Cruise Port Guide · 12 cruises visit Akaroa →
The bucket-list things to do — and the private, expert-led way to do each.
Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, and the private, small-group, or expert-led way to make it yours — your own pace, real access, none of the crowd.
Slip into the crystal-clear waters of Akaroa Harbour alongside the world's rarest and smallest dolphin — the endemic Hector's dolphin. This guided swim is a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife encounter found nowhere else on Earth.
Watch the world's smallest penguins waddle ashore at dusk at Pohatu — New Zealand's largest mainland white-flippered penguin colony. An intimate, conservation-led evening guided by the family who has protected this colony for decades.
Explore Akaroa's unique Franco-Māori heritage with Marie Haley — a seventh-generation French descendant and the peninsula's most authoritative local guide. This exclusive private tour reveals the stories no guidebook tells.
Combine a rugged 4WD ascent of the ancient volcanic Banks Peninsula crater rim with a guided sea-kayak glide along the harbour's dramatic basalt sea cliffs. Two bucket-list experiences, one extraordinary half-day.
Cruise the full length of one of the Southern Hemisphere's most spectacular drowned volcanic harbours, scanning volcanic sea cliffs, hidden coves, and wildlife-rich shores from a comfortable boutique vessel.
Under some of the Southern Hemisphere's darkest skies, a dedicated astronomer guides you through a live tour of the Milky Way, southern constellations, and deep-space objects through powerful dual telescopes.
⚓ Your bucket-list concierge
Tell us your sailing and we'll send the bucket list for every port — the most extraordinary thing to do at each, and the private, expert-led way to make it yours.
No spam. The honest plan, even when it says skip the ship’s tour.