A once in a lifetime wildlife wonderland experience
Eco friendly sea kayak tours offer a safe, enjoyable, interactive experience, with little effort and a whole lot of good fun!
Concession to watch Whales & Dolphins
We are Kaikoura’s only kayak company that allows you to view dolphins & NZ’s only that offer the ability to view Whales
NZ’s 1st certified Friend of the Sea
We believe our wildlife deserves our care and respect, that is why we are certified and adhere to the standards set by the World Sustainable Organization for Sustainable Dolphin & Whale Watching.
Highly Qualified Kiwi Guides
As a family run business, our guides are part of our family who we trust with the care of our customers. They are qualified, Kiwi and proud that most have been with us for years.
100% guaranteed Fur Seal Sightings
The Kaikoura Peninsula is famous for viewing the New Zealand Fur Seals. You can see them basking in the sun and even ducking, weaving and diving around your kayak.
Top Favourites
Kayak & Sup Hire
Great for flexibility and independent adventure for two or more persons.
Guided Wildlife Kayaking
Experience the excitement of watching Fur Seals ducking and diving around
Guided Family Kayaking
Sea Kayaking, the ideal fun activity for families visiting Kaikōura!
Meet The Locals
Dusky Dolphins
Dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) can be found all year round along the east coast of the South Island.
Humpback Whales
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are easy to identify and are well known for their spectacular breaching, large flippers and for mating songs.
Friend of the sea
Friend of the Sea - Dolphin and Whale Watching standard seeks to minimise unintentional disturbance through key principles of conduct. Friend of the Sea criteria for Sustainable Dolphin and Whale Watching require: maximum number of vessels in Watching Zone; approach distance; training programmes for operators and crew; scientific data collection; no swim with; no mono-use plastic onboard.
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What our customers have to say
AMAZING MORNING Ash (age 9 years):D We got lots of luck! We saw lots of seals and even saw a seal in the water and it came to meet us. We saw a blue penguin and some shags. We had fantastic guides Emma, Matt and Cohen. I had the best morning of my life and will never ever forget it! Definitely recommend it for everyone. 5/5
Ash, Taranaki New Zealand
Marine mammal megamix Spent a truly incredible morning around the Kaikoura Peninsula with Matt and Emma, two fantastic local guides. The whole operation was very professional, with high quality kayaks, equipment and a detailed safety briefing. Spent a good amount of time observing the seals, tried our hand at some kayak surfing in the big...
Tom, Neverlands
We are a family of five (14, 12 and 10 year old kids) and we went out last week with Emma as our guide. It was the perfect morning - we saw a seal right up close - he swam right next to our kayaks. Really comfortable kayaks and easy to use. Emma had lots of useful information and was very patient when we got used to using the double kayaks....
Emma W
We booked on the seal kayaking tour and the day dawned magical and calm. Pretty much straight away we saw seals up on the rocks, so tick tick. We ventured out into the Pacific and were blown away to have a pod of Dusky dolphins cruising with us. They were gorgeous and kept on swimming near our kayaks. Then a seal took to the water and started...
Dave
A big thanks to Matt and Renee for fitting us in so we could give our kids an ultimate experience. From the time of booking communication and service was awesome. Such a professional team. Renee was very patient and excellent with the kids. Highly recommend this experience. Well worth the money. Thanks team from the Warrington family. May...
Jollene W, New Zealand
Great Trip - even the oldies loved it! Had a really great trip with Cowan out to the see the seals and the reef on a beautiful morning. I was a bit worried getting in a kayak with my mother (67) and father (70) but Cowan kept us going at a leisurely pace and even convinced us to have a go in the open ocean! What a great experience and...
John R, UK
"To Matt and the Kaikoura Kayaks team, Thank you very much for a fantastic day of kayaking. Both our trips were very well organised by your friendly team. We found your lessons enjoyable, helping us all to be confident, expert paddlers! We were so lucky to have a beautiful sunny day, and we enjoyed fantastic scenery and wildlife out...
Kowhai Class, Hurunui College
Amazing wildlife experience Had a great couple of hours on the water with Emma and Cohen. Amazing expeience of dolphins leaping out of the water close by and swimming all around our kayaks as well as getting close to a local seal colony. The dolphins almost seemed to be having as much fun as us. Heartily recommend this as a 'must...
Michael, Germany
Sunset magic 10/10 thanks to Emma and her crew. We had a magical day on the water and got to see feeding seals, dolphins and wildlife. Thanks so much would 100% recommend to anyone looking for a unforgettable experience in Kaikoura!!
DKG, Australia
Amazing Sea Kayaking Experience Emma was our guide for the half day seal kayaking experience. Though we had never been sea kayaking we felt safe with all the instruction and had a blast. We even saw some hector dolphins and a blue penguin. Emma’s knowledge was impeccable and enthusiasm was infectious as she led us in a chase of the...
Emaria, North Carolina