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Lake Mapourika Kayak Adventure: Explore Okarito Kiwi Sanctuary & Hike
4.9
122 Ratings
Franz Josef / Waiau
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!
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.
- 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
- 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
- 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…
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 or tea while admiring the scenery. Additionally, you’ll get FREE photos (sent via email post-trip).
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Minimum child age is 4 years
- Wear loose comfortable clothing, jeans are not recommended. We do our best to keep you dry.
- Comfortable walking shoes
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.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(122 Ratings)
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Tracey_h
Mar 4, 2026
Great tour company. Well... - Great tour company. Well organized, friendly and very competent service. Our guide Farrah was very informative and enthusiastic adding to the enjoyment of the afternoon! Beautiful lake and vibrant rainforest.
Review provided by Viator
Hal
Feb 20, 2026
a morning paddle not to be missed, rain or shine! - terrific guide Pickles from Nova Scotia had alot of energy, knowledge, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, and anzacs. despite rain no one got wet due to good coaching and Pickles hauling us up onto the beaches. scenery and wildlife were mesmerizing. an unforgettable morning.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Discover183889
Feb 9, 2026
Serene kayak paddle and slightly strenuous wilderness hike - Wonderful serene kayak paddle and wilderness trek through protected Jurassic forest. Our guide, Farah, kept us on course, and provided information about the area. Highly recommend this outing!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephen
Feb 5, 2026
Awesome kayak and hike morning! - Our guide Kate took great care of us. Set us up with all the equipment and made sure the morning was safe. Lake was still as glass and kayaks were easy to maneuver. She led us on a great hike through the rainforest and knew all about the flora, fauna and conservation efforts. Morning tea time break was in a gorgeous spot. Thanks for a perfect morning!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rudgoo
Feb 3, 2026
Great Kayaking Adventure on the Lake! - Marcel did a great job guiding our small group of assorted ages around the lake and showing us lots of interesting plants and trees throughout our walk. He was a wealth of info!
It was raining during our tour but they provided us with rain gear, which really kept us pretty dry, considering the rain. The rain didn't stop our hearty group and we all laughed and enjoyed our visit to the lake and the surroundings!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fearless64692069767
Jan 24, 2026
Unforgettable Kayak & Rainforest Adventure - What a fantastic excursion. The 4-hour Lake Mapourika Kayak and Hike Adventure was easily one of the highlights of our time in New Zealand. We went out in light rain, but it didn’t detract from the experience at all. The guides provided waterproof gear where needed, and you’re fully sealed into the kayak, so your legs and feet stay completely dry.
Kayaking across Lake Mapourika was magical, and we learned a lot about the local geography, history, and wildlife along the way. The adventure hike takes you through true rainforest and was just as informative and engaging. At the end of the hike there’s a lookout point where you can relax with a hot drink and a snack, which was a lovely touch.
I would 100% recommend this tour to anyone visiting Franz Josef. It was one of our favourite activities over the course of a month travelling around New Zealand.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meander06687025534
Jan 23, 2026
Kayak and Hike Adventure - We had such a lovely day with you, we went Kayaking with our group of 10, Kate and Rowi were our guides and were amazing, very accomodating, informative and fun! The hike adventure we went on was beautiful and we hope we can do it all again one day when we are back in New Zealand!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D7905ibgregw
Jan 11, 2026
Great, Funny and Informative Kayak and Hike trip on gorgeous lake and island. - In January 2026 we visited the West Coast and Joseph Franz to hike a Glacier from the Bay Area California. Our helicopter trip was canceled due to low hanging clouds. We took a chance and went for a hike and kayak with Pickles and Ollie, our amazing guides, and the experience far exceeded our expectations and was super fun. Being at Fran Joseph, we were guaranteed a beautiful lake with gorgeous views. But what made this trip extra special was our guides were great instructors provided awesome tips on how to kayak were funny and really great tour guides. When we went for a hike, we learned a ton about the south island, its birds and predators and the nature of the island. When we were kayaking, we learned how to become more efficient and had great conversations with the guides went kayaking. Amazing photos of the group and our family were incuded gratis. That evening we ran into our guides shooting pool and had a fun time playing pool meeting the locals and sharing a beverage.
Do this tour!!
Cheers,
Greg
Review provided by Tripadvisor
S1570zkalicef
Jan 11, 2026
Very enjoyable kayak and nature hike. - Great fun kayaking across the beautiful lake and an enjoyable short hike with lots of interesting info about the dense forest and a hot drink on the island also provided. Good gear, good instruction from guides Olly and Dylan (aka Pickles!); both great fun as well as very knowledgeable of the local flora and fauna. Really recommend this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
David_f
Jan 25, 2026
A fun and informative adventure in a remarkable place. - Our guides (Farrah, Briar and “Pickles” were friendly, engaging and very knowledgeable about local flora and fauna. The paddle trip was fun; the hike was incredibly interesting and informative.
Overall, the entire adventure was very well organized and executed. And you don’t need to be an experienced kayaker or hiker to enjoy it. But you need to have good mobility to handle the rudimentary trail used for the hike.
Review provided by Viator
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