Abel Tasman Aquataxi Review

Excellent service! I was surprised that there s a tour before they drop you to your destination.

Great service. Super happy to help accommodate last minute changes. All of the skippers were helpful with bags too! Highly recommend.

Excellent service, smart, fast and easy. Nice, friendly, kind people !

A great operation, very smooth and they keep to time! Staff are friendly and informative. Thanks for a great experience Marahau Taxis!

It was a great experience!
Had asked a question the day before shortly before the shop closed & had an answer promptly 5 minutes later!
Cool ride with the tractor and boat to the sea. The driver was sooo funny & took a tour of the Split Apple Rock, went full throttle. Shortly before Anchorage we drove to an island, there were seals to be seen. Excellent! Absolutely worth the money! I would choose again and again!

Well organized company. Highly recommend touring with these guys.

Thank you Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi peeps - you are the best. I cannot fault the communication prior to our holiday walking the Abel Tasman Great Walk, the service you provided, the friendliness and helpfulness of all the staff (in office and on boats), and the seamlessness of getting all our gear from one DOC hut to the next between Marahau and Awaroa (we wanted a walk in the park, rather than a hot slog with heavy packs), and then picking us up from Awaroa and returning us safely from Awaroa to Marahau. Fantastic. Kia ora.

Very friendly. I felt safe. On time and fast. What more do you want

I live here in NZ and love the Able Tasman National Park. I frequently take visitors here and recommend travelers I work with to visit. I booked a trip with Aqua Taxi to take my parents on the swing bridge hike. We were given 3 hours to do the whole hike (11:30 when the boat drops you off to 2:30 when the boat picks you up) The hike was gorgeous but we didn t make it to the crossing point (Torrent Bay) before high tide and had to take the long walk around the Bay. This pretty much garenteeing that we would miss our Boat at 2:30. When we finally got to the pick up point on Anchorage Bay we were informed by Aqua Taxi that the current boat didn t have space for us and we needed to pay another company to take us back. Which we did. But this begs the question as to why I just didn t book with another company that has room for all the people it brings out to the park? I paid Aqua taxi to bring us in and take us out. They never said we will only take you back if you can complete the hike in 3 hours (the route we had to take advertised that it took 4 hours). When I called the next day they refused to refund the return trip we weren t able to take. I would recommend that anyone not able to run through this beautiful hike or not wanting to wade through the water at the Torrent Bay crossing NOT book with Aqua Taxi. They might not get you home.

Great day out, took the boat to Bark Bay, hiked to Anchorage and then back again by boat from there. They load you up into boats on trailers at the centre and then take you out to sea by tractor into shallow waters and the boat motors off from there. At Bark Bay you take your shoes off and wade through shin deep water onto the sandy beach. All great fun.

Friendly staff with some interesting knowledge about the area + Fun ride in the baot: Recommended

Pd: The ride on the tractor is well worth it going on low tide

Always had a good experience with AquaTaxi. Spencer and Daz were awesome friendly skippers and got us to our destinations ahead of time for a great walk in the park. Thank you!

Good service, our boat captain was very friendly. We got dropped off at Anchorage and got picked up later. However, the taxi's are running at fixed times.

Great ride! It was not just a taxi, we were also shown the (in my opinion boring) Splitrock and the island with the seals. The boatman was great and has also accelerated. Was fun.

Good company for getting to and from walking tracks on the Abel Tasman.

Went to run a section of the Abel Tasman Coastal track and caught the taxi from Kaiteriteri to Awaroa to then run back out to Marahau. Great little trip out to Awaroa that included an impromptu tiki tour of the sites along the coast of the national park including split apple rock, some seals, penguins and info about the area in general.

Awesome boat ride! Did the the track in 3 days and took the water taxi from Totaranui. Booking is super easy and the whole process is super smooth. Customer service is spot on (they replied to my multiple emails quickly within a day). The boat arrived a tad bit late on the day itself but that is totes fine because we got to sit down and enjoy the last bit of pristine beach views before leaving. Our skipper Anton was really hospitable and even gave us some info about the places along the coast. Boat was super clean and pickup/ dropoff was super smooth. Boat drives straight directly into a trailer and the tractor drives the whole boat to the office at Marahau. Super coolllll. Just the kind of service I reeeeeallly appreciate after a long 3 days on the track. And I am not exaggerating how good their service is. Keep it up Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi!!!

