Okura River Kayak Hire
Our kayak hire starts just 20 minutes north of downtown Auckland in the Long Bay – Okura Marine Reserve.
The Okura River Kayak Hire is ideal for families, a group of friends or work mates.
The Long Bay – Okura Marine Reserve is bordered by protected native bush, council reserves, historic buildings, pa sites and is filled with natural wonders.
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What to Expect?
You’ll explore the Okura Estuary and see some of NZ’s rarest seabirds. You are likely to see fish flying through the air and stingray as they cruise under your kayak.
As the estuary is tidal, we organise the hire so you’re travelling with the tide on calm, flat water – no rapids to contend with.
The estuary is teeming with wildlife. Along the way, look out for eel, heron, and kingfisher amongst the mangroves.
Then as the estuary widens, wonder at the stands of native bush and you’ll see tui, kingfisher, heron, pied stilts, oyster catchers, NZ dotterel, and bar-tailed godwits.
Canoe & Kayak are vocal supporters of this amazing region, and your attendance with us helps support community projects.
Details
Self-guided and Guided Kayak Tours are run to suit tides.
No previous experience is necessary, but a reasonable level of mobility and fitness is required. We will give you a comprehensive briefing on the kayaks, the area, and where you are going.
For inexperienced or rusty paddlers, we offer basic instruction.
This kayak hire is suitable for children 11 years and over, although younger children over 5 are welcome if the conditions are suitable (each child must be accompanied by an adult).
We meet at the Okura Community Centre and transport you to the launch site. On completion, we transport you back to your vehicles.
What's included:
- All kayaking and safety equipment
- Stable sea kayaks or sit-on-tops are used
- A comprehensive briefing from our experienced, qualified kayak guides
Please Note
- Our standard kayaks in our fleet will take most paddlers pretty well! However, if you weigh over 120 kg please let us know so we can make sure that we can best accommodate you with a comfortable time while on tour with us!
- A reasonable level of fitness is required i.e. happy to walk nonstop for 30 minutes and able to sit on the ground and get back up unaided. If you have any doubts about being fit enough, please call one of the Canoe & Kayak team for a chat and they will let you know if the tour is for you.
Tour Options & Pricing
We offer two ways to explore the Okura Estuary:
Unguided Kayak Tour – $59 per person ($50 Children Ages 5-14)
Includes kayak hire, all safety gear, and shuttle service to and from the launch site. Paddle at your own pace following our briefing and recommended route.
Guided Kayak Tour – $74 per person ($50 Children Ages 5-14)
Includes everything in the unguided tour plus a friendly, knowledgeable guide who will show you secret spots, share local history, and help you spot hidden wildlife.
Group Discounts
We offer special rates for group bookings. Contact us for details.
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Tour Plan
What’s Included?
- All kayaking and safety equipment
- Stable sea kayaks or sit-on-tops are used
- All tuition from our experienced qualified kayak guides
- A guaranteed great time!
What to bring:
- Swimming togs and Towel
- Warm extra layers; avoid wearing cotton/denim jeans
- A lightweight windbreaker/raincoat is recommended
- Well-fitting wet shoes (old sand shoes) for kayaking, and walking shoes
- Water bottle
- Personal medication, waterproof camera, and polaroid sunglasses
- Spare warm clothes to change into when finished.
- For Spring & Autumn Tours (Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr), make sure to have extra warm layers and a beanie.
Tour Location
The tour is based just 20 minutes north of Auckland in the Long Bay Okura Marine Reserve, which is boarded by the Long Bay Regional Park, the Okura Bush Scenic Reserve, Karepiro Esplanade Reserve, Dacre Cottage Historic Reserve.
Meeting location:
We meet at the Okura Community Centre and transport you to the launch site. On completion, we transport you back to your vehicles.
Magnificent night out
I had a magnificent night out on the water. It was 100% worth the time and money. It was my first time to see bioluminescence in person, and what a treat it was.
Willem H
This is such a worthwhile experience. The guides were wonderful and spent time explaining things to us, giving helpful tips and pointing out things. They didn’t hurry us along which was great. Thoroughly recommend.
Anne
This is a magical experience, and one not to be missed. The guides took the time to explain everything to us, and made us feel very safe. We were fortunate to get to see some bio under an incredibly beautiful, starry sky with a brilliant full moon. Loved it!
Ljv
This adventure was amazing. Our guides were amazing! We had the pleasures of experiencing two different types of bio plankton, one of which most of our guides hadn’t been able to experience themselves. The vibe was great for our group of 12 too. You will get wet, it’s not a bad thing, just you’re on the ocean with waves (and you have to get the kayak into the shallows of the beach), so plan accordingly for clothing and/or bring a change of clothes! Our guides made sure everyone was comfortable and able to be successful when kayaking too, even for beginners but it is a work out, so be prepared to work a little to get out of the bay (small waves/wind). 10000% this was amazing, we would do it again in an instant. Double perk for our adventure was star gazing, seeing all the starts over the ocean was fantastic too.