About kaikoura-whalewatching.com
kaikoura-whalewatching.com is an independent guide to the whale watching trips that run from Kaikōura, New Zealand, by boat, by plane and by helicopter. This page explains who runs it, how it is financed and where the data comes from.
Who is behind this site
kaikoura-whalewatching.com is run by Patrick Kühne, an independent travel publisher based in Markkleeberg near Leipzig, Germany. Alongside this site he runs a handful of guides to other day trips in New Zealand, from Milford Sound to Waiheke. He researches and updates the whale pages himself and also answers the e-mails.
What this site does
Whale watching in Kaikōura comes in three shapes: a catamaran cruise on the water, a small-plane flight above it, or a helicopter that hovers over the whale and lands on a mountain on the way back. Most guides only cover the boat. We describe what actually separates the three: how long you spend with the whales, what you see from each angle, how each handles rough weather and rough stomachs. Live prices sit next to each trip, so the choice can be made in one place. We are not a booking agent: every reservation happens on GetYourGuide or Viator.
How we earn money
When you book a cruise, flight or day tour through one of our links, GetYourGuide or Viator pays us a commission. Your price stays exactly the same: the commission comes out of the platform's margin, not your pocket. No contract obliges us to favour a particular operator, and our comparisons are ordered by what suits the trip, not by what pays us best.
Where prices and trip facts come from
Prices, ratings and review counts come from the live APIs of GetYourGuide and Viator and refresh automatically several times a day, so the number on the page is the number at checkout. Durations, age limits, weight rules and refund terms come from the operators' own listings and are re-checked regularly. Found something out of date? Write to us and we will correct it.
What we are not
We do not run any whale watching trips and we are not affiliated with Whale Watch Kaikoura, Wings Over Whales, Air Kaikoura, South Pacific Helicopters, Kaikoura Helicopters, Cheeky Kea Tours or Leisure Tours. They run the experiences; we describe them. For binding information (cancellations, weather calls, departure times) the operator's own channels take precedence.
Contact
Questions about a trip, corrections and press enquiries are answered by a person, usually within a day or two. An outdated age limit or refund rule is exactly the kind of note we want to hear about. The contact address, the full postal address and the VAT ID are in the legal notice.