Akaroa Shore Excursion: Comprehensive Christchurch City and Wildlife Reserve Tour
3.8
24 Ratings
Akaroa
Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonders of Christchurch on this comprehensive shore excursion. Discover the city, explore the stunning Banks Peninsula, and get up close with New Zealand's unique wildlife at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
6 days
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Highlights
- Akaroa Village Inn - First you will be collected at the park at the end of Akaroa Wharf (opposite the Akaroa Village Inn) at 10.30am and driven through the village of Akaroa and the Banks Peninsula with stunning views of rolling hills, lakes and coastlines before arriving in Christchurch.
- Christchurch Botanic Gardens - After boarding our coaches from the Akaroa Port, we’ll take you through to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens & Christchurch Museum via the scenic Banks Peninsula. Explore on your own for 30 minutes.
- Cathedral Square - Depart the Botanical Gardens for a brief Christchurch City tour highlighting city landmarks and the rebuild of city centre after the 2011 Earthquake.
- Willowbank Wildlife Reserve - The tour then moves on to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. You will be given entry to the Wildlife Reserve and a guided tour of the reserves
- Banks Peninsula - Travel back to Akaroa via the Banks Peninsula to board your cruise ship.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Port pickup and drop-off
- Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
See the sights of Christchurch when your ship is in Akaroa port, and explore the city on a comprehensive tour. Your Akaroa shore excursion also includes a trip through the beautiful Banks Peninsula and a visit to the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve. Meet the elusive kiwi, New Zealand’s national bird, along with exotic visitors including deer, wallabies, otters, gibbons and lemurs.
- At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
- Please note that activity times and schedules can be slightly amended depending on your cruise ships timetable.
Location
The Britomart Cannon
From the Main Wharf in Akaroa, head down to the end where you will see the Akaroa I-Site and a small park on the right-hand side. Next to the Canon statue, a representative will be waiting for you. Please arrive by 10.15am for a 10.30am departure.
Cancellation Policy
If you cancel at least 7 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.
Customer Ratings
3.8
(24 Ratings)
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Jim_b
Jan 14, 2023
Fantastic LOTR Excursion! - 360 views of Harbour and city!
Walking tour of outer shire movie sites.
WETA visit.
Best tour guide ever!
Review provided by Viator
Jeffrey_b
Dec 3, 2020
A terrific tour of Christchurch and environs. - Absolutely the best tour we had in New Zealand. Our guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. We were taken places the large buses would miss;. All in all a terrific excursion. Well worth it!
Review provided by Viator
Nanciemoran1
Feb 4, 2020
Banks Peninsula and Christchurch tour - My husband and I enjoyed this excursion. Rob, our tour director, was very informative and we learned lots about the surrounding area and Christchurch. Although a 90 minute drive from Akaroa, it was worth it. The scenery along the way was lovely. The city tour was interesting, the botanical gardens were nice and the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve was not to be missed. We now have a better understanding of New Zealand's unique geography and biodiversity.
Review provided by Viator
Edmundo_de_abq
Feb 7, 2019
Good Tour Itinerary - The drive from Akaroa where ships dock, through Banks Peninsula to Christchurch is a long but interesting drive where you see much of the countryside. Christchurch is a magnificent city. Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is a family owned and operated place where animals are displayed for public viewing. They advertise that they participate in conservation of Kiwi's and other wildlife. If you imagine that this is a vast wildlife sanctuary it's not. It was interesting to go inside the Kiwi habitat they've created and also to go inside the large bird enclosures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charles
Dec 29, 2018
A great zoo experience Time crunch otherwise - Beautiful trip from ship port Akaroa to Christchurch But consumes a lot of the time of the tour. The Willowbank zoo was excellent and the guide, Matt, was phenomenally informative about NZ wildlife. But just too short a time for other features, the museum and garden.
Review provided by Viator
Terry
Feb 22, 2018
Christchurch was some what... - <p>Christchurch was some what disappointing because on the ongoing earthquake repairs. Willow bank was informative and fun. Actually saw a Kiwi bird eating in the dark.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Netter75
Jan 15, 2018
We enjoyed our trek to Christchurch... - <p>We enjoyed our trek to Christchurch, it was a bit of a drive but our driver kept talking about the area and entertaining us the whole way. Willow bank would have been interesting but our tour guide there did our hour long tour in about 20 minutes....The countryside was beautiful, and it was interesting to see how Christchurch has recouperated after the earthquake, it seems to be a vibrant city....would have liked a little more time there. Akaroa was stunning in the sunshine.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Stephenemeeks
Feb 10, 2020
Nice ride, nice refuge, too shallow. - The drive was very informative and good, but the tour of the refuge, even by the staff manager was disappointing.
Review provided by Viator
Ying
Dec 27, 2017
It was fantastic. The only draw back... - <p>It was fantastic. The only draw back was that the Kiwi Bird could not really be seen in the total darkness, even under flushlight from the guide.</p>
Review provided by Viator
Steven
Mar 22, 2020
Kinda Disappointed - Not to our expectations - Very long ride to and from. We did not think there was much to see in Christchurch. The Wildlife Reserve was not up to our expectations - did get to see 1 Kiwi Bird - very dark and hard to see.
Review provided by Viator
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