Experience the remoteness of the Northern part of the park over two glorious days.

Short on time but want to experience the Northern end  of the park? This trip offers one day unguided walking and one day guided kayak. This trip has been designed for those wanting to experience the top of the park. 

We have taken our popular Three Day Tiki and broken it into the first two days. This is ‘kiwi tikiing’ at its best! Water taxi to Totaranui and spend the first day walking in the northern section of the park. After crossing the Awaroa Lagoon spend a night at Awaroa Glamping, Awaroa Bay. Day two sees you paddling on our Remote Marine Reserve Tour. At the end of the day return to Marahau by water taxi.

Paddling is our business, with all activities supported by our purpose-built kayak base, complimentary hot showers, wifi,  equipment storage & client transporters. We also provide high-quality soft gear – fitted for each client by our guides and high-quality hard gear – customised for comfort for each client.

On this trip in the marine reserve you have a professional guide with you for around 6 hours sharing their knowledge and passion of the Abel Tasman. We also cater a snack and lunch designed around your health and energy. Please note all other food is to be supplied by the client.

Every trip is unique like each of our clients.

Single supplement $60pp

We are normally able to secure space at Awaroa Glamping but at peak times this may not be possible, when booking your reservation it will be unconfirmed until we secure space. In the event we are not able to secure space we can discuss alternative accommodation in the National Park.

Price

$420pp

Duration

2 Days

  • Check-in: 8.15 am
  • Open: I Nov – 31 Mar
  • Age: Minimum 12 years, under the age of 18 you need to be accompanied by an adult on a 1 to 1 ratio
  • Food: Partially catered (includes lunch on guided kayak trip)
  • Paddling: Approximately 4 hours interspersed with breaks. No prior experience required
  • Abel Tasman Great Walk: Approximately 3 – 4 hours
  • Water Taxi: Two water taxi cruises
  • Bus: $70 Nelson return, $30 Motueka return operating 1 Oct – 30 Apr. On request outside of these times

Departure Times

Please note the Department of Conservation apply differential pricing between 1st October and 30th April. If you are a New Zealand resident choose the New Zealand Resident price, if you are an International Visitor choose International Visitor price.

Your trip includes an Environmental Access Fee which goes directly towards preserving the Abel Tasman National Park.

Risk Disclosure: For an understanding of the potential risks please click here and read before you book.

Itinerary

  • Day One

    8.15 am
    Check in and we will provide tips and a map for your walk.
    8.30 am
    Water Taxi Marahau to Totaranaui.
    10.00 am
    Arrive Totaranui.

    Walk Totaranui to Awaroa 2 hours, 5.5kms. Arrive Awaroa Glamping for your night’s accommodation.

    Your day two kayaking is based around the tide. We will let you know on check in which kayak option will be on offer or you can check our tide timetable in the description.
  • Awaroa - Bark Bay

    9.00 am
    Depart Awaroa and walk to Awaroa Beach.

    9.30 am
    Meet your guide who will arrive via water taxi.
    10.00 am
    Kayak from Awaroa - Bark Bay. Kayak approx 4 hours with breaks.
    1.15 pm
    Enjoy lunch in the Onetahuti area.
    3.30 pm
    Arrive Bark Bay.
    3.45 pm
    Water Taxi to Marahau.
    4.30 pm
    Arrive back in Marahau.
  • Onetahuti - Anchorage

    8.00 am
    Depart Awaroa and walk to Onetahuti.
    9.45 am
    Meet your guide who will arrive on a water taxi.
    10.00 am
    Kayak from Awaroa to Bark Bay. Kayak approx 4 hours with breaks.
    12.30 pm
    Enjoy lunch in the Bark Bay area.
    3.45 pm
    Arrive Anchorage.
    4.00 pm
    Water Taxi to Marahau.
    4.30 pm
    Arrive back in Marahau.

*Please note: This is an estimate of timings. Trip may change due to tide.

What to bring

Please bring personal water bottle, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, towel, swimsuit, warm top (wool or fleece), wind jacket, a change of clothes, cameras and any medication. You will also need clothing and changes of clothing for the number of days you are out, torch, first aid kit.

