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Dusky dolphins inhabit the coastal waters of Kaikōura all year round, making it an incredibly special place where you can encounter dolphins on a daily basis, weather permitting.
There are two unforgettable ways to experience these remarkable animals. You can join a boat tour to observe dusky dolphins in their natural habitat, or take the adventure a step further by entering the water for an up-close encounter.
Tours typically last around three hours, with approximately two to two and a half hours spent in the water. As this experience takes place in the open ocean, participants should be confident swimmers. While snorkelling experience is useful, it is not essential.
To ensure comfort and safety, all necessary equipment is provided, including a wetsuit, snorkel, fins and mask.
Dusky dolphins are known for their inquisitive and playful nature. Whether interacting with them in the water or watching their acrobatics from the boat, encountering these intelligent marine mammals is truly an unforgettable experience.
Hapuku Lodge + Tree Houses is a contemporary country hotel located on a deer breeding farm in the South Island of New Zealand. It sits snugly at the base of the Kaikoura Seaward Mountain Range, with the Kaikoura coast and famed Mangamaunu Bay only a kilometre to the east.
The Lodge’s five Tree Houses are unique, nested 10 meters or more above the ground in the canopy of a native Kanuka grove. The Tree Houses are designed to complement the natural environment, as your bedroom in the sky. Their large windows bring the tree canopies into the bedroom and provide impressive views of Kaikoura’s dramatic mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
All of the Lodge rooms are suites which offer large soaking tubs, king beds and balconies that look over the farm’s deer grazing in paddocks adjacent to the Kaikoura mountains. The light filled Hapuku Room is beautifully furnished with fireplace, writing desk and private entrance.
The Olive House is a free standing building that used to house the farm’s olive press. They relocated the press and have turned the building into a beautifully presented three-bedroom suite of rooms.
Every experience we create is tailored to you. Tell us what inspires you, and we’ll design a New Zealand trip you’ll never forget.











