Our Story

Otago Harbour Cruises was started in 1985 by Colleen and Alex Black. In those days the Monarch was painted pink and offered wildlife experiences to locals and visitors. Also available was an extravagant 4 course menu.

Several years later in 2002 John and Jenny Milburn became owner operators. They changed the company name to Monarch Wildlife Cruises and grew the business - to over 20,000 passengers a year!

In 2013, Neil Harraway and Anita Chan bought the Monarch, and have continued the great work of the Blacks and Milburns.

In 2021, following the lockdowns of the covid-19 pandemic, Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Elm Wildlife Tours joined forces and amalgamated their businesses. This resulted in the ability to provide the best Otago Peninsula tour experiences. The new company enjoys unrivalled access to remote locations and protected wildlife, a privilege that is unmatched by an other operators.

Monarch now employees around 22 local staff in a variety of roles. We have a great connection to the local community - donating hundreds of complimentary passes to local schools, charitable groups and worthy causes each year. We frequently have people share old stories about their time aboard the Monarch in years gone by. Many are now bringing their family’s next generation on board.

The Monarch team also works closely with several conservation groups like the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital and Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust. Together we run a tree-planting program to offset the carbon footprint of our company.

We aim to operate a sustainable business - economically, environmentally and socially. Our goal is to offer tours which are enriching for our staff and which consistently deliver quality and memorable customer experiences, exceeding our guest expectations.