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

Category Archives: Akaroa and Lyttelton News

The Bachelor NZ – Swimming With Dolphins in Akaroa

We’ve been tight lipped and just bursting for last nights episode of The Bachelor NZ to air! It was down to the final three ladies and we were stoked to host The Bachelor Jordan and his date Fleur in Akaroa on what was one of the shows ‘fantasy dates’. We couldn’t think of anything better! […]

This Must Be Underwater Love

Black Cat Cruises is the only company in the world that I have taken a day off as holiday to spend….at work! Well I mean when your company is an eco-toursim operator that offers world class dolphin cruise’s and swimming in the wild with the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin’s set in an extinct volcainc […]

Eruptive Akaroa – Our Volcanic past

Banks Peninsula Volcanoes – Hot or Not? To many in the area, Banks Peninsula is a beautiful place to relax, soak up a bit of local culture, or spend the day exploring and adventuring around the bays. But there’s more to this iconic part of the country than meets the eye. For those into geology, […]

Island paradise (Just 20 mins from Christchurch!)

Have you heard about this little Island close to Lyttelton? No?! It is such an interesting place, rich in history and scenic landscapes all easily explored in one day. Perfect for a day out in Christchurch! Let me show you where it is and what you can do there….. Location: Quail Island is a small […]

60 sec with Capitano Juliano

He’s our most raved about skipper on Tripadvisor, knows the history and wildlife of Akaroa harbour like no other….and is generally an all round amazing guy! We took 60 seconds to find out a little more about Akaroa’s top skipper to find out what really floats his boat……. (and if 60 seconds just isn’t enough […]

First Endangered Hector’s Dolphin Calf of the Season Spotted in Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula

The next generation of the world’s rarest dolphin species has been captured in photos and on video! See our exclusive images and video content below…. International passengers from the cruise ship Dawn Princess who were on a Black Cat Cruises, Akaroa Harbour cruise or Swimming with Dolphins cruise were delighted to spot the first Hector’s […]

#Akaroa…Top Tips for Instagram

Here’s our quick run down of what it is, why we love it and how to make the most of it……. So what is Instagram? Instagram is the leading social media platform for sharing images. When it launched back in 2010 it had 1 million followers in its first month alone, so it’s no surprise […]

Banks Peninsula Tourism Operator celebrates 30 years in Business

It’s been a fantastic start to the new summer season for New Zealand eco-tourism operator Black Cat Cruises as they celebrate 30 years in business. Labour weekend 1985 Ron Bingham and his wife Durelle officially started Black Cat Cruises with a single boat called the Charmaine over in Akaroa. Skip forward to today and they […]

Akaroa business a SMART operator

We are over the moon to be awarded the SMART operator certificate from the Department of Conservation! Akaroa business Black Cat Cruises have become the first business in Banks Peninsula, and the second in the country, to sign up to the SMART Operator programme in an initiative developed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) to […]