Akaroa Shore Excursion: Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Akaroa, New Zealand
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
This small-group shore excursion has been designed to show cruise ship passengers the highlights of Akaroa in just two-and-a-half hours. After being met at Akaroa Wharf you’ll tour the small French-influenced town and check out some spectacular view points. Visit a cheese factory and a working sheep farm. Watch sheepdogs in action, see a shearing show, and refuel with afternoon tea.
- A must-do for travelers interested in rural life
- Includes port transfers
- An easy way to experience a lot in a short time on land
- Receive personalized attention on a small-group tour (max. 22)
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Port pickup and drop-off
- Sheep Shearing Demonstration & Sheep Dog Work
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities (optional)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- The Britomart CannonAkaroa 7520, New Zealand
From the Main Wharf in Akaroa, head down to the end where you will see the Akaroa I-Site and a small park on the right-hand side. Next to the Canon statue, a representative will be waiting for you. Please arrive by 1.50pm for a 2.00pm departure.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.2:00 pm
Itinerary
1
Akaroa Harbour
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Hilltop Tavern
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Barrys Bay Cheese
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Coombe Farm
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- At time of booking, cruise ship passengers must provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time and re-boarding time
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Reviews
4.5
based on 11 reviews
Kim_B, Dec 2020
Excellent service and the farmhouse and sheep were great. Loved being in a small group. Tea and scones were lovely.
Response from Host, Dec 2020
Thank you for the review and pleased to learn that you had such a great day. I do hope you do have the opportunity to visit us again in this unique part of the world at some future date.
Carrie_D, Mar 2020
The drive was gorgeous and not too long or unnecessary. The photo op stops were perfect for pictures to cherish. The sheep farm was impressive as it is owned by one small family (not a large corporation). Watching herding of the sheep (from up close) was amazing and the shearing demonstration was so interesting that I video’ed the entire thing to show my kids and grandkids. Afterwards, a visit to their lovely and charming farmhouse with a snack of tea and homemade pastries in a flower filled garden. I will always remember this excursion (and I have been on many)!
Response from Host, Aug 2020
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. I am pleased to learn that you had such a great day and enjoyed the Sheep Farm so much. I do hope you have the opportunity to visit this unique region again.
Florence_B, Mar 2020
We really enjoyed this excursion to the sheep farm. It was fascinating to watch Hugh's dog do his job. Hugh explained a lot about the industry, the sheep and the wool. We were invited back to his yard where his wife had hot tea and scones with clotted cream and jam waiting for us. I highly recommend this trip for all ages.
Response from Host, Aug 2020
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. I am pleased to learn that you had such a great day and enjoyed the Sheep Farm so much. I do hope you have the opportunity to visit this unique region again.
Robert_L, Mar 2020
The tour of the Harbour was nothing to get excited about but the stop at the Sheep Farm was outstanding. We loved the demonstration of the dog rounding up the sheep and it was fascinating to watch the sheering demonstration. Having tea on the front yard of the owners of this farm was a nice extra touch.
Response from Host, Aug 2020
Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. I am pleased to learn that you had such a great day and enjoyed the Sheep Farm so much. I do hope you have the opportunity to visit this unique region again.
Chrisg, Mar 2020
This was a brilliant experience - Murray was superb host, and it was fascinating to hear how he worked their farm culminating in a practical demonstration. To top it off the afternoon tea experience was absolutely awesome, sat outside on the lawn eating amazing home baked scones from Mrs J. Recommend this.
Response from Host, Mar 2020
Gotta love that review title! :D
Thanks for the awesome review and recommendation, Chris. We only started this local tour from Akaroa port this year (our tours usually go to Christchurch) and it's fantastic that it received such positive feedback over this cruise ship season! Let's hope this great momentum continues next year. It's also great to hear that the the people at the sheep farm were great hosts too and I'll be sure to pass on your kind words to them.
Thanks again and I hope you get to return to Akaroa someday soon.
Dave_G, Mar 2020
A superb tour. The farm experience was incredible, all the way from dog sheparding, through shearing, friendliness of the farmer, including an excellent tea with bodies on the front lawn.
Response from Host, Mar 2020
Thanks for the awesome review, Carolyn! I'm really happy you felt that your Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour was an incredible experience. The sheep farm is a real highlight for many travellers visiting this country as it gives a good insight into New Zealand agriculture and farming. I'm pleased you enjoyed it!
Thanks again and I hope you visit Akaroa again soon!
Gary_B, Feb 2020
Very good tour of the area around Akaroa. The guide was very knowledge and spoke the whole time about the areas we were being shown. The farmer explained how a sheet farm and his dog Tom put on a show on working and moving a herd of sheep. The shearing demonstration was good, I thought he had done it relatively fast, but he said the professionals he uses would have done 4 in that amount of time. Tea and scones provided by his wife was a nice touch.
Response from Host, Mar 2020
Thanks for the great review, Gary! I'm happy you had such a nice time on your Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour and that you found it both entertaining and educational. The sheep farm we work with are experts in what they do and give an excellent insight to farming and agriculture throughout New Zealand. I'm also happy that your driver/guide also did a great job and I'll be sure to pass on your kind words.
Thanks and I hope you visit Akaroa again soon!
Martha_G, Feb 2020
The driver/guide gave us a nice overview of the area with a few scenic stops for photos and was very informative. The stop at the cheese shop was nice (tasted several types of cheese) although they weren't working at the time.
It was fun seeing the sheep and the shearing demo but there wasn't really much for the dog to do which was a little disappointing. The tea and treats were a nice touch at the end, especially on a cool, rainy day.
Response from Host, Feb 2020
Thanks for the nice review. I'm pleased that you had such a nice time on your Akaroa Harbour and Sheep Farm Local Tour, and that you found both your driver/guide and the sheep farm enjoyable. I'll be sure to pass on your kind words.
Thanks again and I hope you get to return to Akaroa again soon.
YukLam_T, Dec 2019
saw the skillful shearing and the sheep dog its a wonderful experience, the beautiful garden high tea was relax for a moment
Response from Host, Jan 2020
Thanks for the awesome review, Sau-Yee. I'm happy you had such an enjoyable experience on your Akaroa Harbour & Sheep Farm Local Tour. I hope you visit Akaroa again soon!
Barbara M, Nov 2019
Initially our guide made several anti-American comments which disturbed us quite a bit. After awhile he must have picked up on the fact that we were insulted because he stopped the slurs.
Response from Host, Nov 2019
Thank you for taking the time to submit your feedback. Firstly, we appologise for the comments made, those were the opinion of an employee and not those of the company. We have spoken to the driver in question and advised that such remarks are unacceptable, the driver no longer remains in our employment. Notwithstanding these comments I trust you enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Akaroa and the sheep farm.
From $67.58
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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