Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura
5
Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura
By Kaikoura Kayaks
Recommended by 96% of travelers
This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher
from per adult
$173.54
from per adult
$173.54
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 3-90
Duration: 3h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
English
Features animals
- Dry bags for camera's, all kayaking equipment, paddle jackets, wet shoes, spray skirts, dry pants, gloves and hats over the winter months.
- Private transportation
- Departure details
- 19 Killarney Street, Kaikōura 7300, New Zealand Travel through the main street of Kaikoura South past the Information Centre towards the seal colony and take your first right off the Esplanade on to Killarney st. Look for the Kaikoura Kayaks yellow street sign and flying banner at our base.
Return details- Returns to original departure point
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Stroller accessible
- Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 246568P3- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travelers can participate
- 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 is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- A note from Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura
- New Zealand’s COVID-19 Protection Framework (traffic lights) has ended. With case numbers low, it is safe to remove most COVID-19 rules from 13 September 2022. Travellers do not need proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter New Zealand. You will get free rapid antigen tests (RATs) at the airport.
What you can expect during your visit- Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Community- Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
- How much is Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura?
- Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura price starts from $177.30. Discover and book Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura on Tripadvisor
- What is the Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura cancellation policy?
- Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura cancellation policy: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience. Discover and book Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura on Tripadvisor
- Which company provides Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura?
- Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura is hosted by Kaikoura Kayaks. Read reviews, discover additonal experiences or contact Kaikoura Kayaks on Tripadvisor. Discover and book Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura on Tripadvisor
- How much time do I need for Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura?
- On average, this experience will take approximately 3h 30m. Discover and book Private Wildlife Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura on Tripadvisor
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 246568P3
Reserve your spot
from $173.54
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator.
0nicholasd
00Great day on the water!
Outstanding day on the water with our guide Emma. Not only did we “look good” (inside joke), we had beautiful weath…
yaelfischer
00Amazing!!
Wen‘t on the afternoon kayak tour. It was a amazing adventure. Beautiful sceneries, and saw dolphins and seals! Ha…
E8109IOpamw
00Let's go kayaking
We had an absolutely amazing experience with our lovely tour guide - Emma- who managed to find us a pod of Hectors …
P2220BJjamess
00Dolphins everywhere!
Miles the instructor made us feel safe before we went out on the glassy waters. We saw so many beautiful dusky dolp…
LesleyH1200
00Fantastic experience
Wow wow wow! We'd done whale watching the day before but this beat that hands down. Miles was great, just enough i…
WannaBeAdventureGirl
00So awesome!
We did the 8:30am kayak. We saw so many dolphins (we were told this isn’t super common)!! It was absolutely magical…
kjeld g
00Defenitely overpriced
The price of a 'half day' kayak tour is 140 dollar per person. They use two seat kayaks, so that makes 280 dollar f…
OnAir21522710193
00Fun experience and well organised.
Really good briefing and safety talk, had fun tackling the waves and using a rudder in a kayak which was new. Got t…
yesokwhynot
00Brilliant!
Incredible experience cannot recommend more highly. Matt, Emma and the team provide brilliant instruction and gear…
rachcf
00Fantastic trip!
Fantastic experience. Emma and Miles were both really lovely. Thorough safety verifying and made even novices feel …
Voyage43498213895
00Priceless
What an amazing kayak tour, the guides where amazing, from saftey briefing to out on the water. Saw so many pods of…
Curious00844024416
00Fantastic afternoon out on the water with dolphins!
Had a lovely time, the staff were really friendly, helpful & enthusiastic. We did the trip with a 6 and 8 year old…
BarneyRe
00Dolphins Galore!
Absolutely exceptional afternoon out! We kayaked with Kaikoura Kayaks a few years ago and saw heaps of dolphins so …
mattb8891
00Good fun
This was fun but it was labelled as a wildlife kayak but we didn't see any dolphins and the instructors didn't ment…
PSShields
00Dolphins, Seals, Sunset with new friends
What a wonderful experience we had with our guide, Roo today. We had the opportunity to go on the Sunset kayak tour…
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
26 reviews
Excellent
24
Very good
1
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Marg
Terrigal, Australia136 contributions
Our ship was late docking due to fog but Matt worked extremely hard to accommodate us in a different time slot. Our ship didn't offer private kayaking, only a group one which we didn't want as we didn't want to be slowed down. Matt understood this and provided this private tour for us.
