Day sea kayak tour Rangitoto Island

Recommended by 96% of travelers

Auckland, New Zealand

6 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Auckland, North Island

City to Surf Signature Private Tour

from $340

Price varies by group size

Motukorea / Browns Island Sea Kayak Journey

Auckland, North Island

5.0

(37)

Motukorea / Browns Island Sea Kayak Journey

from $117

Likely to Sell Out

Auckland, North Island

4.9

(172)

Sunset kayak tour to Rangitoto Island

from $147

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Kayak across the sparkling waters of Waitemata Harbor and reach Rangitoto Island - Auckland’s youngest and largest volcano. A leisurely walk to the bush-clad island’s summit across offers panoramic views of the Auckland city skyline and its many surrounding beaches and bays. Enjoy a healthy and hearty barbecue lunch on the shore of Rangitoto before paddling back across the water to Saint Heliers Bay.

Guides provide a full kayak and safety briefing; no experience is necessary
Enjoy a classic Kiwi BBQ on the water's edge, and maybe have a refreshing swim
Look out for wildlife including the Little Blue Penguin and Cook’s Petrel
Free pick-up and drop-off service between central Auckland and St. Heliers

What's Included

Fully catered with BBQ lunch
Small friendly groups
Suitable for people with little or no kayaking experience
Top quality sea kayak equipment
Experienced guides
Coffee and/or Tea

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup point

Auckland Sea Kayaks city pickup location
Museum Circuit, Parnell, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Pickup details

This will need to be requested on your booking form when booking online. We pick up with our mini-van from outside the Museum Atrium next to the seats. Pick takes place 30 minutes before the trip start time, so if your trip starts at 8:30am, your pickup will be at 8:00am. The Auckland War Memorial Museum, Tāmaki Paenga Hira, is one of New Zealand’s most important museums and war memorials. Its collections concentrate on New Zealand history, natural history, and military history. The taonga (treasures) from Māori, the peoples of Oceania and New Zealand, and our natural world are waiting to be discovered across three floors of magnificent galleries. A great place to learn and explore before heading out, or after paddling with us.

Meeting point

Auckland Sea Kayaks
384 Tamaki Drive, St Heliers, Auckland 1071, New Zealand
Meetup: St Heliers central boat ramp 384 Tamaki Drive, Auckland. We do offer a free city pick up from the Atrium Auckland Museum and this needs to be communicated to us at time of booking see https://www.aucklandseakayaks.co.nz/city-pick-up-location/

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.8:30 am

What To Expect

Auckland Sea Kayaks

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Check your gear and help keep islands Hauraki Gulf pest-free.Protect our wildlife
Check - your gear for pests such as rodents and insects
Clean - footwear and gear, removing soil and seeds
Seal - ensure your gear is zipped up (no open bags)
Check your gear for pests

Before you leave the mainland, check and clean your gear.
Check that your gear is free of rats, mice, ants and skinks - especially camping gear which has ideal places for them to hide when stored.
Take extra care to clean gear if you have Argentine ants or plague skinks where you live.
Clean clothing, footwear and camping gear, removing soil and seeds before and after each trip.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 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

monica_a

We had an amazing day with Daniel! He’s an amazing guide and knew so much about the plant life, birds and answered any questions we had. The kayak ride was nice and leisurely. The water was quite calm and the weather was ideal. The hike was an incline but not bad at all and the views at the top of Rangitoto are absolutely worth it! The day started at St Heliers beach at 8:30 and ended at the same place about 2 pm which was perfect leaving time in the day to walk around and have a nice dinner. Definitely worth it for anyone visiting!

Reviews

4.9

based on 83 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

5 Stars for BEN

Nicholas_J, Apr 2026

You can count yourself lucky if you get BEN as a guide. He was more than just our guide, he became part of our group and gave us an experience that I'll never forget.

Amazing experience. Ben...

