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Wildlife Sea Kayaking Tour - Kaikoura
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Reviewed 15 January 2020 via mobile

Two friends of mine and I rented three solo kayaks for the afternoon and we had a great time. Matt was really kind, helpful and easy going and set us up to start pedalling and look for seals! Would definitely recommend this to anyone as I think it's hard to find a different place which offers more value for your money.

Date of experience: January 2020
Thank 204jelleh
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KaikouraKayaks, Front Office Manager at Kaikoura Kayaks, responded to this reviewResponded 16 January 2020

Thank you, it certainly is value for your money!

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Reviewed 14 January 2020 via mobile

Great experience with incredibly helpful guides, and top equipment - we were total beginners but our guide (Tye) was great, explaining the strokes and keeping an eye on everything. Very fun too, so would definitely recommend! Thanks

Date of experience: January 2020
1  Thank F6970OAgregg
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KaikouraKayaks, Front Office Manager at Kaikoura Kayaks, responded to this reviewResponded 16 January 2020

Thank you for your lovely review:)

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Reviewed 13 January 2020 via mobile

Our tour on the 12th January was cancelled at the last minute. I completely understand that tours can be cancelled due to the weather but the team handled it unbelievably badly which left us feeling both disappointing and offended (after the way they were talking to us).

We arrived for the 4.30pm tour and were told once we’d arrived at the bay that should the wind pick up then we’d relocate over to the northern bay. We then proceeded spend over an hour and a half getting ready before moving our kayaks into the water at 6pm. Before we got in we were called to discuss who wanted to continue, with the lead instructor saying that due to weather we would only be able to go over to the rocks & raft up with limited kayaking (not moving to the other bay as originally promised) - we were advised that should the tour be cancelled and brought back early you would not receive any money back (70% back if you did not see a seal). At this point we chose not to continue (4 guests of 24 continued on) we were then rudely ordered to move all the kayaks back to the vehicles - given we’d moved them into the water literally 4 minutes prior it probably would’ve been better he called the meeting beforehand to avoid this. The poor group who decided to go out were brought back onto land after less than 2-3 minutes with the instructor saying they’d only receive 70% back as they went on the water - ridiculous given they barely sat in the boat that they would have to pay for that. We noticed lots of other kayakers were out without difficulty - attached photo of the calm waters.

We followed up about booking into another tour in the morning but was advised given we booked via bookme we would have to pay additional charges to move - given we’d just wasted 2 hours of our life rearranging their kayaks I would’ve hoped they’d wave this. We chose not to continue with this company.

We had originally chose to pay a premium vs. the other company in Kaikoura due to the 5* reviews on tripadvisor however I believe customers should use seal kayaks who are cheaper, use pedal kayaks and have better customer service.

As an FYI, the area Kaikoura kayaks were going to cover was just next to the coastal path where the seals hang out - I would just walk the path to South Bay rather than spend the money as you get both a better view and it’s free :)

Date of experience: January 2020
Thank sophied618
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KaikouraKayaks, Owner at Kaikoura Kayaks, responded to this reviewResponded 15 January 2020

Hi Sophie, sorry to hear you were disappointed and offended by the team at Kaikoura Kayaks.

We have met with all staff this morning to discuss your feedback and find it very unusual that you felt this way as out of the 24 clients that were booked on, the only complaint was the one from yourself.

It is totally understandable that you were disappointed that you were unable to go kayaking due to the strong winds picking up unexpectedly. We made everyone aware of this and you chose not to kayak for obvious reasons.
Our customer service has always been outstanding in the past and we pride ourselves on being straight up and honest with travellers about the sea conditions and what they might expect on any given tour.

For over a year Kaikoura Kayaks has been voted number one activity in Kaikoura and we believe this is testament to delivering outstanding customer service as reviewed by the traveller.
Below is an example from the same windy tour which you decided not to take part in (with good reason)
“Good evening.
We were on yesterday’s sunset cruise. The tour was originally scheduled to have 24 guests but because of the weather, most cancelled the trip and we went out with 4 people (including us) and 1 guide. I believe the guides name was Cohen but not positive.
In any event we had a wonderful trip and got to see a seal killing/eating a fish in the middle of the water. And the weather wasn’t as bad as we expected. It was one of the highlights of the trip so far.
I believe our guide (Cohen) took a couple of pictures and said he would send them to us.

