Auckland Volcano - Motukorea / Browns Island Sea Kayak Tour

I booked a private twilight kayaking tour to Motukorea to enjoy with friends on my birthday, and it was phenomenal all around. First, the upfront communication from Auckland Sea Kayaks was fantastic and informative. They also worked to accommodate our group's dietary needs, which was appreciated. Second, our tour guide, Dan, was so knowledgeable and fun! We were all well-equipped and briefed for the adventure ahead. Dan kept us on schedule without feeling rushed, and we managed to see the start of sunset from the peak on the island and then experience the full show from the water in our kayaks. I would absolutely book another adventure with Auckland Sea Kayaks in the future!

We were the only two people on this kayak journey to Brown’s Island. We had a beautiful sunny day for the experience. Our guide, Kaitlyn, was experienced and passionate about kayaking. After paddling about an hour, we arrived at the island and snacked on brownies and coffee. Water was not provided (although I believe it was said to be included in the trip summary) - bring your own! After our snack we hiked to the top of the volcano and around it - we saw some great views, and Kaitlyn identified points of interest. Right after the hike we kayaked back to the put in. Kaitlyn drove us back to the museum, where she had picked us up - she kindly offered to drop us off at a different spot. (We elected to stay at the museum, however - we enjoyed many wonderful exhibits there.) My only suggestion would be for the company to state the pick-up point in the email sent the day before the trip.

This trip was the culmination of a two year project to visit all the Auckland volcanos and I think I saved the best for last. Ruby, our guide, was delightful and ensured our safety at all times. As a novice sea kayaker I found this very reassuring. The kayaking experience was as enjoyable as the time on the island itself.

I highly recommend you try kayaking with this company. They provided excellent gear and the trip to browns island was absolutely amazing. It was the perfect amount of paddling without being completely exhausting. The hike can be steep but it’s a very short hike and it’s worth it because of the view at the summit,

Everything was perfect. My sister and I had an amazing experience from the kayaking, snack, and hike around browns island.

Equipment was in good shape, our guide Ellie was knowledgeable and fun, the views were fantastic, and the snacks were yummy. It was an hour long kayak trip each way, and a good walk up to the top of the island. Great trip for a fit family!

We had an amazing time. The views were stunning, excellent kayaking experience. They supplied everything and it was wonderful that they can pick you up. Very friendly staff.

Our tour guide is Elle. A french girl. She is a very nice person. We feel nervous at the beginning as this is our first time doing kayaking. She provided extensive information about safety before we start which is helpful. We recommend this to anyone want to challenge yourself. Unforgettable experience.

I went on the Motukorea Island kayak tour with Ben. It was awesome. Scenery was spectacular. I would highly recommend this experience.

My husband, sister, and I needed a half day activity to do before embarking on our ship in the evening. We are so glad that we chose this company and activity! Ben was great and very knowledgeable about the Islands and the wonderful history. He was very kind, patient, and answered all of our questions! This activity is not for the weak, the hike up to the summit is very steep and is pretty strenuous. But the views are breathtaking!

It was an amazing experience! Good weather, nice people and Ben was an experienced and funny guide, what made it even more special. Recommend this adventure!

Wow, where do I even begin? This was such a magical experience in a truly stunning country. A huge thank you to Ben for making this so unique and memorable. I’m beyond grateful I chose your agency—this was truly the most fulfilling experience I could have imagined. Everything was impeccably organised and perfectly executed, and Ben was an absolute treasure as a guide. I’ll definitely be booking again on my next visit to Auckland. Thank you for your incredible hospitality!

We had an awesome time with Ben paddling out to Motukorea and climbing the island. The views from the top were beautiful, and it was a rlly fun experience!

Had a absolutely fantastic time! Ben was an amazing tour guide who definitely made an already beautiful experience even better :^)

This was a fabulous trip. Our guide Nic was super friendly and made the trip great fun. Delicious tea, coffee and muesli slice on beach. Thanks Nic for a great morning

This was such a memorable experience, easily my most enjoyable guided kayak. The views of the city and the surrounding nature were incredible, the kayaks themselves were so comfortable and easy to manoeuvre, but I think the stand out was our guides Ben and Tony. These two went out of their way to make sure everything went smoothly, providing excellent guidance and such great energy and sense of fun. Highly recommend, definitely my Auckland highlight!

