Albatross Encounter with Ocean Wings was established in 1998. Our tours take visitors out by boat into the waters off the Kaikoura Coast. Ocean Wings® began operations early in 1998 and is run by the established dolphin watching and swimming organisation in Kaikoura, Dolphin Encounter®.
It is the vast offshore canyons, with their nutrient rich waters, which is responsible for the variety of sea-life off Kaikoura. Kaikoura boasts the greatest variety of ocean birds (pelagics), within a short distance, than anywhere in New Zealand, maybe even the world.
Tours are by boat and operate all year round. They have a duration of between two and two and a half hours.
Tours operate daily, normally three times a day in summer and twice daily in winter. We do have the ability to alter tour times for groups wanting alternative arrangements.
| Season | Times | Price to 30th November 2010 |
| Summer: | 6.00am, 9.00am and 1.00pm | $110 Adult, $55 Child (5-14 yrs) |
| Winter: | 9.00am, 1.00pm |
Specialised tours can be organised to suits your preference. For options on these tour see Customised Pelagic Tours >>
The meeting place for tours is at the Encounter Kaikoura complex, located at 96 Esplanade Kaikoura.
Our skippers have an excellent level of knowledge of the seabirds you are likely to encounter while out at sea. Travel time out to where you begin to see seabirds can be anywhere from a few minutes to 30 minutes. This is the advantage of tours in Kaikoura; boat trips out to the birds are usually very short. We carry 'chum' (fishy bits) on the boats that attracts the seabirds very close, offering wonderful opportunities for photography.
For many it is the species of albatross that are the biggest attraction. The great albatross, the wanderings and royals, then the smaller albatross (known as mollymawks in New Zealand), the shy (three species), black-browed (two species), the Salvin's, and Buller's. We see giant petrels, two species and the smaller petrels, some ten species. There are about seven species of shearwater including the endemic Hutton's shearwater, which nests in burrows in the Kaikoura Mountains.
Various other species can be seen including two species of skua, the blue penguin and of course the gulls, three species. Three species of tern, various species of shag and the Australasian gannet can also be seen at various times of the year. On the return to shore it is normal to see two or more species of waders to add that final touch to the tour.
Specialist Tours