Jonathan_G, Apr 2026

Amazing experience. Ben was extremely knowledgeable about all the islands and the day was beautiful.

Kayak Tour & Viator need to improve!

David_P, Feb 2026

Horrible experience! Booking a few months ahead was a mistake! When the cruise ship arrived that day we went to check out the tour location for the next day and found omissions from the Tour Listing. "It did / does not mention the Kayak Row of 3.25 miles each way, across a very very busy channel". Realizing there was no way for our group of 7, aged 60-71 would be able to row 6.5 miles. That distance omission was / is significant and a show stopper. I contacted the tour company as soon as we realized, 22 hours before the excursion was to begin to cancel and seek a refund (Keep in mind the ship had just arrived) Answer was NO! Discussed further and tried to explain, NO! Contacted Viator and explained everything, Answer was NO! Not even a swap or partial refund, no admission of any misinformation.. UNACCEPTABLE!! I have been using Viator for 3 years in multiple countries and events. I, and my group will no longer use and support Viator ever again. Nor would I recommend the Kayak trip to anyone! You may have kept my money, but you have lost in the long run.

We had a beautiful day...

Colleen_I, Jan 2026

We had a beautiful day for kayaking and hiking! It's not for the faint of heart as the hiking portion can be strenuous at times, but it is definitely worth doing this tour. Lunch provided after the hike was delicious! We had an excellent tour guide, Ben, who you can tell loves what he does. He was very gracious when I was struggling a bit on the hiking portion. He also made sure that everyone stayed together during the kayaking and hiking. Highly recommend Ben for your tour guide on this excursion.

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thanks for the wonderful feedback. All the best

Phenomenal

monica_a, Aug 2025

Ingrid S Likes Auckland

Ingrid_S, Apr 2025

Great day out & a must do when in Auckland. Love the great outdoors so a great way to see & experience Auckland.

Response from Host, Apr 2025

Thanks for coming paddling with us :)

Great Guide, Great Day

Michelle_C, Mar 2025

Our guide Daniel was terrific. Based on the condition of the water and incoming rain, he provided us with an alternative option for our kayak trip to avoid rough water. We headed to Browns Island where we hiked to see inside the old volacano crater. Afterward, we paddled back to a private beach area and enjoyed a delicious lunch. The paddle back was difficult but short. Had we headed to Rangitoto Island, it would have been very difficult. Thanks to Daniel for making the best of our excursion!

Challenging but lots of fun!!

Judith_L, Feb 2025

We were lucky to have perfect weather for this daylong adventure. Be sure to be prepared to row for between 2 and 3 hours total (round trip) and hike for an additional hour on some steep inclines. But the views are great and the day was wonderful. The food they cooked was delicious and felt so welcome after the hike.

Kayak island trip

Matthias_M, Jan 2025

Great trip and Bennett was an awesome guide! Beautiful scenery and a great lunch. Paddle was great but a little challenging, definitely not for the faint of heart and some kayaking experience is very helpful!

Not For Everyone

Robert_C, Jan 2025

Guide not helpful. Requires a lot more work on customers. Long trip to and back. Guide needs to do a better job of figuring out who is paired with who in kayaks.

Response from Host, Jan 2025

Kia ora Robert, Thank you for sharing your feedback on your Day Sea Kayak Tour to Rangitoto Island. We’re sorry to hear that the trip didn’t meet your expectations. We’d really appreciate the chance to learn more about your experience so we can improve—please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@aucklandseakayaks.co.nz. As I’m sure you can understand, safety is always our top priority. On windier days, our guides may need to adjust kayak pairings to ensure the safest trip possible. While I’m not certain if this was the case during your tour, I suspect the guide may have made adjustments for this reason, and we apologise if you feel the guide got the pairing wrong. We hope you still enjoyed some of the tour and feel you experienced the magic of Rangitoto. All the best.

