holidays! Coolstuff 2017 scooterWe recommend self driving to Akaroa (the kids scooter may take you the whole two week holiday!) or if you want to make a really relaxing day of it why not jump on the Akaroa French Connection shuttle and let them seamlessly transport you and your wee ones over to Akaroa and back in a day.

They will drop you right at the end of the main wharf in Akaroa where you will find us located in the big blue building!

You can find out more information about their transport to Akaroa here on their website https://www.akaroabus.co.nz/

If you want any pic-sparation (i think we just made up a word) check out our latest shots from our Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise here

*offer is for 1 free child per full paying adult in Akaroa. Child age is 5 -15. Kids Cruise free for under 5’s all year round

Wildlife Spotting

A GUIDE TO AKAROA’S MARINE BIRDS

Posted on by Black Cat
24
Apr

New Zealand has over 86 types of breeding seabirds. This has given us the title of ‘Seabird capital of the world’, and a number of these birds can be found in and around Banks Peninsula. We’re celebrating by launching an exclusive special offer for the month of May.

The Akaroa Department of Promotions recently launched their new brochure-‘A Guide to Marine Birds of Akaroa Harbour’ to co-incide with Seaweek.

Whilst Seaweek gives us all an opportunity to celebrate and educate over a nationwide week long promotion this wonderful new Marine Bird brochure will be a fantastic tool for years to come.

The brochure showcases nineteen descriptions and images of different marine birds found in and around Akaroa Harbour. Each image has a little tick box alongside it so you can tick the marine birds off as you go along.

Whilst we see birdlife on every single Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise some are more rare than others…

The nineteen different species are organised in the following categories.

Often seen (Such as the Norther Royal Albatross)

Sometimes Seen (Such as the Southern Giant Northen Petrel)

Rarely Seen (such as the yellow eyed penguin)


Make sure you pick up a copy before heading out on our Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise. We’d love to hear back from you as to how many you spot?
It’s also a great little guide for any bird enthusiasts.
This brochure sits alongside another Seaweek brochure that launched 2 years ago, ‘Why is Akaroa Harbour so Special?’

Copies of both brochures can be picked up from our Akaroa stores on the main wharf or at Beach Road….here’s how to find us https://blackcat.co.nz/akaroa-harbour-nature-cruises/how-to-find-us or visit here http://www.akaroa.com/node/641

Marine Bird Offer

Book your Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise with us today and use the code ‘akaroamarinebirds’ to recieve $10 off your ticket! This discount is valid for both adult and child tickets.

This code will be valid throughout the month of May 2017 and cannot be used in conjunction with another offer.

Akaroa New Zealand

EASTER SCHOOL HOLIDAY OFFER IN AKAROA

Posted on by Black Cat
09
Apr

Looking for Easter School Holiday activities…look no further.

We have a limited number of half price Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruise tickets available today on Grab One. They will be available only until the last one sells out so don’t delay.

Both adult and child tickets are half price and remember under 5’s travel for free with us at Black Cat Cruises anytime of the year, so if you have little ones there’s never been a better time to come over the hill and visit us in Akaroa.

Make time to explore both Akaroa and Banks Peninsula. There are so many beautiful places to visit, all just a short drive from Christchurch.To find out more about things to do why not sign up to our newsletter and you’ll recieve a free Banks Peninsula guide packed with things to do, places to eat, sleep and play!