Eh. Arrived for check in, was told to wait outside till the skipper called our booking name. They didn't. So we asked 2 different workers who both told us different things, yet they both had the same piece of paper with the days boat bookings. The whole boarding process is totally disorganized and a hot mess. Finally got onto our boat and the skipper was welcoming and knowledgeable about the area, (split apple rock, seals, Anchorage etc). Just a shame that as a leading tourist company in Marahau, organization isn't a priority.

Really nice service! Super nice and fun drivers. Great experience overall :D

Great trip from Marahau to Totaranui. Our Skipper was super friendly and knowledgeable and even let us stop at a bay to check out some seals. Highly recommend.

People in the company were really nice starting from the lady at the desk on 27/01 12am till the skipper bringing us back from Totaranui bay on 29/01 12:15am.

I got to my destination faster than i expected, and the skipper was kind enough to allow me to jump on a boat 3 hours earlier. We also could check out some relly nice places which trampers can not see on the way back, like Shag harbour and one other place on the high tide - saw some Eagle rays, skipper told us some interesting suff about surroundings etc. Also the boat ride was fun, would defenitely come back again!

Awesome service. A very smooth trip back to Marahau. The captain not only showed us the sights on the way, but took us in a van back to our car - outstanding :)

Great service. Great price. Taxi left on time for Anchorage, from which point we walked back to Marahau. Bargain compared to other ways of seeing the Park. Park near the base which is a bit further on at Marahau than you'd think. Will use them again.

Great service, good boats, dropped us right where we needed to go!

Very good! A great experience for the whole family.

We left from Totaranui heading to Marahau. Was just under $80 for 2 adults. Picked up a few folk from other stops along the way. Our skipper was Brett and he was awesome! Pick up was on time, he pointed out little blue penguin and took us on a detour to see seals. He was super friendly to everyone who came on. It's a little boat, sits about 20, was such a great way to travel back. Think the best bit was getting towed out of the water by a tractor and getting driven down the road. Totally recommend this company. Thanks heaps guys!

Perfect service. Cool guys they bring you to you perfect hiking spot. Has much fun on the boat!! Perfect guide.

I recommend this company for getting from one place to other and back. We did the slice of paradise tour however and I do not recommend that at all. For that I recommend going on a bigger boats. It was akin to doing a tour on a public bus with stops and waiting for bags/people etc

Great way into the park and interesting background information was given by the skipper.
We did the scenic tour and two hour hike through the park, from bark bay to torrent bay. The track was very well maintained and the indicated time was plenty to complete the distance and have lunch in the middle. The tracks offers some stunning views of the bays and beaches and takes to over the swing bridge

Seems a bit expensive but it's definitely worth the price

Excellent service, pack transfers were great. thanks team.

Great trip back from Awaroa to Marahau - much quicker than we expected too. Thanks guys!

Really good service. Showed us the Split apple rock and some seals which was cool. We got the boat so we could walked part of the Abel Tasman track. It was carnage in the morning but the guys did the best job possible so I would recommend

On time, skipper was funny and accommodating. We managed this with our two year old who even took a nap onboard. Nice way to see Abel Tasman along the coast.

Great service! The driver showed us arround the bays a little and we stopped to look at some seals and penguins. Very smooth ride as well was no problem for my seasickness.

Awesome service! The driver Vinny was funny and friendly, and he also showed us and the other passengers some of the hidden coves in the Abel Tasman coast. Service was prompt, and they even let us get on an earlier boat than we had scheduled as we finished our hike earlier than expected.

Punctual and friendly, help with excursion questions like. Great experience with Stop at the Split Apple Rock and the seals. Not cheap.

The booking on the website went well. On site you are a number, which is not particularly surprising because of the many tourists. It was good that you can park your car directly on site (even overnight). The ride in the boat pulled by the tractor was fun. Each tour only goes briefly to the Split Apple Rock. In addition, our very nice operator told us a few things about the things we drove past. Before our destination Bark Bay we drove past one of the offshore islands because there were baby seals.

