Maori Rock Carvings Half-Day Kayak Tour in Lake Taupo: An Enthralling Exploration

Embark on a half-day kayak tour in Lake Taupo to explore the Maori Rock Carvings. Paddle through native bush, past steep cliffs, and mini inlets. Learn about the carvings’ cultural significance and enjoy gourmet refreshments. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Departure times vary by season.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Taupo Kayaking Adventures - Half Day Maori Rock Carving: Kayaking, swimming or rock jumping (optional)
    Explore Lake Taupo as you kayak to the Maori Rock Carvings at Mine Bay. You will start your half day tour from the sheltered waters of Acacia Bay before paddling out on the lake below native bush, past steep cliffs and mini inlets that can only…
What's Included
  • Experienced guide
  • Optional transport to start point
  • Safety gear provided
  • High-quality kayaking equipment
  • Complimentary refreshment
  • Instructional commentary
  • Available tea and coffee
  • Refer to gear list online
Additional Information

Explore Lake Taupo as you kayak to the Maori Rock Carvings at Mine Bay. You will start your half day tour from the sheltered waters of Acacia Bay before paddling out on the lake below native bush, past steep cliffs and mini inlets that can only harbor a kayak.
The experienced guide will explain the carving’s cultural significance to the lake and…

Location
Taupo Kayaking Adventures
Acacia Bay Road
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(101 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Passenger47193698230
Feb 12, 2025
Unreal scenic kayak - Unbelievable views at lake taupo! We rocked up and it was beaming hot sunshine no clouds in the sky and we knew it was going to be warm out on the lake for 4 hours! So wear loads of sun cream Bring a hat and lots of water which you can keep on the boat. I had the lovely experience being in the boat with our tour guide today Keisha who was lovely! She was polite, knowledgeable and an incredibly good kayaker which was great for my arms! Keisha did an amazing job with a larger tour group than usual for one person she was telling me and it was the first time with such a large group on her own. She smashed it everyone knew where we were going and loved the knowledge she had to share. She was very helpful to all the kayakers who needed an assistance! The views and the feeling you have kayaking this lake our breath taking it really is a must do. Beware, it is a work out as you will be on the lake doing a 10k kayak in the hot sun but it’s worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anna_g
Jan 17, 2025
We had a great day out on... - We had a great day out on the lake! Our guide, Kara, was phenomenal and provided a lot of information and history! Definitely add this to your list of things to do in Taupo!
Review provided by Viator
Frank_h
Jan 17, 2025
Kayaking Taupō Outstanding - Trip was outstanding met all expectations. Our guides all were interesting, knowledgeable, Courteous, and just plain great to be with. Special thanks to Casicia.
Review provided by Viator
Colin_s
Jan 4, 2025
Excellent experience. The... - Excellent experience. The guides are great, the kayaks are high quality, the scenery is excellent, and the distance / time is just enough to make it a slight workout without being too challenging.
Review provided by Viator
Joe_s
Dec 21, 2024
Building family memories ❤️ - Experiencing the wind, water, and wildlife up close made the trip much more intimate. Great guides and good equipment
Review provided by Viator
Paul_m
Dec 14, 2024
Not for the faint of heart buyt worth it! - Honestly, it is not for the faint of heart. The trip is 4 plus hours of kayaking, and it was worth every second, please ask for help on how to paddle, their advice is priceless. The water in the lake is clear and most time we could see the bottom. The shoreline is amazing and when we got to the Māori carving it was awesome. They were super helpful and gave lots of lore about the place. Just being out on the lake for half a day was breathtaking. You will get wet, but easily dry and the muffins and hot chocolate were perfect.
Review provided by Viator
Rachel_w
Nov 9, 2024
Fun kayaking experience - Our tour guides were personable and helped us have a great experience. They made sure everyone had a good time and could keep up. They shared interesting stories about the land, Maori and water. Thanks for a great kayaking experience! The muffin and tea on the water were also yummy!
Review provided by Viator
Steve_l
Jan 29, 2025
Hard Kayak tour - The guides was very knowledgeable and the snacks and drinks were lovely - however it is an extremely hard tour. It was not the tour we thought it was going to be and in that respect we were disappointed. It should be explained how strenuous the tour is before booking.
Review provided by Viator
Oliverk90
Jan 5, 2025
Mixed Experience on Lake Taupo: Stunning Scenery, Impressive Māori Carvings, but Room for Improvement - This tour was a mixed experience, to be honest. The scenery on Lake Taupo is undoubtedly stunning, and the goal of the trip—the Māori carvings—was quite impressive. However, the way the tour was run leaves room for improvement. The 10 km of paddling overall can be quite challenging for some people, and more frequent stops might help address this. The guides didn’t seem very experienced in managing a larger group of roughly seven double kayaks with varying speeds. The breaks were only long enough for the slowest boat to catch up, and then the group moved on again. The background information about the lake and the carvings appeared to be read from an instruction manual, and beyond that, the guides didn’t seem to possess much additional knowledge—a fact some of them openly admitted. One thing that must never happen in tourism is having a moody guide. Having worked as a guide and instructor myself in the past, I’ve learned that paying guests always deserve your best attitude and demeanor, regardless of whether you’re having a bad day. During the safety briefing, the guides openly tried to pass off this seemingly “boring” task onto each other while the guests were fully listening. During the tour, at least one guide failed to hide his overall grumpy mood. Sorry, but that’s a no-go. From a logistical standpoint, it would be helpful to offer some changing rooms so that guests don’t have to change into dry clothes on the street next to their cars after the trip. Overall, would we do it again? For the trip itself, yes—but perhaps with a different company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yvonne_t
Dec 18, 2024
not suitable for recreational paddlers - It was a windy day - with whitecaps on the water. And although it was impossible to assess the abilities of each individual, the tour was scheduled. We had to turn back - the waves were too high, the wind too strong We're not professional paddlers, we're recreational canoeists and the weather was too much for us - and the organiser should have done a better job of assessing this.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
February 2025
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today