A police spokesperson said police were aware of the incident and confirmed nobody was injured.

“All those on board are safely ashore,” the spokesperson said.

Black Cat Cruises Chief Executive Paul Milligan told chrislynchmedia.com passengers on board the Black Cat were evacuated at 12:20pm after the vessel grounded just outside the Akaroa Heads.

“There were 38 passengers plus 3 crew on board the vessel and all were safely evacuated and taken back to the Main Wharf, Akaroa. There are no injuries to report.

“While some passengers were shaken by the experience, they all commended the crew for their calm, efficient and reassuring manner when evacuating the vessel.

“The vessel is currently beached, and efforts are underway to recover it. No environmental damage has been reported at this stage.

“This is first incident to occur in over 40 years of this nature and naturally safety is our number one priority, and we are deeply saddened that this has occurred.

“We are very grateful for the support of local operators and boaties that assisted us during this incident. We are commencing an investigation into the incident and working with authorities.”

A passenger told chrislynchmedia.com they were returning to Akaroa after a sightseeing cruise and were about 30 minutes from shore when the incident occurred.

“It felt like the boat struck something, and within seconds it stopped,” the passenger said.

They said there was confusion initially as passengers tried to understand what had happened, before crew moved quickly to ensure everyone was safe and accounted for.

“It’s a real shame as the day was magical and you couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions.”

Photos sent to chrislynchmedia.com show the boat partially submerged in the water.

St John said it was not involved in the incident.