Lake Mapourika Kayak Adventure: Explore Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary & Hike

92 Ratings

Franz Josef / Waiau

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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

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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

(92 Ratings)

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1 star

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

John3kd

Nov 18, 2024

A “must do” in Franz Josef - The Canoe trip and Nature walk were a fantastic fun afternoon led by 2 wonderfully informative and enthusiastic guides. We all said as a group that we had a great time. Penny and Pickles were great guides and in particular we must thank Penny for letting us know the right way to make a tasty cup of tea. Her background knowledge on the subject was surprising

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Danni_l

Oct 23, 2024

Would definitely recommend - Absolutely loved this experience! Was a bit nervous as we hadn’t kayaked before but the guides explained everything really well and let you take it at your own pace. The walk was lovely and we learned so much about the area and what they do there. Our guides Kurt and Pickles were so friendly and helpful, really knew their stuff about the area. Would definitely recommend.

Review provided by Viator

Norton0924

Sep 18, 2024

Kayak and Walk - Even in wet weather, which is to be expected, the scenery was great and included wonderful reflections. It was so peaceful and full of bird noises. The bush walk into a remote area was magical and a hot drink at halfway was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. The guides were helpful, informative and friendly.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Courtney_c

May 3, 2024

Peaceful, relaxed day on the lake - Sydney was a great guide, taking photos and giving nice information about the land and its formation. Was a calm day on the lake so very peaceful journey, I love kayaking so could have gone for much longer! (not a rigourous kayak at all so if looking for something more physical, would not expect this to be it). The little walk was nice to see the friendly birds and learn about the various conservation efforts in place to help the native birds and help solve the problems of the invaise species.

Review provided by Viator

Bdcrane

Apr 18, 2024

Beautiful lake paddle and forest walk with the birds. - Even with the mountains hidden by clouds, the lake is really beautiful and the forest walk was fascinating. Our guide was very knowledgeable, and we were fortunate to see several different kinds of birds close up.

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Tai_hkg

Mar 30, 2024

Relaxing lake kayaking and hiking experience - We were a small group of 3. The kayak and other equipment were well maintained. The lake was beautiful and the hike was nice - our guide Laura is very knowledgeable and could explain everything 😁 Bonus: we saw three Keas!

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Anonymous

Mar 29, 2024

Easy, relaxing and beautiful - The kayaks were stable and easy to use. Our guide, Sydney, was friendly, informative and efficient with setup. The hike was really nice, and I really appreciated the hot coffee during our rest. The eels were really cool too!

Review provided by Viator

Jamescx4573lc

Mar 26, 2024

Active and interesting afternoon - Our guide, Laura, was very friendly and helpful in getting us set up with our kayaks and sharing interesting facts about the area and nature reserve / sanctuary. We were a small group and the weather was a bit choppy at first, but thoroughly enjoyable with all the equipment provided. Would highly 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

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up to 15 guests

1 Adult