10 years of Traveller Choice Awards
We haven't told you... Kaikōura Kayaks has been recognised as a top attraction in Kaikōura for the last 10 years. We are humbled and very proud of this achievement.
The crew at Kaikōura Kayaks are honored to share that we have once again been awarded Traveler's Choice award for 2024. The award honors businesses that consistently earn great reviews, placing them among the top 10% of listings around the world on Tripadvisor.
As the world’s largest travel guidance platform, Tripadvisor has unparalleled authority with traveler's. This award is based on genuine feedback from anyone in the community who has visited and left an authentic, first-hand review on Tripadvisor over a 12-month period, making it a valuable and trustworthy designation of wonderful places to visit and must do activities.
Thank you to every one of our visitors who has left us a review on Tripadvisor. We really appreciate the time you took to leave your comments, feedback and stories, sharing your experience to others. It is because of you that we have once again been recognised as a top attraction in Kaikōura.
Let's not forget our team of dedicated and passionate kayak guides that have left our visitors with lifetime memories of Kaikōura, showcasing our beautiful town and abundance of marine life, in a truly professional kiwi way!
The team at Kaikōura Kayaks have an enthusiastic desire to share their paradise with you and make sure your experience goes well beyond that of a 'normal' tour.
Here's what some of our customers have to say:
AMAZING dolphin experience with Brad
Very organised, very friendly, very sincere, and AMAZING paddle amongst Dusky Dolphins - local knowledge of Brad, our amazing guide, got us to them and got us organize quickly so we had lots of time. Brad was caring about the welfare of the dolphins, so guided us appropriately
Amazing Time-Thank you
Had an amazing experience with Emma as my guide! I was the only one signed up so I got a private tour on a picture perfect day. We saw penguins, seals, and a lone dusky dolphin to cap off the journey, and Emma was full of fun facts and had amazing eyes and ears for wildlife. The trip met and exceeded all my expectations, and I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Kaikōura!
Kayak at sunset
One of the best kayak experiences in my life!! I was with a friend at sunset Time (we were only two with the guide)! We saw many dolphins (200 maybe) all around us and jumping, it was like a private show. I recommend it 100%! I will remember this day all my life. Thank you!!
Wonderful kayak experience! 10/10 recommend.
The staff were incredible. We went in early April, so a bit after the traditional season. However, the kayaking was very nice and had excellent instruction and fun on the water. We saw a few fur seals basking on the rocks and one in the water which was a treat. Our tour guides were the highlights, very funny and personable as well as informative and their positivity and light-heartedness really made the experience memorable. My sister and I had a great time. Their kayaks are very well taken care of and they provided everyone with waterproof equipment including pants, jackets, hats, neoprene booties, and pogies to keep our hands warm. Cheers!
We invite you to take a look at more of our reviews on Trip Advisor!
What our customers have to say
Wow wow wow! We'd done whale watching the day before but this beat that hands down. Miles was great, just enough instruction and safety chat and getting us involved in prep. He mentioned that he'd seen spouting and splashing over the other side of the bay so we decided to head that way. Within minutes we were seeing loads of leaping...
Lesley H, UK
We did the trip with a 6 and 8 year old. Parents in the back of each kayak, kids in the front. This worked really well. Saw a huge number of dolphins & Seals. They were playing & doing crazy tricks. Had a lovely time, the staff were really friendly, helpful & enthusiastic. Great value for money and would highly recommend this...
Steve, Nelson NZ
Marine mammal megamix Spent a truly incredible morning around the Kaikōura 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
I would have to say this is up there with one of my best experiences in New Zealand! The kayak tour was incredible and I would really recommend this to anyone. The staff are great, friendly and funny which made the tour even more enjoyable. My team included Emma, Cam and Sophie. As I was on my own, I had the pleasure of sharing a kayak with...
Giorgio Favarulo, UK / Ireland
Third time with Kaikōura Kayaks! Have been in guided tours and hired a double kayak; all experiences were incredible. Great staff and equipment. Kaikōura is one of the most amazing places to kayak - so much wild life and you're surrounded by epic scenery.
Kiana Saltarelli, North America
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 Kaikōura 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 NZ
The experience of a lifetime! Having intuitive and professional guides who allowed us the opportunity to experience an outstanding and very memorable day. They knew just where the incredible action was happening. We saw an amazing array of dolphins playing right near us and also saw blue penguins and seals. We travelled for two weeks around...
Paula Kirby, Wellinton NZ
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 Kaikōura!!
DKG, Australia
We had a truly wonderful experience; my husband and I went as a stop on our honeymoon trip. Our guide, Ru, was knowledgeable and skillful, and checked in with us often to provide the experience that would help us feel challenged, excited, and also safe and comfortable. From start to finish the team was so thorough and made sure we had all of...
Laura James, USA