Guided sea kayaking in Akaroa marine reserve
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Akaroa, New Zealand
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get active on a 2–3-hour kayaking tour from Akaroa and enjoy spotting native wildlife. Paddle your way around remote bays, inlets, and sandy beaches; admire the dramatic scenery of the once-active volcanic basin; and end with a refreshing swim. Along the way, look out for some of New Zealand’s rarest wildlife, including Hector’s dolphins, penguins, and orcas.
- Suitable for most moderately fit travelers, including first-time kayakers
- Spot marine and bird life in its natural environment
- All kayaking gear is provided, for your safety and comfort
- A must for active, outdoor-loving travelers seeking a gentle adventure
What's Included
- Local guide
- Local taxes
- All kayaking equipment including spray skirts and jackets
- Gratuities
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Snacks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Ākaroa Bowling Club42 Rue Jolie, Banks Peninsula, Akaroa 7520, New Zealand
Cruise passengers coming into Akaroa Port can easily walk to our location which is a 10 mins stroll from the wharf. Lyttleton Cruise passengers must book through this link to secure transport and activity.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Akaroa Guided Kayak Safari
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children must be accompanied by an adult.
- You must be able to get in and out of your kayak unassisted.
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Deborah_W
Max, our guide was very friendly and his instructions were clear.
No pressure to keep up, very chilled few hours with beautiful scenery. Would definately recommend.
Reviews
4.9
based on 121 reviews
Deborah_W, Feb 2026
Max, our guide was very friendly and his instructions were clear.
No pressure to keep up, very chilled few hours with beautiful scenery. Would definately recommend.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks for the review, glad you enjoyed your tour
tianqi_z, Feb 2026
I paid NZD 540 for the kayaking tour. On the day of the tour, I drove all the way along the coastal road towards the meeting point, but the road was closed due to a landslide. I waited for two hours until after the scheduled meeting time, and still could not pass, so I had no choice but to return to Christchurch.
I was informed that I am not eligible for a refund under the terms and conditions. However, these terms are highly unreasonable and not customer-friendly, as they fail to account for such unforeseeable force majeure events that are completely beyond my control.
As a tourist with fixed travel plans, I hoped to reschedule for the next morning, but was told that the next day was fully booked. Rescheduling is therefore not a valid or practical option for me.
Under these circumstances, I insist on a full refund of NZD 540. This is a fair and reasonable request.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Sea kayaking is an outdoor activity that requires flexibility when booking in case of weather events. The weather was fine on the day of the kayak trip and the tour went ahead. Other participants made it to the tour just fine and if we operate a tour and the participant does not make it on time that is not our problem unfortunately. We had availability the next day - just not on our 7:30am tour, again flexibly is required when booking outdoor activities in NZ.
MartinL, Feb 2026
First the good: we saw some dolphins and the equipment was excellent. Everything else was meh. This activity advertised as being in the “Akaroa marine reserve” was instead a paddle mostly next to the Akaroa town shoreline. Rather than skimming through narrow remote passageways or into caves (see the promotional pictures) we ducked under docks and jetties. Our guide failed to keep the group together. At one point two of the four guest kayaks were so far away that they could not hear when he blew his whistle to try to get their attention. Our guide also repeatedly spoke when he was ahead of us, even when giving directions, and we were unable to hear him. Even when we could hear him, his French accent was so thick that we couldn’t understand him. So we missed about 90% of that aspect of the experience. We’ve done quite a few kayaking outings over the years and this was by far the most disappointing.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
This tour sounded very successful , you got to see endangered hector dolphins in the wild, how exciting! At times our tours have participants of varying ability if you did not want to be held up by less experienced kayakers then you should have selected a private tour. This would have eliminated all issues you have mentioned.
Our guides always do their best to keep everyone together and he did mention you were very rude to him and tried to break local marine mammal laws which he clearly explained before the tour when the dolphin encounter happened which is disappointing to hear.
HowardHooper, Jan 2026
Awesome way to enjoy the bay and see the natural beauty it provides. Max was a great guide and made the experience most excellent.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thanks for the review and we are glad you enjoyed your tour
Vijay_M, Dec 2025
Let me start by saying that we were genuinely excited for this tour and, overall, we did enjoy the experience — largely thanks to the wonderful guides. Ours was a kind young French gentleman named “Luan” (I hope I’ve got his name right).
The beginning of the day was a little stressful, though. While we were driving over and running slightly late and informed them our ETA was 11:41, we were told rather curtly via chat by Allie Loader that we would miss the tour if we didn’t arrive by 11:40 for the 11:45 departure. We ended up driving like maniacs and arrived at 11:38, only to be greeted by a warm and friendly gentleman who even helped us park. From that point on, everything moved at a very relaxed pace, which left us a bit confused about why we were made to feel so rushed and anxious - especially considering we’d also been asked to rebook to an earlier 7:30am slot (which wasn’t feasible for us due to the distance), and the launch location had been changed from Akaroa Bay to Takamatua Bay.
Despite this, the tour itself was still very enjoyable, once again thanks to the guide’s infectious enthusiasm and professionalism though the kayaking was more physically demanding than we had anticipated. He was incredibly friendly and helpful, staying close to me and my 13-year-old to make sure we felt comfortable and confident the whole way. Although we didn’t spot much wildlife, he more than made up for it with fascinating marine biology facts, Māori legends, and even seaweed recipe ideas, which we really enjoyed.
Another downside near the end was being rather rudely honked at by someone we believe was part of the operator’s family, who had arrived in their own car and later appeared to be directing the guides on what to do with the kayaks.
These were relatively minor issues in the grand scheme of things, but they did slightly detract from what was otherwise a really positive and memorable experience.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thanks for the review, great to hear you had a fantastic tour, the other comments are a bit strange, no one honked at you from our operation, perhaps it was someone else. Also everyone is expected to be on time so that others are not kept waiting so most people take this as a given, if anyone is late they are expected to go on the next available tour. You made it on time so there was no issue.
Our guides are fantastic and provided an excellent tour which one might assume would be the main topic of any review.
Stefan_C, Apr 2025
Strongly recommend! A highlight of my trip to picturesque Akaroa — our guide Adam was fantastic, offering knowledgeable commentary on the history and geology of the area and pointing out the varied wildlife all throughout a beautiful coastline-hugging loop. Very safety-conscious and really went out of his way to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves in terms of paddling pace and opportunities for photos. Thanks Adam!
Response from Host, May 2025
Thanks for the lovely review, so happy to hear you had a fantastic time.
Joseph_T, Mar 2024
Was great fun! Lee was also a brilliant guide to have :D Allowed us to learn how to Kayak so fast :)
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Thanks for the review!
Robert_B, Mar 2020
Great way to see the coastline in Akaroa. Jake was a great guide. Very informative and engaging. We really enjoyed it.
Response from Host, Mar 2020
Thanks for the review, are are glad you enjoyed your sea kayaking tour with us
Lynda_M, Nov 2019
Really enjoyed our experience at Akoroa the tour guides were wonderful and with the beautiful scenery it made for a great day.
Only complaint would be that they could have provided a better refreshment.
Response from Host, Nov 2019
Thanks for the review, we are so glad you enjoyed getting out on the water with us in stunning Akaroa.
Safe travels!
Michelle L, Mar 2018
We had a great experience doing this kayak excursion in Akaroa. Our guide was very good. It was a rainy and windy day but he managed to make this a wonderful day.
From $79.34
per person-You will not receive a refund if you cancel.
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