Wonderful trip, helped by perfect weather Bennet, ourguide , could not have been more helpful .Kayaks were comfortable for 2, stable and easy to launch and beach. Browns Is has a good hill climb to get to the Trig station but all achievable for our group of septagenerians

Fun, relaxing and informative trip. Not too strenuous and a good length. The guide was friendly and knowledgeable. I was in safe hands

Awesome experience with an excellent guide. We had a small group and thoroughly enjoyed. Great exercise too.

We took the ~4 hour kayak tour to Motukorea/ Brown Island. Chloe took good care of us and made sure we stayed safe on the water. Though we had kayaked once before, this was our first time sea kayaking. It was more work than we thought it might be since we’re a bit older. That said, it was worth the experience and the sense of accomplishment to kayak to Motukorea/ Brown Island. Since only kayaks can land on the island, we were the only ones on the entire island! We had a nice hike (not too long and not too short) to the top of the island where we had 360 degree views of the bay. Chloe had brought tea and coffee including milk and sugar, and also had a rich chocolate dessert as a snack. We had originally thought of doing the Rangitoto island kayak trip, but were thankful we did the Motukorea/ Brown Island trip since it was a shorter trip and wonderful to have an island to ourselves! A few tips: If you wear water shoes in the kayak, bring some comfortable shoes for the hike. If grass on your skin is irritating, wear long quick dry pants. I had some on and was glad to have the protection since you hike through a grassy stretch on the island. Use the toilets on the mainland before starting your tour as there are no toilets once you get in your canoe. There is a place to rinse off your feet after the tour up by the bathrooms, and on the street side of the bathroom building there is a drinking fountain where you can fill up your water bottle after the trip. We were so thankful to have experienced the harbour from the kayak.

Very professional set up. It’s the second kayak I’ve done with this group and I have been really pleased with how organized it is and their focus on health and safety. Daniel our guide was a very outgoing knowledgeable and professional guide

This is a fabulous tour. Our tour guide. Unfortunately, we didn’t get his name, but he was a young guy and he really took care of us. They were for kayakers plus the guide on the trip. The water was beautiful and it wasn’t too strenuous to paddle out to the island. The island was super cool, and you could see a long ways off. The guide took care of everything and he gave some history of the island. Would highly recommend this to her and I would definitely take it again. I told my family all about it and I’m so glad we went.

Had the most amazing adventure with Auckland Sea Kayaks today; on their day tour of Motukorea Island!! Could not recommend them highly enough!! Even though the trip departs from Helier’s Bay, they offer free pick up from Auckland Museum which is super convenient for anyone staying in the city centre!! Daniel our tour guide really made this trip, he was friendly, welcoming, kept safety at the forefront at all times and just exuded passion for the outdoors and the sea! His knowledge and experience really shone through! Once we made it to the island, which felt like a private tour it was so secluded, we hiked to the summit!! And before we disembarked, Daniel even had brownies and tea for us to fuel our return journey!! The weather today was meant to be choppy and windy, but even a bit of drizzle didn’t dampen our spirits! Thank you Auckland Sea Kayaks and Daniel for making this such a memorable day on my NZ trip!!

A group of us paddled 5 double kayaks from St. Heliers beach to Brown's Island, where we hiked to its peak for fantastic views and had a scrumptious dinner, after which we paddled back -- in the dark!! It was an amazing adventure from start to finish, particularly the paddle back after dark under beautiful stars and with great views of city lights and the harbour bridge. This outing rates 11 stars out of 10.

Our group of 8 did a kayak excursion to Brown's Island. It was originally booked for Rangitoto but modified for safety reasons after the cyclone. The excursion included some free time on the beach, a hike and a delicious bbq lunch. Our guide Rosie was excellent and totally in her element!!! Her knowledge and great sense of humor made this the highlight of our visit to Auckland!

Really fun day - well half day ;) I can highly recommend! It’s fun being a tourist in your city and seeing the city from a different perspective. It’s a good little kayak - not too challenging and then a nice walk around the island. Coffee and snacks are appreciated too. Really good value imho.