Ru was highly experienced and patient and took us further afield than a group could go due to there only being two of us in one kayak and this was the experience we had hoped for. As a result we were lucky enough to see a seal feeding on octopus, some blue penguins and a sting ray all very close up, as well as many seals in and out of the water and lots of bird varieties.
I highly recommend Kaikōura Kayaks and this private tour. Great people, fab day!
Ru was highly experienced and patient and took us further afield than a group could go due to there only being two of us in one kayak and this was the experience we had hoped for. As a result we were lucky enough to see a seal feeding on octopus, some blue penguins and a sting ray all very close up, as well as many seals in and out of the water and lots of bird varieties.
I highly recommend Kaikōura Kayaks and this private tour. Great people, fab day!
Written January 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Marg for taking the time to leave us a review!
We try our best to accommodate everyone so we are pleased to hear you enjoyed your experience with us and most of all loved tour private kayaking tour! Very lucky the fog burnt off and what a magical time spend out on the water ✨👍😊
Written January 28, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Paul H
2 contributions
Jul 2020
Not enough good things to say about Matt & the crew!!!! We were there for a camp with youth. This might not be why you are there but their ability to accommodate us speaks of the flexibility and desire to meet your needs.
We paddled in the morning with one group & then the afternoon with another. Both groups were youth who were tell taken care of. Some highlights...
* Orientation and time to get on the water was quick and thorough, allowing us maximum time on the water.
* Ability to paddle in the open ocean. There are lots of sea kayaking outfits in NZ but few/none as unique as Kaikōura Kayaks in their ability (weather willing) to take clients into the open ocean. The big ground swells rolling up underneath us was amazing for the kids.
* At no time did we feel out of our depth and therefore Matt and his crew had great management of real risks & perceived risk.
* Time spent on interpretation of local wildlife was great, and at a level that our campers understood and felt tuned into.
As I said there are lots of sea kayaking providers in NZ but if you want something that separates a paddling experience from all the others... Go and see Matt at Kaikōura Sea Kayaks
We paddled in the morning with one group & then the afternoon with another. Both groups were youth who were tell taken care of. Some highlights...
* Orientation and time to get on the water was quick and thorough, allowing us maximum time on the water.
* Ability to paddle in the open ocean. There are lots of sea kayaking outfits in NZ but few/none as unique as Kaikōura Kayaks in their ability (weather willing) to take clients into the open ocean. The big ground swells rolling up underneath us was amazing for the kids.
* At no time did we feel out of our depth and therefore Matt and his crew had great management of real risks & perceived risk.
* Time spent on interpretation of local wildlife was great, and at a level that our campers understood and felt tuned into.
As I said there are lots of sea kayaking providers in NZ but if you want something that separates a paddling experience from all the others... Go and see Matt at Kaikōura Sea Kayaks
Written July 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Paul and the Scripture Union crew!
Thanks for the detailed review, we are pleased to be able to accommodate our trips for speciality tours like this, it makes for fun, practical hands-on learning!
Look forward to seeing you all in Kaikoura again next year:)
Many thanks,
The friendly team at Kaikoura Kayaks
Written July 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
tedcowan7
Singapore, Singapore52 contributions
Jul 2021
Great family trip. Josh was a fun and knowledgable guide and having a couple of training outdoor education enthusiasts (Francois and Ben) was an added bonus. We felt safe, warm and looked after the whole time.
Written July 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks Cowan family! We are glad to hear you felt safe and warm while out on the water :) We'll be sure to pass on the good feedback onto guide Josh and up and coming guides Francois and Ben!
Written July 16, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Pontus Wedell
1 contribution
Oct 2021 • Family
Good spot, and probably guaranteed to encounter seals. Very very pricy. Its basically 400 nzd for renting two twin kayaks and paddle around the seal colony. Given the price I can’t recommend it even if the guides were nice people.
