Lake Mapourika Kayak Adventure: Explore Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary & Hike

Embark on a thrilling half-day kayak adventure on Lake Mapourika, near Franz Josef Glacier. Explore the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary, hike through the rainforest, and enjoy breathtaking views of New Zealand’s tallest peaks and glaciers. Free photos included!

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 30 Main Road - Dip your paddle into Lake Mapourika’s glassy waters and set foot upon the ancient soils in the Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary. This is your chance to get up close and personal with South Westland’s oldest untouched Jurassic age rainforest.
What's Included
  • Equipment
  • Beverages (tea/coffee)
  • Local guide
  • All taxes, fees and handling charges
  • National Park fees
  • Tea and coffee
  • Complimentary photos
What's Not Included
  • Meals (please pack your own small snack or lunch)
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional Information

Discover the wonders of Lake Mapourika on this comprehensive half-day Kayak & Walk trip, conveniently located mere minutes from Franz Josef Glacier! Traverse the serene, mirror-like lake and soak in the stunning vistas of New Zealand’s highest-mountains and glaciers. Accompany your guide on a journey through the rainforest trail and savour a hot coffee…

Location
30 Main Road
Main Road
Please check-in at our office 15 minutes prior to your trip departure time. We are located in the building next to The Landing Restaurant.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(99 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Ilovecrums
Mar 16, 2025
Perfect weather for a perfect experience - I booked for the 12.30pm tour but the operator contacted me the day before to ask if I would switch or do a different tour as I was the only one booked on that time. I said I was happy to do the 8.30 timeslot and was I glad I did. Perfect company, a great guide and lovely still morning with blue skies, not a cloud and mirror like lake surface. The kayak trip was well managed, felt perfectly safe and secure all the time. The rainforest walk was unbelievable. A never to be forgotten experience. As a pretty flexible, solo traveller, I'm finding it easy to book the my experiences at last minute. I'm not sure this would be the same for couples or groups.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daxn2020
Mar 11, 2025
An afternoon on the Lake - The environment was fantastic and the guide awesome. The coffee/tea/hot chocolate during the hike was a nice touch and a great place to chat.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Navigator31752339510
Mar 3, 2025
Pack your NZ trip with some knowledge! - Big shoutout to Sydney (not the city obviously haha)!! We fortunately had a wonderful guide who was so enthusiastic about the entire area and had answers to all our random questions. Learned so many things from paddling to ferns. Recommend you to do this tour in your early days of traveling NZ so that you can know what exactly you are looking at elsewhere in the rest of the trip 🙌
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richardk548
Mar 1, 2025
Serene Kayak and Nature - We did a morning tour with fog lifting over a glass-smooth lake. There were views of the snow-capped mountains. Once crossing the lake (2.5 km), there was a short hike through the rain forest. Our cheerful and pleasant guide (Sydney?) did a nice job explaining what we were seeing. The kayaks were in good shape and other equipment provided kept us warm and dry. For those who enjoy a pristine, quiet and still lake, and immersion in nature, and willing to put forth a bit of effort, this is a great tour. The hike was steep and slippery in places, and may be challenging for some seniors.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser81133
Feb 22, 2025
Wonderful kayak and hike experience - This tour company provides excellent service. Sydney and Oli made everyone feel safe and comfortable. Very knowledgeable about the eco system. A beautiful cup of tea mid morning. Thank you for a great adventure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jrmd15
Feb 22, 2025
Awesome experience - Awesome experience 👏 highly recommend 👌 first time on a Kayaktrip, so pleased i did it, rainforest walk was beautiful 😍 and the. Cuppa tasted great
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dorisz344
Feb 18, 2025
Beautiful scenery - We had a wonderful experience with Sydney! She was very knowledgeable and fun. The scenery is spectacular and the walk into the woods and seeing a kiwi home was very interesting. We would highly recommend this wilderness outfit !!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H5011gwheatherp
Feb 18, 2025
Fantastic afternoon out on the lake and on the island.The provision of tea or coffee was a surprising addition. - Great experience- very interesting trip.We learnt a lot about the area and the environmental work being undertaken.Guides were amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kalisone
Dec 19, 2024
Great kayak experience with Max - We went on a 4 hour guided kayak tour with Max. Max was a great guide, very knowledgable and personable. Would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Heather_r
Nov 23, 2024
Disappointed - This event was continued despite 14 inches of rain in 24 hours. This was a deluge. Roads were flooded, closed, with rick slides. There was lightening and thunder present. I called to say that I did not feel it was safe to continue the lake walk and kayak. Administration stated that since I cancelled, and not them, that there was no refund. DO NOT GO WITH THIS COMPANY.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
March 2025
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today