It could be argued that the Abel Tasman is Aotearoa’s premium kayaking location. The main thrust of this argument would be that the coastline here is ideally suited for sea kayaking. Firstly, Tasman Bay is often sheltered from adverse weather because of its location and the protection it receives from the Marlborough Sounds and d’Urville Island to the east. The southern end of the park, and specifically the lee side of Fisherman and Adele Islands, an area of the coastline known as the Astrolabe Roadstead, receives additional protection from the wind and ocean currents.
But the closing arguments on any debate about the Abel Tasman being the best place in the country for a paddle would be centred around the sheer beauty of the beaches, and the quantity of tidal inlets to explore. As if that left the judges in any doubt whatsoever, the captain of the Abel Tasman debating team would point out that the coastline consisting of Separation Point Granite is unique, interesting and even includes small coastal caves to explore.
To get some genuine intel on how best to make the most of a kayaking trip, I sat down for a chat with Penaia Robin-Seniloli, an experienced kayak guide at Mārahau Sea Kayaks (MSK). For context, Penaia also has the unofficial role of Chief Morale Officer – a position of the utmost importance within our business. He organises both the MSK end of year staff activity/party and also a series of in-house competitions that involve challenges such as collecting random photos, ‘assassinating’ coworkers and many other, entertaining elements. Penaia is also in charge of our annual staff awards, and I still have my award certificate from last year, Stinkiest Morning Ablutions, proudly displayed on my fridge at home. Penaia’s younger brother, Louie, has worked in the service team for the past few years too. This has caused an ongoing debate as to who is the most handsome of the Robin-Seniloli brothers. Both brothers were devastated when a completely independent and highly qualified judge announced that Nikau, one of their other brothers, was awarded the honour. Louie was so incensed and outraged by the decision he lodged an official complaint with the International Court of Justice and Fairness.
Q: So how did you end up working outdoors?
As a family, we were into getting out and about. Mum and Dad like diving, so we’d head over to the West Coast or to Robin Hood Bay on the east. We’d muck around on the rocks and grab seafood. I’d been skiing a couple of times, too. That all sort of nudged me toward studying it, so I went to NMIT to study Adventure Tourism which is a two-year diploma.
Q: What was the course like?
In the first year you try everything; rafting, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, canyoning, and you do lots of tramps. In the second year you go deeper and come out with qualifications. I chose sea kayaking, skiing, and rafting, so I could work year-round. The course also covers VHF radio, self-rescue, first aid, all the stuff you need for guiding.
Q: How did you connect with Mārahau Sea Kayaks?
I did some voluntary hours for industry experience and came into MSK. Even before that, I sat in on a couple of briefings and did one guided trip. I’d been working for Waka Abel Tasman (waka ama) just before I started the course in 2018. At that point, I hadn’t really done much kayaking or rafting yet, just a bit of skiing, but I got into it from there.
Q: Since then you’ve worked summers at MSK and winters at the same ski field?
Yeah, winters at Cardrona in Wānaka. I went down for the snow and picked up a proper love for cold sports.
Q: What is your favourite part of guiding?
The people. You meet all sorts, fast paddlers, slow paddlers, big personalities – and they make the trip. I haven’t travelled heaps overseas, but I love hearing where folks are from and swapping stories. The team here is awesome too. After five seasons I can say everyone’s super friendly and easy to get along with, which matters on long days.
Q: You do a lot for team morale. What inspired that?
Working at Cardrona there are lots of young bucks and long seasons so morale can dip. A bit of fresh energy and fun helps break the rinse-and-repeat. We’ll toss in challenges to keep things lively.
Q: What is your favourite challenge?
Taskmaster. Funniest moment? Probably the “photo of an Alborn family member” challenge which is worth triple points because they’re notoriously hard to catch in a photo. I have no comments as to why they are hard to take a photo of!
Q: What’s your favourite part of the Abel Tasman?
Kayaking between Onetahuti and Anchorage. It’s mint on a morning high tide and afternoon low tide.
Q: What’s your ideal kayaking trip?
For me, it’s our Magical Marine Reserve, or MMR for short.
In the morning we start at Onetahuti. There’s a waterfall behind the shelter that pumps on a high tide and it is only a three-minute walk behind the kitchen area. Then we paddle to the Tonga Arches and kayak throughout it if the tide is full enough to do so, or walk through at low tide when there isn’t enough water. There’s even a rock that looks like a face as you come out of the arches. From there, we head to the Tonga Island seal colony where they will be heaps of pups at the right time of year.
We then continue towards Foul Point. If conditions and the group skill level allows, I like threading through the rocks as it adds a bit of fun and teamwork as we avoid getting anyone stuck! We pop into the small cave just before Mosquito Bay, then into the Bark Bay lagoon for lunch.
In the afternoon I’ll often grab a couple of lemons from a tree near Bark Bay for later on. South of the marine reserve you can sometimes find decent green-lipped mussels for a tasting stop further down the coast.
If the group’s keen, we swing by Pinnacle Island to look for seals before we paddle up the Falls River to the swing bridge, if we have enough water to get up there. Then we check out Frenchmans Bay, as we paddle south because there’s a stunning house there that everyone asks about.
We drop into Boundary Bay, crack open the mussels, and sometimes even taste some kina (sea urchin). They’re smaller here because there’s less kelp for them to feed on, but still sweet and good for a sample.
If the sea breeze comes up, which it is about 80% of the time, we set the kayak sail mid-bay and sail into Anchorage. Then it’s onto the AquaTaxi and home, ideally not running late so we don’t keep the water taxi skipper waiting!
Q: Why is this coastline so good for kayaking?
It’s compact but packed with variety, with arches, caves, lagoons, wildlife, and heaps of little nooks and crannies. After five seasons I’m still finding new ones.
Here's a few guided kayak tours to get you started!
Magical Marine Reserve
Guided Kayak | Full Day
Half Day Blast
Guided Kayak | Half Day
Blast & Walk
Guided Kayak & Walk | Full Day
Ocean and Earth
Guided Kayak & Walk | 2 Days
Gourmet Platter
Guided Kayak & Walk | Full Day
Best of Both Worlds
Guided Kayak & Walk | Full Day
Words by Brendan Alborn
Owner Operator
Brendan has a long association with the Abel Tasman, visiting it for the first time when his parents moved to Marahau in 1997. After spending much of his life overseas, Brendan and his family moved to the area at the end of 2010. When Brendan is not spending his time in the outdoors he seems to spend much of his time creating even flimsier justifications for spending more time in the outdoors.
