• About Us

    About Us

When paddling in paradise is your business, it doesn’t seem like 34 years since pioneers Tom and Ingrid Horne took a beat up 1946 Ford truck, some borrowed river kayaks, and launched New Zealand’s very first sea kayak company in the heart of Abel Tasman National Park.

Abel Tasman Kayaks has grown into one of our country’s premier tourist experiences, with over 150 double and single kayaks, a purpose-built home base in Marahau, dozens of guides with over 225 years combined expertise, and thousands of deeply satisfied customers.

Sea kayaking is such a unique, low impact way to explore the beautiful golden beaches, peaceful coves and lagoons, offshore islands, wildlife and the native forest fringing our granite coastline! We offer a seamless kayak product from return transport to/from Nelson or Motueka, purpose-built kayak base, water taxi with seating configured to start your kayak trip as soon as you board our boat.

We have continued to lead the way with a strong commitment to high safety standards and experienced guides with incredible passion and extensive local knowledge of the park. As the owner of Abel Tasman Kayaks, I feel privileged to have our team introduce this beautiful place that we call home.

Jack Kelly

Our Team

Every day the team at Abel Tasman Kayaks offers a seamless kayak product which is delivered by a dedicated team of industry legends who keep delivering and expanding on the promise of the very first trip we operated from Marahau to Fisherman’s Island in 1986. Our guides and safety instructors are chosen for their outgoing, warm personalities and their natural enthusiasm for the environment. They come from all walks of life. Their love of adventure and people is invigorating and they return to the Abel Tasman year after year to share this unique coastline with you. They say it doesn’t feel like work, working in this beautiful environment but more like a day with great friends. We are proud to say we have world class guides and instructors who will share their passion for the Abel Tasman. All instructors are certified through NZOIA or have equivalent qualifications.

  • Craig

    Craig

  • Christian

    Christian

  • Darryl

    Darryl

  • Louisa

    Louisa

  • Roy

    Roy

  • Nicole

    Nicole

  • Balveer

    Balveer

  • Gareth

    Gareth

  • Tom – Head Operations Manager

    Tom – Head Operations Manager

What our customers say

We hired kayaks and used the park start service to take us into the park to start our trip and book our camping. Our briefing and assessment prior to the trip with Georgia was excellent. Very thorough and informative.Kayak drop off by boat, camp spot and beach pick up we’re brilliant Great experience Thank you Chris and Liane (Uk) Feb 2023


Liane Llewellyn H

I did the 3 day tiki tour as a solo female traveller and found it an amazing experience. Everything was well organised and I had great communication from Abel Tasman Kayaks in relation to my questions prior to and post booking. Each staff member I dealt with was great from those who were emailing me back, those at their base, those who did the water taxi driving and those who... read more


impulsivekiwi

We booked the Seal Sanctuary tour and were not disappointed. We saw many seals on our trip and then explored some of the coastline in the park before lunch. Our guide Nicole was knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife as well as providing ideas of what to do for the afternoon and in other cities in NZ that we planned to visit. I would definitely recommend Abel Tasman... read more


JackieB1234567

Abel Tasman Kayaks have a great interactive online website that caters for all possible adventures whether that's hiking, kayaking or both that vary in duration. The itineraries are clear with the option explore the upper bay area like Tongas Arches (must see). Our camp site was already orgabised by Abel Tasman Kayaks which left us with one job, enjoy the experience! There is plenty of room in the kayak itself... read more


jovitapw

Such a great way to spend a day! The hike to Observation beach was great with lots of spots to view the ocean and beaches along the way. Lunch was excellent; I am so impressed with how tasty it was, especially since it was so simple. Our guide Louisa was helpful, knowledgeable and clear in her instructions and was also super friendly, really enjoyed chatting to her along the way.... read more


Sophielouwho

We booked the half day kayak tour to Observation Beach and everything was fantastic. Our guide Darryl was great- super knowledgeable about the area, funny and full of stories. We saw loads of sea lions, birds, golden beaches, sea caves and had fun exploring the coastline. Had a relaxing snack and tea/coffee on the beach before continuing on our self-guided trip back down the Abel Tasman track to Motueka. The... read more


CMelissa7

#ABELTASMANKAYAKS

Drifting through granite caves⛰️🚣‍♀️

...
 #nelsontasman #abeltasmankayaks
The wonders of Tonga Island Marine Reserve🐠 established in 1993 go beyond marine life— Tonga Island in the marine reserve makes for that quintessential Abel Tasman pic! 📸
Gearing up for the adventure ahead! 🌟🚣‍♀️
A sea breeze makes for a fun end to the day, kayak sailing ⛵ is a real highlight for customers kayaking back towards Marahau. 

#abeltasmankayaks
Watching the sun come up ☀️
Last day to vote for the bird of the century! This year, #birdoftheyear has become 
#birdofthecentury. We're rooting for the Kaka! 🐦 With 35 released into the Abel Tasman, they add their distinctive call and color to Bark Bay and its surrounds.

#BirdOfTheYear
Memories about to be created in the Abel Tasman. 📸
The Abel Tasman National Park is the smallest national park in New Zealand, it's the perfect location for half-day or five-day explorations!
There are plenty of moments to soak it all in. 

#abeltasmankayaks
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