New Zealand February - June 2015, Akaroa Sound

The Banks Peninsula in general and Akaroa in particular are famous for their local population of the world's rarest dolphin: the tiny Hector's Dolphin. This has turned Akaroa to a touristic attraction with a focus on wildlife watching. There are several tour operators who offer tours into the Akaroa sound to connect with these lovely dolphins. Apart from the Hector's Dolphin's some other good wildlife can be spotted on these tours. Due to the popularity of these tours, reaching Akaroa from Christchurch by private or Public transport should be difficult.

We joined an afternoon nature tour with Black Cat Tours (75 NZD) and even though we were not able to leave the Akaroa sound due to swells of more than five meters, we got good views of a single Hector's Dolphin within the sound (which is apparently quite rare). Apart from the Hector's Dolphins we observed several New Zealand Fur Seals. We also enjoyed views of three Little Blue Penguins of which one could be identified as a White-flippered Penguin (which is either a subspecies of Little Blue Penguin or its own species) and three Giant Petrels of which one could be identified as a Northern. More common birds included several species of Shag, White-fronted Tern and Caspian Tern.

Hector's Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori)

New Zealand Fur Seals (Arctocephalus fosteri)

Northern Giant Petrel (Macronectes halli)

White-flippered Penguin (Eudyptula (minor) albosignata)

Even though these tours are quite expensive, I can highly recommend them as they provide a great opportunity for wildlife watching and even though we did not even leave the Sound we got great views of several species. Apparently outside of the Sound Hector's Dolphin's are more common and there are some chances of seeing Albatrosses as well.