Shore Excursion: Guided Sea Kayaking through Akaroa Marine Reserve

We had a great time Kayaking in Akaroa. Our guide Jake, was a wealth of knowledge and made the experience a lot of fun. The day we went out was gray and threatening rain, so we weren't sure we wanted to do this, however, the rain held off and we had a wonderful time.

This was a nice, easy kayak trip in the bay. The staff and guides were great. The kayaks were great too, really easy with the rudder and pedals to steer. The scenery is very nice. However, I was disappointed that this was not really a wildlife trip so if you're wanting to see wildlife or if you want an exhilarating, adventurous kayak trip, this is not the trip for you not many birds, no marine wildlife, with the caveat that this of course is dependent on the time of year and seeing wildlife is never guaranteed. I might be a bit biased because I'm a biologist and when something says 'wildlife' in the excursion title I expect that at least there will be the chance, however, the habitat/landscape of this trip is not conducive to the potential for viewing much wildlife. Even with binoculars we only picked up a few birds in the trees that the others didn't see right on the shore like gulls, Canada geese, and the spotted shags that are everywhere.

Our kayaking tour of Akaroa was awesome. We were able to meet the guides after a short walk from our cruise ship. Two guides accompanied the small group and provided excellent safety and paddling instruction. During the trip, which mostly followed the shore, they gave interesting information about the wildlife, flora and geology of the area. The paddling was easy and very enjoyable. We're so pleased that we chose this excursion in Akaroa.

Wow, you have to try this! Fun and knowledgeable guides on safety and wildlife! Friendly and inclusive! Felt right at home on the water! Many Mahalos everyone!

Akaroa was one of the ports of call on our round New Zealand cruise that we had booked. We were not impressed with the excursions offered by the cruise company, so searched for something more to our taste on the internet, and found the Sea Kayaking Safari, which we booked and paid for through Viator. Once we landed at Akaroa we followed the instructions to the rendezvous, and café about a 10 minute walk from the Akaroa pier where we were landed by tender. Unfortunately the instructions were not very clear, and we walked past the rendezvous and seemed to be heading out of town! Fortunately there was a motel nearby, and the receptionist there knew where the café in question was located. We arrived at the rendezvous and still had time for a coffee, and wandered down towards the water, where we met Grenville, our guide. There was one other couple on the safari that day, and we were soon launched on our kayaks, with the help of Allie, the other partner in the Sea Kayaking enterprise. Akaroa is ideal for sea kayaking it is a large lagoon - basically a flooded crater of an enormous extinct volcano, so that the water surface is sheltered from the ocean. It is frequented by different species of birds, some of them being quite rare, and which Grenville pointed out to us as we paddled around the shores of the lagoon. They were two-person kayaks, equipped with neoprene skirts which prevented ingress of water when paddling. The kayaks were fairly easy to manage, and had rudders which made steering a bit easier, however these only function effectively when the kayaks are going reasonably fast. I have experience canoeing so it didn't take long to work out the correct paddling technique. People lacking previous experience would need to spend some time learning how to handle the paddles. Grenville took us by interesting rock formations pointing out the different forms of lava that could be seen, as well as telling us something of the bird species we saw. One part of the trip involved crossing a more open stretch of water that was a bit more challenging and quite exhilarating. I estimate that we were out on the kayaks for about 90 minutes, which was sufficient. Anyone thinking of doing this trip should be aware that to operate a kayak you have to sit on a hard seat with your legs stretched out. Some people may find this a bit hard on the back. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and possibly could have continued another 30 minutes or so. We landed on a beach on the other side of the lagoon, where Allie was waiting for us with the van, to take us back to town. As cameras are likely to be splashed in the kayaking environment, Grenville took the photographs with a water proof camera, and these were sent on by email, so we now have the pictures of what we did on a very enjoyable and unique experience. We would recommend the Sea Kayaking Safari to anyone who wants to have an interesting outdoor experience in a unique marine location.