Price
$530pp
Duration
2 Days
Experience the remoteness of the Northern part of the park over two glorious days.
Short on time? This perfectly crafted adventure combines one day of unguided coastal walking with one day of guided Marine Reserve kayaking—delivering the highlights of our popular Three Day Tiki Tour in a condensed two-day format. This is ‘kiwi tikiing’ at its best!
We have taken our popular Three Day Tiki and broken it into the first two days. This is ‘kiwi tikiing’ at its best!
Day One: Totaranui to Awaroa Walk
Your journey begins with a scenic water taxi ride to stunning Totaranui, gateway to the park’s most remote sections. From here, embark on an unguided walk through the northern wilderness, where lush coastal forest meets pristine golden-sand beaches in perfect harmony.
Wind your way through ancient native bush alive with birdsong, traverse gentle ridgelines offering panoramic coastal views, and discover secluded beaches where you might have the sand all to yourself. The day’s highlight comes at the magical Awaroa Lagoon crossing before arriving at your overnight accommodation, Awaroa Glamping.
Day Two: Remote Marine Reserve Kayaking
Wake to birdsong before embarking on your guided Remote Marine Reserve Tour kayaking adventure. Spend approximately six hours exploring crystal-clear turquoise waters, paddle past dramatic granite formations, and encounter playful fur seals in their natural habitat. Your guide will provide delicious snacks and lunch. At day’s end, relax aboard the water taxi for your scenic return journey to Marahau.
All of our trips are supported from our purpose-built kayak base, where you’ll have access to complimentary hot showers, Wi-Fi, secure gear storage and carparking, and client transport services. We provide top-quality soft gear, expertly fitted by our guides, along with top-quality kayaks and equipment tailored for your comfort and safety—so you can focus on enjoying the experience.
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 on day two. Please note all other food is to be supplied by the client.
Every trip is unique like each of our clients.
Single supplement $90pp
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.
- Check-in: 8.15 am
- Open: 1 Oct – 30 Apr
- Age: Minimum age is 12 years old. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult on a 1:1 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: $80 Nelson return, $40 Motueka return operating 1 Oct – 30 Apr. On request outside of these times
- Media Pack:
Free social-ready images and video
Departure Times
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
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Day One
8.15 amCheck in and we will provide tips and a map for your walk.8.30 amWater Taxi Marahau to Totaranaui.
10.00 amArrive 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.
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Awaroa - Bark Bay
9.00 amDepart Awaroa and walk to Awaroa Beach.
9.30 amMeet your guide who will arrive via water taxi.10.00 amKayak from Awaroa - Bark Bay. Kayak approx 4 hours with breaks.1.15 pmEnjoy lunch in the Onetahuti area.3.30 pmArrive Bark Bay.3.45 pmWater Taxi to Marahau.4.30 pmArrive back in Marahau. -
Onetahuti - Anchorage
8.00 amDepart Awaroa and walk to Onetahuti.
9.45 amMeet your guide who will arrive on a water taxi.10.00 amKayak from Awaroa to Bark Bay. Kayak approx 4 hours with breaks.12.30 pmEnjoy lunch in the Bark Bay area.3.45 pmArrive Anchorage.4.00 pmWater Taxi to Marahau.4.30 pmArrive back in Marahau.
*Please note: This is an estimate of timings. Trip may change due to tide.
What to bring
Personal water bottle, hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, towel, swimwear, 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
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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.
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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.
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Is food included on our tour?
Lunch is included in all our guided tours, except for the Split Apple Classic, making it one of the many reasons to join Abel Tasman Kayaks. Summer lunches are a freshly baked roll filled with local produce, a sweet snack and fruit. We also provide fresh plunger coffee, tea and local juice; however, drinks are not included on the Earth Sea Sky trip due to timing. 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.
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More FAQ’s
A full list of our FAQ’s can be found here.
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What our customers say
These reviews are gathered through our independent client survey, designed by Get Smart using their Survey Science approach to track Customer Experience. Reviews with the Get Smart icon are gathered through that feedback tool.
www.getsmartglobal.com/get-smart-verification
Get Smart
our guides zoe and carol were patient and kind- we had two children with us which meant we were slower and a bit more chaotic but the ladies were calm and nice to us.
Krissy
We had a wonderful day on the kayaks. Ed was a fantastic host who provided us with a lot of interesting information about the national park We would definitely recommend this tour
Pascal
Incredible
Henry Tomsett
Prachtige wandeling en fijn om met een kleine groep te kayakken. Abel Tasman is écht supermooi!
Judith
The 3 day freedom kayak was a wonderful way to experience the beauty of Abel Tasman park. We also rented a tent which was great. They make everything easy and the experience was great value.
Kyle Eckart
