Paddle the peninsula

01 · Find your tour

Six ways to paddle

• All grades
• Easy
• Moderate
• Hard

Showing 6 of 6 tours

• Easy

  Harbour Paddle

  2 hours · South Bay launch · Calm harbour, seal colony, town views

  A flat-water paddle around the South Bay marina and along the harbour wall. New Zealand fur seals haul out on the rocks at the end of the breakwater. No experience needed; children 8+ welcome with an adult.

  $89
• Easy

  Moonlight Paddle

  2 hours · Friday evenings · Bioluminescence, harbour lights

  Paddle out at dusk and come back under the stars. In summer the plankton lights up your blade. Head torches and glow sticks provided. Runs November to March, weather permitting.

  $99
• Moderate

  Peninsula Circuit

  4 hours · South Bay to Fyffe Quay · Coastal caves, reef birds, kelp forests

  The signature trip. Paddle the sheltered side of the Peninsula, duck into Cathedral Cave, watch shags and terns on the reef ledges, and land at Fyffe Quay for a stretch before the return leg. Some open-water crossings; comfortable paddlers only.

  $159
• Moderate

  Whale Watch Paddle

  5 hours · Open coast · Sperm whales, dolphins, albatross

  The deep water is a hundred metres from shore here. We paddle north along the coast, stop on a beach for lunch, and drift in the canyon zone where sperm whales dive. Binoculars and a waterproof camera bag provided. Sightings not guaranteed but frequent — 85% of trips in 2025.

  $189
• Moderate

  Winter Wildlife

  3 hours · June – August · Fur seal pups, winter light

  The pup season. Newborn fur seals play in the rock pools while their mothers fish. Shorter daylight means sharper colours. Wetsuits are 5mm in winter; hot chocolate at the end.

  $129
• Hard

  Full Day Explorer

  7 hours · South Bay to Ohau Point · Advanced, ocean swell, remote coast

  The big one. Open-coast paddling past Goose Bay to the Ohau Point seal colony — the largest on the South Island east coast. Beach landings, lunch on the rocks, and a vehicle shuttle back. Prior sea-kayak experience required; minimum fitness level assessed at booking.

  $249

• Easy — no experience needed
• Moderate — comfortable on water
• Hard — prior sea kayak experience

02 · What we provide

Everything you need is on the trailer

• Sit-on-top Kayaks

  Ocean Kayak Malibu Two tandems and Frenzy singles. Self-draining, stable, 150kg capacity each.

• PFDs

  Hutchwilco Mariner 150N life jackets. Fitted before launch. All sizes from child to XXL.

• Spray Skirts

  Neoprene spray skirts for sit-in kayaks on the Full Day Explorer. Not needed on sit-on-tops.

• Wetsuits

  3mm summer, 5mm winter. Full-length. We also carry wetsuit boots in sizes 5–14.

• Dry Bags

  20L dry bags for phones, wallets and car keys. One per paddler. Waterproof phone pouches $5 to buy.

• Paddles

  Werner Skagit fibreglass paddles. Adjustable feather angle. 210–240cm lengths.

03 · Safety briefing

Your safety is our job

1. Qualified guides

   Every guide holds NZOIA Sea Kayak Level 2, a current first-aid certificate and a VHF marine radio licence. Ratio is 1 guide to 6 paddlers; the Full Day Explorer runs 1:4.

2. Weather call

   We check MetService marine forecast, swell height and wind at 6am. If conditions exceed our limits (wind >20 knots, swell >1.5m) we postpone or offer a harbour alternative. You get a full refund if we cancel.

3. Communication

   Guides carry a VHF radio, a PLB (personal locator beacon) and a mobile phone in a waterproof case. We log departure and return times with Kaikoura Harbour.

4. Rescue gear

   Each guide kayak carries a tow line, a paddle float, a bilge pump and a throw bag. We practise wet exits and assisted rescues at the start of every moderate and hard trip.

5. Wildlife protocol

   We observe DOC marine mammal approach distances: 50m from seals on shore, 50m from dolphins, 200m from whales. Our guides brief this before launch and enforce it on the water.

04 · What paddlers say

From the logbook

• We saw three sperm whales on the Whale Watch Paddle. Tama knew exactly where to position us — we were so close we could hear them breathe. Best day of our trip.

• I had never been in a kayak. The harbour paddle was calm enough that I forgot to be nervous after ten minutes. The seals were right there, barking at us.

• The Full Day Explorer is a proper expedition. Seven hours on the water, real swell, a beach lunch, and the Ohau Point colony at the end. I have paddled in Alaska and this is comparable.

• Brought my 9-year-old son on the moonlight paddle. The bioluminescence was incredible — he is still talking about it. Safe, fun, and exactly the right length for a kid.

05 · Current conditions

Conditions board

• Swell

  0.8 m

  S at 10s period

• Wind

  12 kn

  NW, easing p.m.

• Water Temp

  14 °C

  3mm suit minimum

• Visibility

  Good

  15 km+

• Tide

  Low 11:42

  High 17:58

• Status

  GO

  All tours running

Last updated 15 Sep 2026, 6:00am · sourced from MetService marine forecast