• 1 day kayak & walk - Abel Tasman Kayaks

    Choosing your experience

There are a number of ways to explore the park, each option provides a slightly different perspective on the park. All trips depart from Marahau and finish in Marahau. Guided trips are catered or partially catered, rental trips are self catered and most overnight trips* include camp passes which we book on your behalf.

Tips:

  • Camping or overnighting in the park is magic, so if you time we highly recommend it – you will come back recharged and rejuvenated.
  • Choosing a water taxi assisted trips means exploring more of the park. Our dedicated support vessels leave our base earlier than others and we often reach the beach before anyone else.
  • The sea breeze runs from North to South in summer and South to North in Summer.

Our trips are set up with naming conventions, like trip types and they vary in the length of time exploring the park.

Guided –  Choosing a guided kayak option means choosing passion, knowledge, and stories! Our guides’ love of adventure and people is invigorating, they return to the Abel Tasman year after year to share this unique coastline with you. Our world-class guides ensure high safety standards and deliver a first class experience.

Rentals Do you want to explore the Abel Tasman at your own pace, on your own time, and truly absorb the serenity of this beautiful park? Then renting/hiring a kayak is the option for you and best of all no prior experience (for most trips) is required, just a love of adventure. Before you depart our base we provide a comprehensive safety briefing ensuring you are confident. As part of your briefing we focus on pointing out special spots and provide detailed interpretation so you can get the most out of your trip. Launch your double sea kayak from one of the many golden sandy beaches, float on clear turquoise water and explore the park your own way.

Walks The Abel Tasman Coastal track is part of New Zealand’s great walk network. Its’ famous for its access to it’s many golden beaches and the native forest fringing the granite coastline. It is the only great walk with multiple access points which allows plenty of flexibility to explore in either direction. From lush tropical crops to regenerating native forest the well formed track scenery varies, it’s the glimpses of the turquoise water, tidal estuaries, side walks and access to the beaches that make this such a memorable walk.  The mild climate means any time of the year it is good to visit.

Classics serve up everything that is special about the Abel Tasman National Park. These trips are fully guided/hosted catered camping experiences. We are the only company to explore the northern reaches of the park so we make the most of having that part of the park to ourselves. We have a two, three and five day kayak option and a three day walking option. These trips create memories you’ll cherish for life.

Tikis, tiki tour is kiwi slang for looking-around, or tripping (and was originally derived from an old New Zealand tourist company of the same name), our tiki tours offer the advantage of exploring with a guide and then on your own allowing all the benefits of being hosted and then exploring the park independently, choose a two or three day tiki

 

Our rentals are named in the following ways:

Freedom 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 day hires provide the versatility for you to go out and back so you get to see the coast in both directions. These trips all start and finish at Marahau and are at your own pace.

We pioneered Park Starts in the early 2000’s. They are designed to travel one way and as the name suggests, start in the park. The beauty of these trips is that you paddle in the same direction as the sea breeze rather than going against it. You complete our safety briefing and then catch the 11.00 am water taxi up to your destination of choice (as far North as Onetahuti) and then paddle back over a number of days to Marahau. We offer trips from 2, 3 & 4 days to explore the park.

Kayak and Walk trips provide the flexibility to experience the Abel Tasman on both land and sea. Our trips start off with kayaking and then you continue by foot to explore the Abel Tasman great walk coastal track. We have trips that walk both North and South and from 1 2, 3, 4 & 5 days that are packaged with everything included.

*excludes 1 day kayak and walk

Water Taxi pricing

Water taxi retrieval for single kayak $20 per transfer

Water taxi retrieval for double kayak $41 per transfer

Per transfer Bag/Pack transfer $47 per bag

Passenger transfer from Marahau – Anchorage/Torrent Bay $48 pp

Passenger transfer from Marahau – Bark Bay $52 pp

Passenger transfer from Marahau – Onetahuti $54 pp

Passenger transfer from Marahau – Awaroa $48 pp

Passenger transfer from Marahau – Totaranui $50 per person

What our customers say

The day kayak/walk was the highlight of our trip, we loved it (even the teenagers!). Darryl our guide was fantastic - he was so informative, knowledgeable and had lots of yarns to tell along the way. With no prior kayak experience, the paddle in the morning was a perfect amount of time on the water. The walk to Anchorage and then the Pitt Head loop... read more


SunHol1

I had a great tour with Abel Tasman Kayaks. All the staff I met at the base were great, and the guide for my kayaking - Gareth - was very friendly and informative. It was awesome that we got a ride on a tractor to get to the beach with the kayaks. The kayaking part of the tour was my favourite, Gareth gave some awesome commentary and stayed at the... read more


briohnyp

Find the time to put this trip on your bucket list, but more importantly make the time to take the trip so it's not on the list anymore. We did the 5 day kayak trip with ATK- Kyle was our guide and I can't think of a way we could have enjoyed the trip more.(oh, wait ...if I had zero sandfly bites...) Not Kyle's fault and still not a detractor... read more


Peter C

Amazing guided kayak day with our guide Traf, with ample viewings of wildlife and nature, including stingrays, native New Zealand birds, fur seals and wekas. Our kids are 13, 11, and 8 so we worried that a full day of kayaking would be tiering, but we found the level very doable. We had planned ahead of time to have a half day of kayaking and a half day of walking... read more


Leonie

Super leuke dag gehad op het water. De uitrusting is goed, alles is verzorgd! De lunch en snacks zijn healthy wat het even anders maakt dan veel andere tours. Ook de gids Nathan maakt een degelijk verschil, hij heeft ons veel verteld en geleed, is interactief met iedereen in de groep en weet zeker waar hij het over heeft. Good job Nathan ;)

De prijs is wel aan de hoge...
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carlijndr

I had a great kayak day tour. Kayaking was the best choice for exercise and to go into the national park and see the wildlife. Our guide Nathan knew many details about all the birds and wildlife and history of the park!! He took great care of us. Lunch stop at the beach was amazing. I would have loved to see even more from the park and kayak further.


Kathikmann

#ABELTASMANKAYAKS

Catching a water taxi is a seamless way to start your day before you explore the at sea level by kayak.
The Abel Tasman is full of fascinating geological wonders—like Cottage Loaf Rock, a quirky rock  that adds a lot of character to this spectacular coastline.
The Abel Tasman is a treasure trove of lagoons—each one a gateway to tranquillity.
Golden light, calm waters, and birdsong set the tone for your next adventure. 🌅🌊🪶
Explore the Abel Tasman Coastline where every paddle stroke leads to a new discovery.
Drifting in the Abel Tasman.
Between Marahau and Anchorage, you’ll find a lot of stunning beaches just waiting to be explored! Whether by kayak or on foot, each one offers its own slice of paradise.
Moss & Lichen might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Abel Tasman, but this park is home to some pretty impressive species.
The quick way to get home 👏
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