Amazing Adventure

Teri_M, Jun 2024

Amazing adventure! Eric was our guide and made the trip easy. Good instruction on paddling and great steaks grilled on the beach. The hike up the volcano was challenging but doable and the paddle home in the dark was exciting. I would do this again!

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Hi Teri, we appreciate you taking the time to review your recent tour with us. Sounds like you had a great experience. Hope to paddle with you again soon.

Exceptional Kayak Trip right in Auckland

Kathleen_D, Feb 2024

Eric, our leader, was just the right blend of friendly, organized, and safe. Not too chatty and not arrogant, like some adventure operators. The trip from St. Helier's Beach to Rangitoto was approximately 5K across a fairly busy channel but I never felt unsafe. The trek to the summit of the volcano was also very reasonable albeit, with locks of volcanic rock and tree roots. Definitely not an 'easy' walk for anyone with health challenges. Lunch, prepared by Eric was surprisingly delicious. Some of these lunches can be shoddy, but ours was perfect. Just enough food and well balanced. Total day was about 7 hours (8:30 am - 3 pm) beginning to end. Just right for a day trip. We took an Uber to and from St. Helier's but pick-up and drop-off is also provided. Phenomenal all around.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hi, thanks for such a wonderful, detailed review of your recent tour with Auckland Sea Kayaks. Always great to hear nice words about our guides as well. We hope to see you again in the future.

Great exercise and awesome view

Henry_L, Jan 2024

This tour was great exercise and a generally relaxing way to experience the waters and the island. The view from the top of the island was awesome, and the lunch was delicious. It was a great experience. Our tour guide, Chloe, was knowledgeable and great to lead this trip; we were in great hands. Thanks!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Henry, thanks for leaving a positive review of our Day Sea Kayak Tour to Rangitoto. Happy to hear you were in Chloe's capable hands. See you next time.

Physical Activity + Beautiful Views + Wonderful Lunch + Amazing Guide = PERFECT DAY!

Jen_C, Jan 2024

Our guide, Chloe, was AMAZING! She is super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable giving us detailed information and instruction. It was a perfect day for kayaking and hiking. She even grilled us steaks for lunch! This excursion was well thought out due to the amount of activity required. The schedule of kayaking, hiking, lunch, kayaking allowed enough rest between upper body and lower body activities! It’s truly a day of physical activity combined with beautiful views. Our group was small and perfect allowing everyone to get to know each other too!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Jen, we appreciate you taking the time to review our Day Sea Kayak tour to Rangitoto. Always great to hear that the tour exceeded expectations. We hope to paddle with you again in the future.

Rangitoto Island Kayak/Hike

Julie_W, Jan 2024

This was a fantastic day, spectacular scenery from beginning to end. Really enjoyed the kayaking as well as the climb to the top of Rangitoto, the view was well worth the effort. Friendly guide who took good care of us. The only issue was the quality of the picnic lunch, which was not acceptable. I have been on other hiking/outdoor activities in New Zealand this trip, the picnic lunches have been delightful.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Julie, thanks for taking the time to review our Day Sea Kayak tour to Rangitoto. We hope to paddle with you again soon.

Fun active adventure with beautiful views…

Holly_B, Jan 2024

Eric was a fun & knowledgeable guide. He explained the kayaking well and helped us with questions & concerns. The paddle to & from the island was a good workout, but fun & we had a lovely day of mostly still water. The hike to the volcano on Rangitoto was vigorous with lovely views of Auckland and the surrounding areas. The colors of the water, sky, island, & clouds were breathtaking! Our lunch was great & gave us the energy needed for the paddle back to shore. I highly recommend this adventure for those looking for some exercise & beautiful views.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hi Holly, thanks for the amazing review. I love the way you describe the tour. Hope to paddle with you again in the future.

Richard was a great...

Jeffrey_S, Nov 2023

Richard was a great guide. this trip is a great combination of sea kayaking, about 10k round trip, and a summit hike.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hi Jeffrey, thanks for the great review. Happy to hear it was a success. Hope to see you again one day soon.