Thanks, Peter Schwartz”

Sent from my iPhone On Jan 12, 2020, at 8:37 PM.

Sophie everyone I personally refunded in full or transferred (Including “The poor group who decided to go out were brought back onto land after less than 2-3 minutes”) after they chose not to go kayaking in the strong winds were very happy and made comments like “Good Safety Call” or “Thanks for being honest”.

Unfortunately, I never got to meet you or discuss your concerns as you chose to walk home from the kayaking departure site over the Peninsula and not return to base.

Upon your hike over the Peninsula you reached Whalers Bay and took an image of “Calm Waters” which was an area completely sheltered from the gusty North West winds. Unfortunately to kayak to Whalers Bay you would have had to paddle through the strong gusty winds of South Bay which you were not prepared to do. The image you posted was not the departure point of the tour which is a bit misleading.

None of us recall you visiting our office the next morning to ask about booking another tour and we never heard anything from you till we received your feedback and the refund request from Book Me.

Tylar expressed you asked him at South Bay Reserve after you had decided not to go if it was an option to kayak the next morning. Following this, you informed him that you had booked the tour through Book Me at a discounted rate (not at a premium). Tylar advised you that you may have to pay the difference which is standard practise as there were no deals on Book Me for the following morning however that is something the manager would need to decide.

Sophie we are sorry you took our safety calls and abruptness the wrong way and that we never got to discuss your concerns in person.
We felt everyone concerned had been informed clearly of our procedures around windy kayak tours and had the opportunity to either receive a full refund, transfer to another departure time or paddle on the windy kayak tour with the below Special Conditions in mind.

Special Conditions
“Kaikoura Kayaks reserves the right to cancel trips due to weather and sea conditions. Where Kaikoura Kayaks cancels a trip prior to departure, a full refund is available. Where a trip has commenced and is subsequently cancelled, participants shall receive a 70% refund.”

Sophie your comment about using another operator because they are cheaper is a little perplexing.
While the other operator has great customer service they also run a shorter tour and use Sit On Top Pedal Kayaks which are open to the elements and expose you to getting very wet compared to our Sea Kayaks with dry enclosed cockpits which use spray skirts and rudders for steering.

Our ½ day Seal Kayaking tours have been voted “best value for money” by numerous traveller reviews on Trip Advisor, Google Reviews etc.

All kayaking tours in Kaikoura operate around the Kaikoura Peninsula which encompasses the Peninsula walkway, one of the best ½ day walks in New Zealand!

Sophie again we are sorry you may have misinterpreted some of the information portrayed to you concerning the windy kayak tour on Sunday evening and we wish you all the very best for the rest of your travels while in New Zealand.

Yours Sincerely,

Matt Foy and the team at Kaikoura Kayaks.

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Reviewed 11 January 2020

Went on the evening trip on Jan 11th. Shay and Cowan were amazing guides and made us feel so safe and welcome. We saw hundreds of seals so close up it was lovely. The whole trip was amazing and something that I would fully recommend doing. Thanks for a great trip guys!

Date of experience: January 2020
Thank JshuaHlsey
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KaikouraKayaks, Front Office Manager at Kaikoura Kayaks, responded to this reviewResponded 16 January 2020

Thanks heaps! We agree that we have an awesome team of qualified & passionate guides. Thanks for the recommendation.

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Reviewed 10 January 2020

What an awesome day with a great team. Along with fur seals we were very lucky to be able to kayak close to some little blue penguins as well as a pod of dolphins. The guides were great and we had an amazing time. Highly Recommend :)

Date of experience: December 2019
Thank tanglesnz
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KaikouraKayaks, Front Office Manager at Kaikoura Kayaks, responded to this reviewResponded 16 January 2020

Wow a tour full of gorgeous marine life! Thanks for visiting Kaikoura Kayaks:)

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