Kayak & Paddle Tours in Australia and New Zealand

Where to Kayak and Paddle: Byron Bay, Noosa and Abel Tasman

Byron Bay has the sea kayak with the best odds. The Kayak with the Dolphins Tour (from $99) launches through the surf at Clarks Beach and follows the coast out to Cape Byron, Australia's most easterly point, via Wategos Beach where the resident pod hangs out. Dolphins and turtles are regulars, whales cruise past from May to November, and the operator backs it with a sighting guarantee: no dolphin or whale and you come back free. The return leg is kayak surfing back to the beach, and it ends with unlimited Tim Tams on the sand. Two and a half hours.

Noosa has three paddles that couldn't be more different. The Noosa Stand Up Paddle & Mangrove Tunnel Tour (from $59) is two hours on calm, protected flat water in Noosa Heads, with an introductory SUP lesson, a hidden mangrove tunnel and stingrays below the board. The Noosa Everglades Kayak Adventure (from $189) is a full guided day on Lake Cootharaba and the Upper Noosa River, the 'River of Mirrors', with a hearty lunch included. The Double Island Point Dolphin Kayak & Beach 4WD Tour (from $159) is six hours that starts with a 4WD drive up Teewah Beach via the Noosa North Shore cable ferry and ends with a guided ocean paddle at Double Island Point and Honeymoon Bay, where dolphins, turtles, rays and migrating whales turn up.

In New Zealand, the Abel Tasman Two Day Kayak Classic (from $739) is the overnight version: stable double sea kayaks, a guide who leads the route and cooks every meal, a beachside campsite with tents and mattresses supplied, and golden beaches and granite headlands the whole way. Transport to the park is a separate add-on.

How to Choose a Kayak or SUP Tour

Start with your confidence on the water. The Noosa SUP (from $59) is the gentlest entry: flat, shallow and protected, with a lesson first. The Everglades paddle (from $189) is calm river water but a long day, so it suits people who want distance without surf. Byron (from $99) and the Noosa ocean kayak (from $159) are proper sea paddles with a surf launch, best for travellers comfortable getting dunked, and the Byron trip is the one to pick if dolphins are the whole point: the guarantee says it all.

Then match time and budget. Two hours covers Byron (from $99) and the Noosa SUP (from $59). A longer day gets you Noosa's ocean trip or the Everglades. Abel Tasman (from $739) is the only overnight here, fully catered, for anyone who wants the national park done properly.

Wildlife wise, Byron is dolphins and whales in season, Double Island Point is dolphins, whales, turtles and rays, the Everglades is birdlife and stillness, and Abel Tasman is about the coastline itself.

Practical Tips and Safety

You'll get wet on every one of these, so wear swimmers under quick-dry clothes, a hat with a strap and sunscreen, and bring a towel, a change of clothes and water. Byron supplies wetsuits, life jackets and helmets, Abel Tasman supplies spray skirts, paddle jackets, dry bags and filtered water, and the Noosa trips include equipment and national park and ferry fees.

Surf launches depend on conditions, so sea kayak tours can be moved or cancelled on big days; book early in your stay. Listen to the briefing on how to get back in. Let dolphins and whales come to you; the guides know the distance rules. The Everglades day doesn't include return transfers from Noosa (listed at $40 per person extra), so factor that in. Whale season on the East Coast runs roughly June to November, which makes winter paddles in Byron and at Double Island Point the ones with the bonus sightings.