There are a lot of companies offering guided kayaking; kayaking and walking trips. I don't know which company to go with and which trip would be better than the other. Has someone had any experience regarding that. Please help me decide. I leave on Friday, March 19 and would like to book this. Thanks. Alana

We rented kayaks from Southern Exposure (http://www.southern-exposure.co.nz/guided.htm). We did a 'freedom rental', electing to go it alone instead of taking one of their guided tours. If you are at all handy with a kayak, then you can certainly do this trip yourself. We ran into two of Southern Exposure's guided groups along the way, and were quite impressed with their level of organisation. They ate a lot better than we did too! I would certainly recommend this company's water taxis, kayak equipment, and staff.

As for walking, we also elected to do that ourselves, and I'm not sure why one would need to do this as a guided walk. The track itself is well-marked, there are many maps and guidebooks available, and campsites and huts are also easy to access. We never saw a guided walking group, so have no input on who would be a good choice. Instead of paying the extra money for a guided walk, I would invest that money into an evening stay at Awaroa Lodge, which lies about 2/3 of the way up the Track from Marahau.

Thanks for your reply. I was thinking of a half day guided kayak and a do it yourself walk. I see mentioned Astrolabe tour(what is that) and is there anything in particular I should be seeing on this kayak tour. Re the walking can I get back to Maharau where I pick up my car. I am staying in Moteuka.Any other advise from anyone about abel tasman would be appreciated. Thanks again. Alana

Astrolabe Roadstead is a bay just north of Adele Island where you can do a lot of exploring around little islands and sea caves. Its a good sheltered place for kayak exploring and would be a good choice for a guided tour.

I think that the best way to walk Abel Tasman is to take a water taxi to one of the beaches along the track, then walk back to Marahau from there. You can pick any number of beaches, ranging from 5 to 30 km from Marahau, depending on how far you want to walk.

Al

We did a kayak trip last month with Ocean Rivers in Abel. It was two days, camping overnight. Nice outfitter. Prepare for all weather. The first day we had rain and kayaked through large waves and swells.

Enjoy.