Extend your stay
Akaroa Dolphin & French Harbour Escape
One night and two days on Banks Peninsula: a harbour sailing among Hector's dolphins, and a village unlike anywhere else in the country. No bikes involved.
The beauty of Akaroa
Akaroa sits inside the drowned crater of an ancient volcano, which explains the improbable geography: a deep, sheltered harbour ringed by green hills, with a village at the water's edge that still carries the streets and names of the French settlers who arrived in 1840. The headline act is the harbour itself: a two-hour morning cruise with Akaroa Dolphins among Hector's dolphins, found only in New Zealand waters and entirely at home here, with fur seals, penguins and seabirds for company, and the long lunches of the waterfront waiting when you step off.
Give it the two days it deserves: the drive over the Summit Road is one of Canterbury's great short journeys, the galleries and boutiques reward a slow morning, and the evening light on the harbour is the kind photographers plan trips around. About ninety minutes from Christchurch by the included transfer, and a world away.
How it works
The escape is one night and two days, added to the start or the end of your tour. The transfer leaves Christchurch at 8.50am and climbs the Summit Road over the old volcano's rim before dropping to the harbour, in time for a leisurely lunch overlooking the water. The afternoon is the village's: the waterfront, the galleries, the boutiques, the French street names. The second morning is the two-hour cruise with Akaroa Dolphins, then free time until the 4pm departure has you back in Christchurch by about 5.30.
What's included and the price
Price: NZD $420 per person twin share. Single supplement $125.
Prices valid until April 2027.
Return transfers from Christchurch.
One night at Akaroa Waterfront Motels. Breakfast is not included, and the village's cafes consider that their job.
The two-hour morning harbour cruise with Akaroa Dolphins.
A pre- or post-escape night in Christchurch is not included, but we can source and quote one for you at the time of booking. Just ask.
Akaroa pairs with every tour that starts or ends in Christchurch
Or make a full day of the peninsula after the Little River ride >
Add it to your tour
Easiest way: mention it when you book your tour and we fold it in. Already booked, or just wondering? Ask us anything and we will reply within one business day.