Driving with the watertaxi is great and a lot of fun. We drove to Torrent bay for 35$ and it was really worth it. They show you the split apple rock and seals on the way. The staff is really nice and the view is beautiful. They were also really nice via e-mail and answered my questions immediately. I can highly recommend them.

Very helpful, friendly and super efficient staff and service. Great experience and very happy to recommend them.

What an amazing service! Thank you all so much, it was raining on our water taxi back to Marahau and we were kept out of the weather so well by the shuttle back to our car and boat tow. There is nothing you could do better, your team is the best! It was just another highlight to a walk that kept giving us amazing surprised each day.

Really easy, well organised transport. Would recommend if you re doing part of the Abel Tasman

I love NZ and the ATNP. Have travelled here 10X since 2002. People, natural wilderness, experiences have always been spectacular. Yesterday, I walked from Marahau to Te Pukatea / Anchorage with my host scheduling my return on an Aqua Taxi. Ride arrived on time, full boat. One seat under the protective canopy still left so I took that seat. Boat driver (elderly man) told me to move up front where a DOC member kindly offered her seat. When everyone was aboard, driver came up front and told me to return to the back so the DOC member could keep her original seat. Problem being my original seat was now taken by someone not scheduled on this trip. I had to sit in the very back most likely getting wet during the trip. Fortunately, the wind was calm and I got through without problem. After boat ride back to Marahau, driver asked if we got wet and I replied "Not at all." When I disembarked from the boat I thanked him and he did not even have the decency to say anything kind. He spoke nicely to all the other passengers aboard when they departed. The rudeness and lack of professional behavior by this driver will definitely come back on him. I will just avoid using Aqua Taxi on any of my visits to ATNP.

We had the best trip. We were early for our water taxi so they managed to get us onto an earlier ride. Our Driver, Phil, took us to see seals and we were lucky enough to also see orcas and penguins. Such an amazing experience, way more than just a water taxi. Best end to our trip, thank you!

Great aqua taxi service. Skippers are very knowledgable and also do a small tour when they drive you out in the morning. We took the taxi out to Bark bay and walked back to Anchorage.

We walked from the AquaTaxi Base 3-4h to take the taxi back from there.
The boat was also more than on time and the boarding worked well.
Now for the problems:
- Many of the travelers had large backpacks with them and there was really not enough space for them and the skipper did not help to stow things away
- the sea was rough but I still find it simply impossible that all the passengers sitting behind were completely dripping wet!
- In addition, the driver jumped over the waves so much that the boat hit the ground again. And for 15-20 minutes! I had such back pain and I'm only 20! In no case feasible for older people and certainly not with children!
- The skipper did not help, nor warned about the water or the really big and hard serves
- I can not imagine what it is like to arrive at the track and to be completely drenched with wet equipment, just caustic!

Conclusion: book somewhere else!

Probably the first Taxi service that makes a case for 6 Stars.

Punctual and accommodating, Ryan was a great Skipper.

Service takes you all the way back into the parking area via tractor.

Brilliant.

My friends and i did the abel tasman coastal track and we got really really wet because of the bad and rainy weather. So we decided to cancel our trip and take the water taxi back to Marahau. We actually booked a aquataxi a few days later, but they were really friendly and changed our booking immediately without any trouble so we got home asap. Thank you aquataxi for your flexibility and your great service.

Had the opportunity to use the services of Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi on our recent trip to the Abel Tasman National Park. I must say that their service was excellent, from schedules to ensuring our safety and comfort on every trip. A special shout out to Jared, skipper: Mate, your assistance on Awaroa beach was truly appreciated!

We recently used the Able Tasman Aqua Taxi service arranged through Able Tasman Centre at Marahau. We were a party of 4 people with multiple daily bag transfer and Water Taxi pick up after our tramp. Everything was very professional and went like clockwork. Fantastic team of people, accommodating, very friendly and highly informative. Nothing was a problem. I highly recommend using this family run Kiwi business for your Able Tasman experience.

Fantastically friendly and helpful staff who accommodated us needing bags ferried and a change of booking due to injury on the track. Phil in particular was a really awesome skipper.

Superb morning trip to Awaroa Bay. A great start to a 3 day walk in paradise.

