Incredible ! It was quite simply a perfect day.. we saw an Orca family up close, sailed with the smallest dolphins in the world, seals, Fairy penguins AND sipped bubbles. Later hot chocolate and cookies. 6 stars out AMAAAZING day
Weather was cold and rainy with little wind. There was also not much wildlife about but the informative commentary friendly crew were great and they actually went further out into the harbour until we found a pod of dolphins. Great trip and highly recommended in comparison with other cruises which are much shorter. We found some wind and got the sails up too.
What a lovely way to travel, the captain was very informative. We did get to see some Hector dolphins which was amazing. The sails were up when I arrived for the afternoon, but there was very little wind so the engine was used. we did try just the sails a couple of times but the wind just dropped so we didn't go anywhere.
*Best experience in NZ* and we did a lot (hikes, rafting, bungy jumping, etc, etc and they were all great). FOX II was the best. To clarify, not only is Akaroa a charming place, but FOX II's captain and crew are so knowledgeable about the town, the history and the wildlife. Plus, we actually raised the sails and SAILED! As we sailed, we saw so many Hestor's dolphins playing in our bow wake, playful seals swimming around us and even a penguin swimming nearby (It was moulting season, so they were scarce). It was a religious boating experience when the captain backed the boat into a cathedral-like cavern as the cliffs towered close beside us making a cool back-drop against the rigging of the boat (WOW). We went in to a marine conservation area and also into the South Pacific. Although the trip was supposed to be about 2.5 hours we got much more since the captain thought it was such a great day (when does that ever happen?!). It is obvious the captain and crew embrace what they do, FOX II is an educational platform to teach children about the marine environment and sailing when they are not doing public sails for us. The ticket price is a great value for the experience we had.
Really good trip, just the right length of time, where we saw dolphin, albatross, penguin and seals. No sailing assistance done/required, as the sails were hoisted at the quay and not touched again for the whole motorised sail, which was a bit disappointing, as advertised you can help sail the ketch.