Head out to the Auckland landmark of Rangitoto Island on this evening kayaking tour. After crossing the Waitemata Harbour to Rangitoto, embark on a leisurely walk to the summit to catch the sunset over Auckland and the Waitakere Ranges. You’ll then paddle back in the dark with the help of your guide, taking in the city lights along the way.

Experience the sunset from the best location in Auckland
This tour is ideal for adventurous travelers
All kayaking equipment is provided
New Zealand-style BBQ dinner is served

What's Included

Fully catered with BBQ dinner
Small friendly groups
Suitable for people with littler or no kayaking experience
Top quality sea kayak equipment
Experienced guides
Over 20 years of kayaking knowledge
Dinner
Coffee and/or Tea

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Auckland Sea Kayaks
384 Tamaki Drive, St Heliers, Auckland 1071, New Zealand
Meetup: St Heliers central boat ramp 384 Tamaki Drive, Auckland. We do offer a free city pick up from the Atrium Auckland Museum and this needs to be communicated to us at time of booking see https://www.aucklandseakayaks.co.nz/city-pick-up-location/

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Check your gear and help keep islands Hauraki Gulf pest-free.Protect our wildlife
Check - your gear for pests such as rodents and insects
Clean - footwear and gear, removing soil and seeds
Seal - ensure your gear is zipped up (no open bags)
Check your gear for pests
Before you leave the mainland, check and clean your gear.
Check that your gear is free of rats, mice, ants and skinks - especially camping gear which has ideal places for them to hide when stored.

Take extra care to clean gear if you have Argentine ants or plague skinks where you live.
Clean clothing, footwear and camping gear, removing soil and seeds before and after each trip.
Look out for cleaning stations at the pier and scrub your shoes before boarding.
Do not bring your pets.
Pack properly
Pack food in sealed containers to avoid attracting rodents.
No open bags or supermarket bags.
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Patrick_w

Our Coach Eric, could do anything, first learning kayaking skills on shore and then embarking on an hour-long sea glide, during which it was very challenging, raining from time to time, and feeling very excited at the moment of disembarkation. The island is an uninhabited island and the three-hour hike was very beautiful and the evening barbecue, where you could eat steak and salad, was very delicious. The most challenging part was the return to Auckland in the dark sea, which was a great experience and exceeded expectations! I highly recommend my friends to come and join us!

Reviews

5.0

51 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-6 of 51 reviews

What a wonderful day!

Patrick_w, Jun 2023

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hi Patrick, thanks for the great review. It sounds like you had a great time with Eric. Hope to see you again in the future.

Not Moderate Kayaking and Hiking.

Cindy_M, Mar 2023

We enjoyed our time, however, you need to be In shape. It is not moderate hiking and kayaking. It was power hiking and kayaking. No time to enjoy anything. One hour fast kayaking to get to the Island, eat in 15 minutes then power hike 2+ miles UP Hill to hurry and get to the top to see the Sunset. We stopped on the way up and saw a magnificent sunset. The one at the top was so-so. Then power hike back down with head torches because it was dark. Really dark. The best part was kayaking back in the dark. That was beautiful. It was extremely rushed.

Physical but fun!

Rebecca_S, Jan 2023

This is a physical activity. Roughly an hour of kayak to and from the island and the hike is moderate (30-40 minutes) to steep (15 minutes). This was fun and different to do and we had a very good guide who prepared us a great late lunch on Rangitoto before hiking. Really interesting and beautiful experience. Thank you, Nathan!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Kia Ora, Thanks for taking the time to review tour. Good to hear Nathan treated you well. We hope to see you again in the future.

Great views, good dinner, and a workout.

Scott_H, Dec 2022

Nathan was our guide and was great. This is about an hour of paddling to the island, 3.4 miles round trip of a hike when there, and an hour paddling back. The operator provides kayak skirts and waterproof jackets. I would recommend hiking shoes for the hike, avoid sandals. You can pack shoes in the dry bags they provide. They will provide vegetarian options if you let them know in advance

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi, thanks for leaving such a positive review of our Rangitoto Sunset Tour. It's always nice to hear positive comments about the trip. See you next time.

Adventure in Auckland

Drew_V, Dec 2022

Tom was a great tour guide! There was a bit of a headwind on the way over but upon arrival we were prepared a tasty bbq dinner. The hike to the top was reasonably easy and the views were stunning at sunset. We got a bit of some history of the island and the surrounding areas. You are supplied with everything you need for the trip but I would potentially bring your own headlamp or torch, some water, and a warm fleece for arrival at the island. Overall this was an excellent trip for an extremely reasonable price!

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Hi, thanks for leaving us a wonderful review. Great to hear you enjoyed your experience with us. Tom is one of our most experienced guides and you would have been in good hands with him. See you next time.

An incredible experience!

Caten_A, Dec 2022

Incredible! Even in the rain this was a spectacular experience! Definitely want to be in kayak shape to cross the channel! But 100% worth the trip! The guides were super friendly and knowledgeable. My husband and I loved every minute! Just a heads up even though they provide jackets— it’s best to pack warm! And bring a change of clothing if you don’t want to stay wet during the hike. Hope this helps!

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Hi Caten, Thanks for the 5 star review. Thanks for passing on some good advice also. See you next time.