Meet the Team
Emma
Guide
Hey Guys! My name is Emma and originally from Invercargill growing up on my family farm.
I later moved to Dunedin to finish my schooling and I found my love for the outdoors. After some overseas work and travel, I studied a Diploma in Outdoor Leadership and Management at Otago Polytechnic. I'm now NZOIA leader qualified in sea kayak, bush, rock and abseil. I enjoy living in Kaikoura because its the perfect place for all the things I love and where the mountains meet the ocean!
Cowan Fearn
Head Guide
I'm a country boy from the Waitaki Valley who decided to follow my passion of outdoors and sports.
I completed Sports Science and Adventure Sports studies in Dunedin at the Institute of Sport and Adventure and then joined the guiding industry.
I love taking part in any outdoor activity especially kayaking and surfing. I have NZOIA qualifications for rock, abseil, sea kayak and bush. I think of Kaikoura as a home away from home!
Renee
Guide
Kia ora, my name is Renee and I have been living and kayaking in Kaikoura since 2018.
I studied Outdoor Recreation island Leadership at Auckland University of Technology, before taking my skills overseas to explore the world. After realising there is no place like home, I returned to New Zealand and now call stunning Kaikoura my home.
Matt Foy
Owner-Operations Manager
Kaikoura is one of the most unique places on earth and I am proud to call it my home!
I absolutely love introducing people to wildlife under towering mountains along our breath-taking coastline from a sea kayak.
Kim Foy
Owner- Administrator
I love my home town its a piece of magic!
Kaikoura has so much to offer, it’s a natural playground full of diversity and adventure.
Samantha
"The Boss"
Hi I'm Sammy! The junior guide in the making.
I like to pop into the office to say "hello" and I love showing off my cat. I enjoy keeping everyone in line:) l really enjoy kayaking with the Dolphins and riding my bike.
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