We have one day to go to either place in October. Our main interest would be to see sealions/dolphins. Which place would you recommend?

Kaikoura without a doubt. Loved the whales, and we came upon a big pod (probably about 400) of Dusky (or was it Hector's?) dolphins.

Swimming with the dolphins in Akaroa was cold. Be warned, if you're not entertaining enough, the dolphins will ditch you! I will say that Akaroa was much more picturesque.

I haven't been to Akaroa, but we had a very good experience swimming with the dolphins in Kaikoura. The company (Dolphin Adventure or Dolphin Encounter--I can't remember the name) was very professional.

Hi (again) Bisgirl,

I'd do Kaikoura; I've been to both.

Femi, those would be Hector's dolphins..the little cuties!

Longhorn: It's Dolphin Encounter, and they're a very good company.

Regards,

Melodie
Certified Kiwi Specialist

I really enjoyed Akaroa. We've been to Kaikoura several times, but haven't taken the whale/dolphin watching trip, so can't compare the two, but we did enjoy our dolphin cruise out of Akaroa. Banks Peninsula is a beautiful area and there's more to do there than in Kaikoura IMO. We also enjoyed the the Pohatu Penguin Reserve (Akaroa).

If you're making a day trip from Christchurch, the drive to Kaikoura takes about 2:15 and the drive to Akaroa takes 1:15.

Have fun.

Regarding sea lions - not sure where they can be seen - this link might help:

http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/page.aspx?id=33293