Written October 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KaikouraKayaks
Hi PW20212,
Thanks for your honest feedback.
Just to clarify the price is $260 NZD pp for a PRIVATE “Guided Wildlife Kayaking Tour” which guaranties NZ Fur Seal viewing with chance encounters of Dolphins, Blue Penguins and your own Guide using a traditional Sea Kayak.
The price for Sit On Top Kayak Hire is $55.00 NZD PP or Sea Kayak Hire $70.00 NZD PP for a half day.
Hope this helps PW20212.
The Kaikoura Kayaks Team.
Written October 16, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Anurag B
Christchurch, New Zealand4 contributions
May 2020
We were 3 of us and had a private tour with Emma. It was an amazing day. Kaikoura kayaks provided us with warm waterproof jackets and life jackets. We had a good briefing about rowing and safety guidelines before we began our amazing kayak tour. Our tour guide Emma was wonderful. She explained about Kaikoura. We saw lot of fur seals, crayfish and an albatross. We had a wonderful experience
Written May 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review!
We hope to see you around Kaikoura sometime again:)
Many thanks,
The friendly team at Kaikoura Kayaks
Written September 26, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Janne M
Auckland, New Zealand5 contributions
Feb 2022 • Friends
Truly one of the most amazing experiences! I had my SUP with me but my friend hired a kayak so that we could go out and find some dolphins together. Kaikoura kayaks were helpful from the start and gave us heaps of great tips. They also let me hire a life vest as I didn’t have one and the weather was a little rugged. We found a pod of dolphins that were very interested in checking us out and having a play around our boards. So magical. Great, friendly service! I would highly recommend!
Written February 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so pleased we could accommodate you both, what a memorable experience! We'll see you again next time:)
Written February 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Anju
Baltimore, MD47 contributions
We had a tight driving schedule to catch our ferry. The team was amazingly accommodating to help get us a great experience on the water and make our ferry. The kayak itself was beautiful. Our guide, Emma, was very knowledgeable and friendly. She got great photos and was excellent ar spotting wildlife for us! Will definitely come back to kaikoura and do a tour with this company again!
Written February 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review Anju! We are soked to hear you enjoyed your experience with us. Emma is great at spotting wildlife 🐬🐧
Written March 3, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Avanti
Melbourne, Australia3 contributions
Jul 2022
My husband, 8 year old daughter and I went on a Kayaking tour with Miles who was so knowledgable about the area, has a great sense of humour and was patient with us seeing we were so new to this. This is a must-do activity with kids. The weather was absolutely perfect in July. The feeling on being on the ocean with seals swimming around you was just magic. So we saw heaps of seals. We felt so safe with Miles too. There is an amazing shack that serves crayfish just where is kayaks come in after the tour. Perfect finish to the afternoon!
Written August 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are super stoked 😊 to hear you and your family had a great time out kayaking with us, it is a magical place to explore 😍 and a perfect post kayak meal! 🦞
Written August 19, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
dflachjr
Sarasota, FL6 contributions
This was such a fun tour! Our guide (Eve? Ellie? Tall blond female; I wish I could remember stuff) was very knowledgeable about the area and all the sea life. She was also flexible, and tailored our trip to our paddling preferences. Check in was easy and the transport to the water was quick. I recommend Kaikoura Kayaks!
Written March 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the review! We will be sure to pass the positive feedback onto Emma 😊
Written April 1, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jollene W
2 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
A big thanks to Matt and Renee for fitting us in so we could give our kids an ultimate experience. From the time of booking communication and service was awesome. Such a professional team. Renee was very patient and excellent with the kids. Highly recommend this experience. Well worth the money. Thanks team from the Warrington family. May the force be with you guys
Written July 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi The Warrington Family,
Thanks for the 5 star review, we are pleased you enjoyed the kayaking tour and that it was fun for the whole family!
Many thanks,
The friendly team at Kaikoura Kayaks
Written July 30, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience
