Price
$470pp
Duration
2 Days
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 $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.
Print Itinerary- Check-in: 8.15 am
- Open: 1 Oct – 30 Apr
- 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
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
Please 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
It was very good and funny with Ian and molly. Ian has a lot of interesting knowledges about the flora and fauna of the island around this spot.
Caroline R
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
The Abel Tasman coast is absolutely beautiful to kayak but Nathan really made our day - he was friendly, enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable about the local area and its history and really funny! We all had a great day! Delicious lunch on the beach, stunning scenery and we saw seals and penguins!! Highly recommend, one of our highlights of New Zealand :)
Jade B
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 moreWe 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 track back is about 3 hours, but allow extra time for viewpoints, photos, and to enjoy the incredible beaches! Highly recommended as a daytrip.. would love to do a longer trip as well. read less
CMelissa7
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
Great half day kayak trip with Georgia and Brody! Lots of good info about the area from them both. It was a bit rainy when we started, but ended up being a really beautiful day complete with seals and a killer beach. Would recommend.
Lauren S