The white flippered penguin is the Canterbury cousin of the more abundant Little Blue Penguin. Over the last 20 years it’s estimated that around 70% of the local population has been lost. This is mainly due to predators including cats, rats, stoats and ferrets. Black Cat has been working on trapping these predators around the […]
Black Cat Cruises is supporting the Quail Island Ecological Restoration Trust with $24,000 worth of sponsorship over the next three years. Volunteers and trust workers travel to the island throughout the year to perform the important tree planting, weed eradication, nursery work and monitoring of the success of plant and animal re-introduction activity. The Trust […]
We’ve been fortunate enough to host a number of cruise ships in both Lyttelton and Akaroa this season. Pictured is the Millennium in Akaroa Harbour. Why would someone come off a large ship and go onto a ’small’ tourist boat like ours? Of course our boats get much closer to the wildlife and sea caves […]
“Many thanks for the opportunity to experience, as a customer, the Blackcat Dolphin swim experience on Saturday 29th Nov. As you predicted, the weather and conditions were excellent! I spent 40 minutes in the water with 9 other tourists, and it was absolutely wonderful! We were “visited” by about 5 pods and were enthralled with […]
Around this time of the year Hector’s dolphins give birth. There are quite a number of little calves around at the moment, one of which is jet black. Crew on board the Canterbury Cat in Lyttelton have named the new born Obama! Calves are often quite dark when they are first born but quickly grow […]
Akaroa and Lyttelton News, Hector's Dolphins
CHRISTCHURCH GIRL STEPS FORWARD TO SAVE ENDANGERED HECTOR’S DOLPHINS
Fifteen year old Christchurch Avonside High School student Aescleah Hawkins has an unusual resolution for 2010 – this year, she has pledged to help stop the extinction of New Zealand’s endangered Hector’s dolphins. It’s an apt resolution for the new decade: the UN has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, officially launching in Berlin […]
Just before Christmas we were lucky enough to be visited by a friendly pod of Orca in Akaroa Harbour. Around 8 of these impressive marine mammals spent time with our vessels and the one pictured below actually nudged one of our ’swimming with dolphins’ boats giving those on board a real thrill.
The Hector’s dolphin is as Kiwi as the Kiwi and a Canterbury Cruise and Wildlife company says it is fantastic news to see Hector’s dolphins named in a drive to promote wildlife tourism and conservation In New Zealand. The ‘Big Five’ concept is used by big-game hunters in Africa to refer to the five most […]
Two purpose built boats worth $350,000 are being launched in Akaroa by Black Cat Cruises on Friday 17 October. “Dolphin swimming and wildlife cruises bring thousands of visitors into our region every year,” Black Cat Cruises Managing Director Paul Bingham said. “It is vital we can provide a world class experience that matches, and hopefully […]
A Korean fisherman who fell overboard in Lyttelton Harbour this morning owes his life to the crew of a tugboat and the skipper of the Black Cat Cruises Diamond Harbour ferry. The man was thought to have fallen off the trawler at about 6am on Thursday morning and was spotted by the crew of the […]