It was a lovely way to spend the morning and see the city from a different angle. Thanks Nic for being so helpful and shout out to Tom for being a super easygoing yet professional guide with some cool adventures and stories to tell 😊😎

We have just moved to NZ and wanted to do some sea kayaking before leaving Auckland. Despite a reasonably brisk wind, Nic (our guide/the owner) organised a brilliant paddle. We specifically asked for single kayaks rather than double and Nic was really accommodating. The boats and all the gear were good quality. Nic and his group were great fun and really informative about the area and made us feel super welcome. They shared lots of knowledge with us and made the trip really enjoyable. The trip across to motukorea island was stunning. We stopped on the beach for a quick cuppa and a brownie (Nic is well stocked with every kind of hot drink and plenty of juice)...We then climbed to the summit of the island (a short walk) for stunning views of surrounding islands and view back to Auckland. Nic picked us up and returned us to the city centre making the whole trip easy and uncomplicated. Would defiantly recommend this trip if you have a spare half day. I also think the rangitoto island trip would be amazing.

Nic is an absolutely fantastic guide. Organised, friendly, super knowledgeable. And Motukorea is gorgeous! A brilliant half-day trip. My mother - in her late 70s - came on the last trip and loved it. Great feeling of adventure for families and travellers - Nic makes sure you're well taken care of. This is my 3rd trip with Nic and I can't recommend Auckland Sea kayaks more highly.

What a fantastic time we had paddling to Motukorea. Eric and the team were excellent guides, with great safety knowledge and plenty of good humour to relax everyone. Our group went from 11 years old to er, older adults and everyone was well looked after. Cups of tea and delicious brownies (thanks Ben!) were a treat on the island, the 360º harbour views from the summit simply stunning, and the leisurely paddle back to the beach was just dreamy. Go on Aucklanders, spend the dollars and see how beautiful your back yard really is...

We had such a wonderful experience with Nic. He was a fantastic and professional guide. Being a local he could answer any question you asked him. We learned so much about the history of Auckland and much more. We called him the day of to see if he would be able to take us out since it was so nice out. Without any hesitation he said yes! The day was perfect we kayaked, had afternoon tea and brownies, then hiked to the top of Browns Island to look over the volcanic crater. This is a must do experience, even just for a half day!

What an amazing experience, Eric was great, his knowledge, experience was very helpful and 100% focused on safety. The paddle across was great, the bbq was very good and the hike and views were wonderful. Paddleing back in the dark with the stars out was truly amazing. One of the best Paddleing experiences to date. Will certainly book another trip when back in Auckland.

We thoroughly enjoyed our kayaking adventure. Eric was professional, informative and lovely to chat with.

My partner and I are visiting all 50+ volcanoes in Auckland and getting to Motukorea was tricky for us. We went as a date day over the holiday break while our kids were in daycare and had the best time! Lara was a great guide and the trip was so fun. Thanks for a great day!

Highly recommend- although the sea was a bit rougher on the day we kayaked, our tour guide was exceptional at modifying the trip while still exceeding our expectations. We spent a majority of the 4 hours kayaking on the water, except for a brief stop on a private beach for a quick snack and water. In addition to kayaking, our guide was very informative on the history of the surrounding bodies of water, forrest, sealife, and wildlife. They also offered pick-up and drop-off transportation from downtown Auckland.

We booked a 1/2-Day Trip to Motukorea Island with Auckland Sea Kayaks via the i-Site in Auckland. They are offering a transport from Auckland central into St. Heliers as well, in our case we didn´t needed that one. But good to know :-) When arrived at the beach our guide Nic was waiting and prepared the Kayaks already. Nic told us that we are the only one today (off-season, autumn is coming) - Yeah! Private tour :-) for us! Moreover, Nic told us very useful background information about Auckland, the volcanic islands as well as the Maori Myths which is really great and not often done by guides in that depth. Overall Auckland Sea Kayaks is offering reliable, well maintained equipment and is very professional! They know their job! 100% recommended!

Great day kayaking from Auckland to Motukorea Island. High professional crew. Outstanding service. The water was calm and the day was sunny. Spetacular view on the top of the mountain. I strongly recomend this ride. Thank you!