Auckland

Day sea kayak tour Rangitoto Island

Name: Day sea kayak tour Rangitoto Island
Brand: Auckland Sea Kayaks
SKU: 48027P4
Price: 147.81 USD
Rating: 5.0 (40 reviews)

Auckland, New Zealand

6 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket

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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 littler or no kayaking experience
Top quality sea kayak equipment
Experienced guides
Over 20 years of kayaking knowledge
Lunch
Snacks
Coffee and/or Tea

Meeting and Pickup

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/

Start time

08:30 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

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

Cancellation Policy

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

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
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

Kathleen_D

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.

Reviews

5.0

40 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 40 reviews

Exceptional Kayak Trip right in Auckland

Kathleen_D, Feb 2024

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.

Likely to Sell Out