Must do if you like to be active

Cheryl_J, Oct 2023

Pros: I had an amazing time and would definitely do again. I went as a solo traveler and the guides and other guests were very welcoming and made me feel part of the group. The guides were very good at explaining everything, so even if you have never kayaked before, no worries. We kayaked for just under an hour out to the island, then had coffee or tea on the beach (nice surprise) then we hiked about an hour (lovely view), had a snack for energy at the top, then back. When we got back from the hike, we had lunch prepared for us ( yummy). Then we kayaked back. Cons: I really can’t think of one, except if you don’t have a decent fitness level you might not think it was as awesome as I did.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hi Cheryl. We always appreciate feedback so thanks for taking the time to review your recent tour. Hope to paddle with you again soon.

A Perfect Day Trip for our Visit!!

AnthonyK, Aug 2023

Are you in Auckland? This is a MUST-DO experience! Informative and friendly guides took us to the island and back, and despite some interesting weather on the way back we had an incredible time!! Kayaking was moderate exercise and the hike was very scenic with incredible views. Zero regrets, 10/10, a perfect addition to our trip to New Zealand.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Hi Anthony, thanks for making the effort to review your recent tour. Love hearing about peoples experiences. Hope to see you again soon.

Great views

Kylie_W, Jun 2023

The kayaking took about an hour and a half to get to Rangitoto and on the island hiking up was not treacherous at all! The guide was also very helpful in sharing other things to do while in New Zealand

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Kylie, thanks for the review. Always nice to hear that you enjoyed your kayaking and hike up Rangitoto. Hopefully we see you again.

Sparkling seas and a nice walk

Laurel_K, Mar 2023

We had the perfect day for kayaking, gorgeous weather and it was great fun. Our guide knew what they were doing and it all ran very smoothly. Food was excellent too! Couldn't recommend more.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Appreciate you taking the time to review Auckland Sea Kayaks. Great to hear you enjoyed yourself. Hope to see you again.

A grand adventure

Ann_N, Feb 2023

Weather was fantastic and the group tour a lot of work and a lot of fun. The date-coconut cookies were a special treat. Wish there had been seconds :). We hiked first then lunched which I recommend but bring snacks too.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for taking the time to review Auckland Sea Kayaks. Nice to hear the food was up to standard. See you next time.

Do not go on this tour

jeffrey_S, Jan 2023

This tour should’ve been cancelled. It was too dangerous to complete bi TV the tour company cancelled many days previously and put money in front of safety.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Kia Ora Jeffrey, On the day that your tour was to take place (7 Jan, 22), the forecast was well within our safe operating parameters with light winds and calm paddling conditions. Our guide Rosie was at the beach ready to start the trip at 8:30am - the same time as you called Auckland Sea Kayaks to cancel your booking. As per the terms and conditions on TripAdvisor, cancellations made by the client must take place 24 hours or more before the trip start time. The tour went ahead and the other clients had a great day on the water. If you would like to discuss this matter further, feel free to call us. Kind Regards.

A great activity to start our Auckland trip

PuiChi_I, Jan 2020

The trip was planned to visit Rangitoto Island, but because of the weather forecast, it changed to visit Brown Island which is in similar distance from St Heliers Bay. Hiking to the summit of the Brown Island was easy and we could see a volcanic crater rim. At the summit, we had an expansive view of the Hauraki Gulf and Auckland City. We kayaked close to 11km for the whole trip. St Heliers Bay has a nice beach, and there are a lot of restaurants around.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

Brown's / Motukorea Island is a hidden gem here in Auckland and we're happy to hear to got to explore it! Often overlooked by its larger and younger neighbour Rangitoto. It's one of the oldest volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field and today few people get the opportunity to visit as there is no public transport to the island. We feel very lucky to able to explore this volcanic island and share it's rich history with locals and travellers.