Akaroa and Lyttelton News

View to Ripapa Island "Thanks for organising our trip to Ripapa Island with our holiday programme.  We wish to give positive feedback on the whole experience.  We were greeted on time and by your friendly staff.  Our group of young people aged 9-12 really enjoyed seeing the tunnels, guns and going to a place only 2 of them had ever been too before.  The information given in the museum was well received, not too long, but long enough!  We were very impressed with the young lady who took charge on the day, who took us through the formal programme and...

A great blog post about Akaroa: "Two extinct volcanoes. Two harbours. One drop dead gorgeous peninsula just over the hill from Christchurch. When I finally score the real 'Bank Error in Your Favour' card instead of Monopoly's version, I'm going to buy a 'bach' in Akaroa, the faux-French heart of the Banks Peninsula. Once a French colonial outpost from the era when the French and English were competing for dominion in the Antipodes, it has tenaciously held on to its short-lived French-ified past." Read the full blog post .

Black Cat may be well known as a tourism operator, but did you know that we’re also a leader in environmental management?  From reducing energy consumption to donating a portion of every passenger fare to dolphin conservation, Black Cat takes extra measures to ensure the preservation of our environment. New Zealand’s first eco-tourism operator Established in 1985 as Akaroa Harbour Cruises, we can claim to be New Zealand’s first eco-tourism enterprise.  We launched with the intention of showing off Hector’s dolphins as well as the other creatures and scenery of Banks Peninsula.  Naturally, such a reliance on the natural environment...

Did you know that you can charter Black Cat boats for private events?  Our Canterbury Cat and Black Cat catamarans comfortably hold up to 80 people, providing the perfect venue for a unique and enjoyable function. A smooth evening From entertaining clients and staff to celebrating with friends and family, chartered cruises are a memorable choice.  Our experienced staff will make sure the evening runs smoothly, and the natural beauty of Banks Peninsula guarantees an unforgettable event. For any occasion One of our most popular charters, the dinner cruise, begins with an hour-long tour, offering guests the opportunity to scan the...

Quail Island lies in the flooded crater of an extinct volcano, a short Black Cat ferry ride from Lyttleton.  While it is Canterbury’s largest island, Quail Island is only 81 hectares in area and easily explored in half a day.  Rich in history and boasting a wealth of activities, the uninhabited island makes for a fascinating day trip from Christchurch. Pre-European history Before the arrival of Europeans, Maori often visited the island it to collect food.  In fact, the Maori name for Quail Island is Otamahua, meaning ‘the place where children collect sea-bird eggs’.  The European name was assigned in...

Hector’s dolphins are the highlight of many Black Cat cruises, and rightfully so.  Known to be the smallest and friendliest dolphin species, Hector’s are found only in New Zealand.  Aside from their playful dispositions, the dolphins are notable for their rounded dorsal fins and short snouts. Our mission When Black Cat was established in 1985, we were determined to showcase these unique animals in their natural habitat and we’ve been proud to play a role in conserving the dolphins and their habitat for over twenty-five years.  To help save the dolphins, Black Cat donates a portion of every passenger’s fare...

CD Traveller.com based in the UK has also named swimming with dolphins in Akaroa as one of their top 10 things to do in New Zealand. Swimming with dolphins in Akaroa Whale watch tours in Kaikoura Tucking into a Maori meal and cultural tour Partying up a storm in Wellington Heading to Hanmer Springs Taking a trip to Taupo Exploring Auckland – aka the ‘City of Sails’ Thrills and spills in Queenstown Chilling out in Christchurch Catching the All Blacks in action Click here for the full list

Our Christmas day schedule is as follows: Akaroa Harbour Cruises 11.00am $85/$35 Dolphin swimming 9am, 12noon $174/$144 (watching $144/$44). Christchurch Wildlife Cruise (Lyttelton) 1:30pm $85/$35 (includes free shuttle) Diamond Harbour Ferry is a normal Saturday timetable with nothing after 6pm.

This is just a little note to thank Black Cat Cruises for a wonderful trip. We took our two little people out on your Lyttelton Wildlife Cruise on Monday (Labour Day). The weather was perfect and we saw lots of dolphins, one busy young fur seal, some nesting shags and other sea birds. The skipper was precise in his piloting of the boat and the commentary was informative and interesting. All in all, a most pleasurable outing. Our kids haven’t stopped talking about their day out. The postcards are shown to everyone who’s interested, with full details of the ‘mouse...