Food

1 lunch, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast and snacks provided by you. Kayak trip includes lunch. Awaroa Glamping has options available for dinner at your own cost, these need to be pre-ordered a few days before departure. Be sure to bring enough food for your whole journey. We recommend purchasing this before you get to Marahau.

Make sure you bring plenty of fresh water. Filtered water is available at our base, untreated water is available at campsites and huts and will require treating/boiling before using.

We Provide

A double sea kayak, buoyancy vest, paddle, spray skirt, paddle jacket, dry bags for cameras, a map and of course an awesome Abel Tasman Kayaks guide on the guided kayak day.

FAQS

  • Environment Access Fee

    Your trip includes an Environmental Access Fee which goes directly towards preserving the Abel Tasman National Park.

    A portion of your ticket price goes directly towards preserving the unique environment you will enjoy on your trip in the Abel Tasman. This includes the compulsory concession fees paid to the Department of Conversation as well as voluntary contributions to local organisations and projects to improve the environment, ecology and access to the National Park.  Fees are adjusted according to your trip, you can see your contribution when you purchase a ticket.

    Find out more on how we are looking after this special place including our commitment to the Mārahau Pledge.

  • What is the minimum age for guided kayaking?

    Guided customers need to be 12+. Under the age of 18  you need to be accompanied by an adult for all tours excluding Split Apple Classic. The age for Split Apple Classic Guided is 8+ and anyone under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult.

  • Is food included on our tour?

    Lunch is included on all our guided tours except the Split Apple Classic. It is one of the great reasons to go on a trip with Abel Tasman Kayaks. Summer lunches are a freshly baked roll filled with local produce, a sweet snack, fruit, fresh plunger coffee and local juice.  In winter we offer hot seasonal soup, home made bread rolls, fresh plunger coffee and local juice. Vegetarian and dietary requirements can be catered for, please ask at time of booking. Two, Three & Five Day Classic’s & Source to Sea are fully catered. Two Day & Three Day Tiki Tour trips require some catering by you. Check out the trip description to see what meals are required.    

  • More FAQ’s

    A full list of our FAQ’s can be found here.

What our customers say

We went on a kayak trip and then hike. Everything was extraordinarily beautiful and service was fantastic and perfect from beginning to end. Our guide was Hayley and she was friendly, knowledgeable, easy-to-chat with, and made everyone feel safe and secure. She shared interesting facts along the way about the park (and New Zealand generally), provided flexibility around where we paddled based on group preferences, took us to a quick... read more


O1600HSamyh

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

Just wanted to leave a review to say thanks to Abel Tasman Kayaks for an awesome experience. All of the staff were so helpful, friendly and accomodating. I had no previous experience paddling so was honestly a bit nervous but right from the start the guy sorting us out (can’t remember his name but he was the big blonde Viking, you know who you are) was so chilled and informative... read more


Zac E

As someone who has never kayaked before I felt super safe and felt like I was sailing off with heaps of knowledge after the safety briefing. Our guide was awesome and down to earth, it was easy to ask him questions. We even ran a little bit late and we were stressed we would miss a bit of the info but they were really understanding and gave us plenty of... read more


Paradise52100984255

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

A must do!! Belvir (sp?) gave us a great safety briefing and information before we set off. It was helpful and entertaining. We went all the way to Anchorage, dropped off the kayaks and walked back. Also saw seals on the way. An amazing family experience we will never forget. So glad we did it, and highly recommend these guys to book with.


Bexselector

#ABELTASMANKAYAKS

Keep your 👀 eyes peeled for these guys around the park! At this time of the year, there are a lot of pups around.
Our guides provide loads of valuable tips as part of the rental briefing.
There are not many places in the world where you start your trip sitting in a boat traveling down the road. ❤️ launching from Marahau.
Where to next? ❤️ the options in the Abel Tasman.
Paddling in sync 🚣‍♂️ the perfect way to explore the Abel Tasman.
Happy Leap Day! Perhaps these kayakers are catching a glimpse of dolphins leaping on this special day? 🐬🛶
Enjoying lunch and a coffee in the Abel Tasman.
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