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Shore Excursion Guided Sea Kayaking through Akaroa Marine Reserve

Akaroa, New Zealand

Shore Excursion Wildlife and Sea Kayaking Safari in Akaroa

2 to 3 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Spend your time in port in Akaroa on a small-group shore excursion, sea kayaking around the harbor. Bask in the scenery of remote bays and inlets, and catch a glimpse of local marine life, including penguins, orcas, and endangered Hector’s dolphins. You’ll paddle for three hours with a guide through the basin of an extinct volcano and stop for a snack and swim at a coastal beach. This tour departs within walking distance of the cruise port.

Small-group Akaroa sea kayak shore excursion
Paddle to remote inlets and beaches in Akaroa Harbour
Search the clear waters for penguins, orcas, and Hector’s dolphins
Hear commentary from a kayak guide
Covered by Viator’s worry-free policy: guaranteed on-time return to your ship

What's Included

Local knowledgeable Guide
Kayak safari
All kayaking equipment including spray skirts and jackets

Transport to/from attractions
Gratuities
Snacks

Meeting and Pickup

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

Meeting point

Ākaroa Bowling Club
Rue Jolie, Akaroa 7542, New Zealand
We will email you detailed directions we we receive your booking We meet outside the bowling club in Akaroa on the grass Please contact us if you require pick up from Lyttleton Port when you book. We are in walking distance for cruise ship passengers arriving in Akaroa

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

If you are arriving via cruise ship into Akaroa Port our meeting point is outside the bowling club in Akaroa which is 10 minute walking distance If you are arriving into Lyttleton Port you must book via this link to secure transport and activity. https://www.leisuretours.co.nz/day_tour/sea-kayaking/

What To Expect

Akaroa Guided Kayak Safari

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Minimum age is 10 years
Not wheelchair accessible

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 17 travelers

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.

This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Charmaine_V

John was a great guide. He was friendly, knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. Wish we had been able to see more ocean wildlife but the views were beautiful.

Reviews

5.0

148 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 148 reviews

Awesome day on the water

Joseph_F, Feb 2024

John was a great guide. Sights were amazing. He shared local knowledge and assisted less abled members of our group without drawing undue attention.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks so much for the review, yes we have fantastic guides, we are glad you enjoyed your tour!

Great tour and fun!

Dorothy_N, Feb 2024

This was a great tour. Allie was very kind and worked with us even when the ship’s tenders were late. John was our tour guide and was very patient and informative. Good for beginners and experienced kayakers. Had a wonderful time!!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks Dorothy so glad you enjoyed your day in beautiful Akaroa :) It was a pleasure having you.

Fun way to see Akaroa Bay

Charmaine_V, Feb 2024

John was a great guide. He was friendly, knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. Wish we had been able to see more ocean wildlife but the views were beautiful.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thanks for coming! Glad you had a beautiful tour, its like paddling in a postcard here!

Wonderful kayaking through the bays of Akaora

Nicole_E, Jan 2024

We had a wonderful time exploring the bays of Akaora! Seamus is an excellent guide who is very knowledgeable about the area, marine, and wild life. Definitely recommend!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you Nicole! So glad you enjoyed your tour, thanks for coming!

The guide James was...

Cameron_B, Mar 2023

The guide James was awesome, however the website did say three hours with lunch at a beach so suggest the company adjusts their advertising for this activity

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks for the review, our guides are the best in the business so thanks for recognising that. We do not advertise LUNCH at a beach , sometimes if the tide is right we do a beach stop but like everything on our kayak tours they differ day to day. Our sunrise tours are advertised as 3 hours long, our crater cruiser is 2.5 hours long and is clearly advertised this way. Thanks

Enjoyable few hours

Matthew_D, Jan 2023

Great few hours out on the water, though choppy at times. James was great, knowledgeable and provided a calming confident approach. Highly recommend

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks so much for the review we loved hosting you on the water in stunning Akaroa

New Zealand Kayak - Akaroa

Lonnie_R, Dec 2020

Excellent excellent excellent New Zealand beautiful, kayaks in good shape, and with rudder! Our guide did great job of balancing skill of group, providing plenty of water time, and describing surroundings. Look forward to returning.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Thanks so much for the review, we are so glad you enjoyed your kayak tour with us, we pride ourselves on ensuring our guests get the most amount of water time and value for money. See you again next time hopefully! safe travels!

50th birthday celebration

Robyn_J, Nov 2020

My friend and I went kayaking to celebrate our fiftieth birthdays. The kayaks take two people each, and including us there were six guests, plus our guide, Nick. We had a great time and saw heaps of cool volcanic rock fissures and birds galore. In a couple of places the wind picked up and we had to paddle seriously hard to stick to the coast line, but our trusty guide Nick was on hand to tow anyone that got into trouble. He also told us heaps about the history of Akaroa and recommended a delicious fish and chip shop. We really enjoyed ourselves :)

Response from Host, Nov 2020

Thanks so much for the review and happy 50th birthdays! We are so happy you had a great time. Thanks again for coming!

Penguin sighting

Anthony_B, Mar 2020

We thoroughly enjoyed our kayaking adventure. All the staff were extremely friendly, helpful, and fun. The boats and equipment were in excellent condition and the itinerary was just right vis-a-vis time and distance travelled. The real highlight was our guide, Joey. He had a great sense of humor and extensive knowledge of the local history and wildlife. Most enjoyable!

