Monarch Wildlife Cruises & Tours

Lovely trip with well informed crew. Despite the big swell further out, the boat felt very safe and in good hands. A special effort was made to get good views of the wildlife - albatross in particular. An hour was plenty of time to see the sights. Waterproof jackets and binoculars were provided but our own did the job fine.

Excellent knowledgeable staff, great bus ride to the quayside, albatross are fab, cruise back to the harbour is supported by commentary. Free hot choc, there is a bar on board. Lots of wildlife to see. This should be on your to do list

Fantastic people to deal with, very helpful and kind. The cruise was so enjoyable - relax and have a beer while hearing about the harbour, then time to focus on the albatrosses, fur seals and maybe if you’re lucky the blue penguins.

Best tour I have been to. We saw 5 wild yellow eyed penguins and a whole bunch of other wildlifes. It's so amazing to see yellow eyed that close! I highly recommend this tour to everyone.

Great tour to Larnach castle with John who was very knowledgeable. The wildlife cruise was awesome and we saw many different species of animals. Would highly recommend Monarch.

Highly recommend this tour for great views of not only the spectacular Albatross but plenty of other species of wildlife . The staff were very willing and able to answer all our questions as well as pointing out all the different wildlife . Even though it was a brisk south wester blowing the journey was comfortable in a stable vessel . Thank you for an amazing experience .

Amazing! Friendly and information captain with commentary throughout. We saw 4 species of albatross, 1 blue penguin (for a few seconds), a baby seal sleeping, a giant petrel, and more seabirds. This tour is great, but especially for bird spotting more than penguins/seals. Binoculars and jackets available on the boat for free.Try book on windy, grey days. The birds love that kind of weather for flying.

An absolute epic outing on the Monarch boat! We started the experience in the bus to take us to the boat. Lots of interesting information from a very knowledgeable driver then we got on the boat where we were provided binoculars and warm waterproof jackets for the trip. We came a across Shags,all sorts of seagulls,a few albatross,one little blue pinguin,some fur seals and cherry on top when we were at sea we witnessed a beautiful humpback whale with her little one and a group of dolphins. What a day to be on the water. Thanks to the crew for looking after us so well and for giving us valuable information and making it such a great experience. Highly recommended!!!

Thank you, Chris, for your amazing hospitality. Your knowledge of Larnach Castle and Dunedin’s history was fantastic. Our trip to the Albatross colony rounded off the day beautifully as we were able to see the gorgeous chicks and lucky enough to see adult Albatross return to feed their young. Felt very privileged. Highly recommend Monarch.Looking forward to next time.Matt & Chris Warden