Our new location in Lyttelton is two doors down and we are now located at 5 Norwich Quay. We will have a big sign on the old building so any customers reporting to the old address will easily be redirected to the new one. Meantime work is completed on the repairs to the Akaroa wharf thanks to the great work from Christchurch City Council.

Recently we were lucky enough to see a southern right whale in Lyttelton which appeared very relaxed and was even seen to rubbing itself up against the rocks near a beach. It seems it is not the first time this whale has done this because the attached video shows the same whale two years ago doing something very similar to what we witnessed. Clearly it’s on the way to the Antarctic and sees Lyttelton as a great place to take five.

The Great Quail island treasure hunt is on from 1st December to 31st March. Grab a map and hunt out the clues located all over the island. Every correct entry wins a prize valued at $5 and one lucky entrant will win a holiday in Stewart Island. Ferries depart daily at 10.20am and 12.20pm.

Hawaii Dolphin Essence Sea Life Park Mexico Isla Mujeres Dolphin Discovery CiCi Water Park Dolphin Adventures Florida Dolphin Plus Blue Dolphin Tours Discovery Cove Caribbean Dolphin Encounters – Bahamas Dolphin Quest – Bermuda Dolphin Cove – Jamaica Dolphin Discovery – Tortola Europe Zoomarine – Portugal Adaland Aqua Park – Turkey Pelagos Sanctuary – South of France Africa, Middle East, Far East, Australia, New Zealand Dolphin Reef – Eilat Dolphin Dhow – Kenya Rockingham Wild Encounters – Western Australia Black Cat Cruises – Akaroa, New Zealand Check out more about the world’s best places to swim with dolphins

Akaroa Shuttle is under new management! From 29th November the iconic daily shuttle service is now operated by Red Bus who are the major public transport operator in Christchurch. Marketing material will be refreshed. At this stage the timetable and prices remains the same. www.akaroashuttle.co.nz Tel 0800 500 929

Black Cat Cruises guide Laura Hansen captured this amazing photo of a dolphin 'spy-hopping' in Akaroa Harbour . Jason Hagedorn, from Chicago, was swimming with dolphins when the dolphin raised vertically out of the water for an eye to eye encounter. Spy-hopping is the term given to a dolphin or whale raising its head vertically out of the water. The animal rotates slowly to view the surrounding area, before sinking quietly back below the surface. "The dolphin did a couple of spy-hops and was really into this swimmer. The dolphin also did some 'logging' which is coming to a complete...

Our Xmas day schedule is as follows: Akaroa Harbour Cruises, 11.00am $85/$35 Dolphin swimming 0900, 1200 $174/$144 (watching $144/$44). Christchurch Wildlife Cruise (Lyttelton) 130pm $85/$35 (includes free shuttle) and the Diamond Harbour Ferry is a normal Saturday timetable with nothing after 6pm.

I just wanted to pass on a big thank you to Hamish and Julian for a wonderful trip swimming with the amazing Hector's dolphins on Sunday. It was a truly incredible experience made even better by their shared knowledge and enthusiasm which was inspiring. I ended up with some pretty good pics so thought I would send them along just in case they can be put to any use which may benefit the dolphin conservation effort. Many thanks again, Al Sears PS. I will be back with the parents! We wish to thank you for allowing us the opportunity to experience...

After an exhaustive search we have found one of the very first passengers from the first cruise in 1985. Brian Woods took part in the inaugural service and we have presented Brian with free cruises for the rest of his life. Brian joined former and current Black Cat staff members, customers and the original skipper on a harbour cruise of Akaroa exactly 25 years to the day later. It was a celebration of the journey and included reliving some of the most memorable moments on the harbour since 1985.

On October 20th 1985, the Charmaine set out on her first Akaroa Harbour Cruise. At the helm was Captain Ron Bingham and on board were two paying passengers. Total revenue $16. The business was partly inspired by the Hutchens family who started Fiordland Travel (now Real Journeys). Living in Te Anau we had seen what could be done and it’s ironic that Real Journeys now own 50% of Black Cat. Inspiration is one thing and making a business work is quite another. While others had failed to make a go of it in Akaroa this one worked. Why? It used...

Members of the Black Cat management team decamped to Stewart Island recently for the annual planning session. Pictured is the team on a deserted beach on Ulva Island.