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thanks so much for the review, we are so glad you enjoyed your tour, our guides are exceptional and will make sure every tour is special for the paddlers! Thanks for coming!

Great day on the water!!

Philip_S, Feb 2020

We are avid kaykers and have kayaked the west coast of BC. Jake and Joey were fantastic guides. Their passion for knowledge of the history of the area and the flora and fauna was most impressive. Great day on the water!!

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Thanks so much for joining us in beautiful Akaroa for a sea kayaking tour with our awesome guides -we are glad you had a great time! safe travels!

Unfavorable weather

carolyn_W, Feb 2020

The guide was wonderful. The weather was horrible. It rained the entire time and the winds blew so hard we were unable to leave the shelter of the cove. It was grey and visibility was limited. So... just be warned this trip is NOT cancelled for foul weather. Bring rain gear and smile for the camera!

Response from Host, Feb 2020

The weather is what it is on the day, that is the beauty of being in nature, if conditions are safe for kayaking we operate. Many of our best tours have been in rainy conditions, it is up to each participant if they join in or not. You did not have to come if you do not like the rain! Spray skirts are provided and a rain jacket is all you need to stay dry. Rainy conditions often mean we have the harbour to ourselves and the wildlife is often more active on days like these, for these reasons I personally LOVE kayaking in the rain :)

Awesome experience!

Joel_H, Feb 2020

Jake was our Kayak tour guide and could not have been more perfect! We were fortunate enough to see four Hector dolphin sightings and Jake's insight into the dolphins and other marine life was amazing. He has an in-depth knowledge of various birds, plant life and marine life. We loved all of the staff, very nice and efficient. Thank you!

Response from Host, Feb 2020

Thanks so much for the review, we are so happy you enjoyed your sea kayaking experience with us here in Akaroa, one of the best destinations to sea kayak in NZ! Our guides are not only kayak guides but very knowledgeable nature guides which makes the tours great value for money. Thanks for joining us and safe travels!

Amazing experience

Marco_H, Jan 2020

We went along the rocky coastline and discovered cages, remnants of volcanos and spotted a Hector dolphin! The guides told us many things about the nature and history of the bay. They were very enthusiastic. Equipments was good. We enjoyed it very much.

Response from Host, Jan 2020

So great to hear you loved your tour! Our guides love paddling through this stunning marine reserve with our guests and enjoy it as much as the visitors, the views never get old! There is so much to see and learn about, thanks for coming and sharing this experience with us! safe travels Allie & Grevile

Great Afternoon on the Water

alexa092819, Dec 2019

Lots of fun! Our guide Jake was awesome, very knowledgeable about the local wildlife and scenery, threw some cute jokes in there as well. Got to see some amazing rock formations and lots of local birds. My husband and I have very little experience on a kayak and Jake was really patient with us and took his time to help guide us in the right direction.

Response from Host, Dec 2019

Thanks so much for taking the time to send us your positive comments, we are so glad you enjoyed your sea kayaking safari with us and we hope you will be inspired to kayak again, it is such a great way to explore beautiful places! Safe onward travels! Akaroa kayaks team

Bird watching

Helen_Y, Mar 2019

Our guide was very knowledgeable and very adept at kayaking. He did a very good job of pointing out anything he spotted along the way. Was a little disappointed that the only thing we saw were a few different types of birds. It probably had to do with the time of year we were there. The kayaking was enjoyable and the view were good.

Kayaking with an Expert Guide

Kristine_O, Jan 2019

We had a great time Kayaking in Akaroa. Our guide Jake, was a wealth of knowledge and made the experience a lot of fun. The day we went out was gray and threatening rain, so we weren't sure we wanted to do this, however, the rain held off and we had a wonderful time.

Loved this kayaking tour! The...

Eileen_D, Feb 2018

Loved this kayaking tour! The guides were excellent and very knowledeable about the history and wild life of Akaroa. We even had a hector dolphin float under our kayak. Akaroa is a beautiful place and this was an amazing way to experience it.

Our kayaking tour of Akaroa was...

Gayle C, Feb 2018

Our kayaking tour of Akaroa was awesome. We were able to meet the guides after a short walk from our cruise ship. Two guides accompanied the small group and provided excellent safety and paddling instruction. During the trip, which mostly followed the shore, they gave interesting information about the wildlife, flora and geology of the area. The paddling was easy and very enjoyable. We're so pleased that we chose this excursion in Akaroa.

This was a nice, easy kayak trip in...

Cary A, Feb 2018

This was a nice, easy kayak trip in the bay. The staff and guides were great. The kayaks were great too, really easy with the rudder and pedals to steer. The scenery is very nice. However, I was disappointed that this was not really a wildlife trip so if you're wanting to see wildlife or if you want an exhilarating, adventurous kayak trip, this is not the trip for you not many birds, no marine wildlife, with the caveat that this of course is dependent on the time of year and seeing wildlife is never guaranteed. I might be a bit biased because I'm a biologist and when something says 'wildlife' in the excursion title I expect that at least there will be the chance, however, the habitat/landscape of this trip is not conducive to the potential for viewing much wildlife. Even with binoculars we only picked up a few birds in the trees that the others didn't see right on the shore like gulls, Canada geese, and the spotted shags that are everywhere.

The Bay of Akaroa was beautiful and...

Tammy_G, Feb 2018

The Bay of Akaroa was beautiful and was easily viewed from the kayak. We did not get to see any penguins, whales, dolphins. I was dissappointed not to have seen those wildlife features.