Auckland Bioluminescence Kayak Tour

Recommended by 100% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Auckland, New Zealand

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

2 hours (approx.)
Group discounts
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

5.0

· Carina_F ·

Dec 2025

It was such an amazing experience! We loved every second of it. It was extremely well organized, they made sure we were safe and comfortable. They were very knowledgeable and shared valuable information. A plus: they offer transportation

· Warren_C ·

Oct 2025

Great tour with amazing and friendly guides. They were very informative and found us and area with the bioluminescence area within a couple of minutes. Had a nice experience.

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Overview

Certain waters near Auckland offer a hidden attraction to delight unsuspecting travelers. On this guided kayak tour, paddle out off the shore of Auckland at night and watch as the waves start to light up as you glide through the waters, lit up by bioluminescent plankton which swirl with blue light when disturbed. This easy, 2-hour tour is not recommended for travelers with back or heart problems or other serious medical conditions.

Great for nature lovers: Watch fish light up below the waves as they swim
Don’t worry about safety, the tour includes a life jacket
Snap photos of the waters lit up in blue light
No need to worry about kayak hire, the tour includes your rental ;

What's Included

Life jacket, kayak, paddle

Toilets

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Okura (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems

No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Warren_C

Great tour with amazing and friendly guides. They were very informative and found us and area with the bioluminescence area within a couple of minutes. Had a nice experience.

Reviews

5.0

based on 41 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Once in a lifetime

Sarah_B, Mar 2026

Amazing experience. It was like looking at stars in the sea. The guides gave us plenty of time to play with the algae.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thanks for your lovely review, we are happy you enjoyed it and glad you chose SNM's Bioluminescence Kayak Tour

Fun night

rory_s, Mar 2026

This was a very cool experience both being out on the open ocean at night and seeing the bioluminescence activity. Our guide made it feel very relaxed and comfortable.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thanks for joining our Bio Tour, appreciate your positive review

Meet the van out on...

Leo_S, Mar 2026

Meet the van out on Waiake beach, there is a changing room at the beach, you will get wet just sitting in a wet kayak. We took an "uber" from Aukland, about 25 minute ride. The tour guides were very friendly, after a short "lesson" we paddled out into a very calm bay and stirred up the plankton to create the bioluminescence. It was a 1/2 moon on a very clear night so lots of stars, so lots of light, so not the absolute best viewing of the plankton but it got better as it got later/darker.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for the thoughtful review and for sharing the practical tips for future guests. Waiake Beach works well for launching because of the calm bay, and we’re glad you enjoyed paddling out and creating the bioluminescence yourselves. Moonlight can influence how visible the plankton are, but as you noticed it often improves as the night gets darker. Great to hear the clear sky also gave you some beautiful stargazing. We appreciate you joining us

Lovely experience

Emma_T, Mar 2026

Excellent experience, the bioluminescence was sparkling beautifully. The guides were lovely. The only thing I’d advise other travellers is to wear water shoes as there is a rocky surface to walk on and sinking mud to get into the water when it’s low tide. Also look up at the sky aswell it was amazing.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you, Emma. We really appreciate the kind words and also the thoughtful tip for future travelers. The shoreline can get a little muddy at low tide, and this is Okura sometimes, so water shoes are definitely a great idea. And we’re glad you looked up as well — the night sky out there can be just as magical as the bioluminescence on the water. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

GO on this tour with these guides

Jennifer_K, Feb 2026

Kaleb and Legend are fantastic young men who live and love what they do. I am a solo traveler and it was a great experience. They provided lighting, life jackets and kayaks and paddles. I'm a chicken on the water and I felt confident in the location choice (nice calm water) and their abilities to navigate us, as well as the lovely group of folks I met. Great young men running this show. Thank you.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you, Jennifer, for the wonderful recommendation! We’re so pleased you felt safe, supported, and able to relax on the water; that’s exactly the experience Kaleb and Legend aim to create. It’s great to hear the calm location, quality gear, and friendly group helped build your confidence. We’ll pass your kind words on to the team; they’ll be stoked!

A beautiful experience of...

Lucy_B, Jan 2026

A beautiful experience of bioluminescence with knowledgable guides who explained what we were seeing.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

We love your positive review Lucy, thanks for attending our Bio Tour

Best experience ever

Carina_F, Dec 2025

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Such a heartfelt review, many thanks Carina! We are happy you chose SNM and loved our Bio Tour

Great tour

Warren_C, Oct 2025

Great tour with amazing and friendly guides. They were very informative and found us and area with the bioluminescence area within a couple of minutes. Had a nice experience.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thanks, Warren! We’re so glad you enjoyed your bioluminescence kayak tour and that our guides helped make the experience memorable. It’s always a privilege to share such a special natural phenomenon with great company — we hope to see you back out again soon!

We thoroughly enjoyed...

Brian_M, Oct 2025

We thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and put everyone at ease on the water

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Kia ora Brian, we’re so glad to hear you thoroughly enjoyed the kayak experience! Our guides take pride in creating a calm, confident atmosphere on the water while sharing their knowledge of the area and the bioluminescence phenomenon. Thanks for joining us out there — we hope to see you on another Social Nature Movement adventure soon!

This was a great...

Heidi_S, Apr 2025

This was a great experience for us coming from the northern hemisphere. Not only was seeing the bioluminescence amazing but we got to learn more about why it was available to see when we visited. And we also got a little stargazing lesson too which was exciting because we got to see the Milky Way and southern cross

Response from Host, Apr 2025

🌌What an epic welcome to the southern skies! 🌏 We're absolutely delighted you got to witness the bioluminescence in full sparkle — and even better, to understand the why behind the magic. ✨ Mixing science with stardust is our favorite combo, and spotting the Milky Way and Southern Cross? That’s the ultimate celestial cherry on top! 🌠 Thanks Heidi for joining us on this hemispheric adventure — come back anytime for more glowing waters and starry stories! 🌊🔭💫

A must !

Natsasi_T, Feb 2025

Great experience !!!! we love it. !!!!!! A good activity for family and friends. The staff is very attentive too . We recommend.

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Hi there, thanks for your review of our Bio Tour, glad you loved it!

Amazing experience

Masis_G, Feb 2025

Friendly and knowledgeable guides makes everything more enjoyable 😀 An amazing experience to see bioluminescent in action!

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Thanks for the review

Kayak

dawn_w, Jan 2025

10/10 for tour as well as the bioluminescence! Perfect weather, stars and tour was great Chris and Company were very helpful

Response from Host, Feb 2025

Thanks for the great review and happy you enjoyed the bio tour

A must do while in NZ!

Hailey_P, Nov 2024

An amazing experience with an equally amazing staff. A must do excursion if you visit New Zealand. A beautiful, natural, breathtaking opportunity to kayak under beautiful stars, all while seeing plankton’s incredible bioluminescence glow!

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Thanks Hailey, glad you enjoyed our bioluminescent kayak tour

Perfect!

Eelamaran_G, Oct 2024

Best day ever! We also got hot chocolate 😂 And it was my first time in a kajak. I just loved it! I felt super secured.

Response from Host, Nov 2024

Glad you loved the Bioluminescence Kayak tour, thanks

A pleasant experience and impressed by the fact that safety comes as a top priority to the operator

K_S, Feb 2024

We loved the tour and also loved the fact that safety is well taken care of by the tour operators. We have seen tour operators in different parts of the world where safety was an afterthought, but here safety is the first priority.