Wow, I am so happy that I chose your company, because they've nice staff and are so so flexible. We had to cancel our trip through the Abel Tasman Nationalpark because of the really bad weather. So normally we booked the AquaTaxi on Saturday, so we would need to wait 2 days, but we just asked the next arriving taxi if we could drive back to Marahau with them without a booking and it was no problem at all and no extra costs or anything. Thank you!

This is not just your average water taxi, not only are all the staff great value and hilarious, they are very knowledgeable about the area and will take you to see a few sights before dropping you off at your destination. We were taken to see some seal pups and the famous Split Apple Rock for great photo opportunities. Highly recommended!

The scenery is unforgettable. I took the trip to all coves and return, got photos of dolphins and seals. Guide made sure I was picked up at Anchorage and reserved a seat for me on his aquataxi! This Asian senior felt like royalty!

We had a lovely day travelling and exploring using Abel Tasman Aqua Taxis. The staff were friendly, professional and happy to share local knowledge

Price is quite high but everything worked great. Ww got ride from A yo B and that's all what we wanted. Nice personnel.

Best shuttle to th Abel Tasman Trail. We like the hook up taxi, the boat trip and the short walk back to the basis. However...do it.

Awesome as always, thanks for the boat ride back from Totaranui and the van to our car at the start of the Abel Tasman track. Staff are great.

Have us brought to Bark Bay for $ 40 per person, was unfortunately only a bit far (25 miles) to run back, but the boat tour provider can not do anything: D

I was staying in Marahau and booked AquaTaxi as a transfer to Bark Bay. Staff was very friendly and the ride with the fast boat was exciting. Since we had to pick up passengers from Kaiteriteri, we even stopped at the Split Apple Rock to take photos altough it was no part of the service. So I would definitely recommend choosing AquaTaxi if you are staying in Marahau rather of other bigger companies around Abel Tasman.

We didn t have a full day available to us as we had to be back by 3.30pm but we wanted to make the most of our time in the National Park and also include a walk so we did the Slice of Paradise 1 which included our pick up from Marahau, boat ride up to Totaranui at the top of the park and back down to Onetahuti, then a 1.5hr walk from there to Bark Bay and return boat trip back to Marahau. I called up to check if that tour would be suitable given our time constraints and the lady on the phone was really helpful. We caught the 9am taxi out and the 2.15pm taxi back from Bark Bay which got us back to Marahau around 3pm. We were not rushed at all and had time to eat our packed lunch, take photos and walk along the beach before we got picked up. Note that it s not a guided walk but paths were well signed and it means you can take your time and walk at your own pace.

The boat trip was fantastic. We got lucky as we got to see seals and dolphins quite close up and as it was high tide we could make a little detour into a little inlet. Both our boat drivers were super friendly and welcoming. Paul on the way up gave us a proper tour, stopping at landmarks and including commentary, not just a taxi boat ride. You also get towed out on the boat on the back of a tractor at the start of the day which was half the fun! The AquaTaxis go quicker than the bigger ferries we saw doing similar trips. We also had less people on our boats and could get up closer and stop at the seals rather than just cruising past.

Would definitely recommend this trip to anyone visiting the area. It s a must do activity in nice weather.

Unless it s a hot day, take an extra layer or two for the boat ride. Even on a sunny day it gets quite cold as the back of the boat is open and gets a little bit windy.

Quinn the skipper I had was awesome!, super attentive and cool guy!

Had no idea we we get such a great tour on top of a boat ride from Totaranui to Marahau. Our captain was well skilled, very personable, and showed us some great sights along the way. Worth every dollar and more!

This service ripped my tramping pack on the first day of transport, and my tent bag on the second. I went to talk to them on return. The old guy (seemed like the boss/manager) at the office got mad at me for suggesting the had handled the bags poorly, told me I should buy better gear, and call me arrogant for suggesting it was their fault. Then proceeded to blame how much weight I'd put in it (I reminded him that they limit weight to 20kg and check this before accepting it), and even demonstrated how it would have been picked up and THROWN from the boat in one motion. When I told him how he'd just demonstrated the pick up would have caused the tear due to it being picked up from the wrong part of the pack, he asked me how long I'd be transporting luggage for. Really rude, really disappointing service. I didn't even get so much as a verbal apology that it had happened.

The boat was also half an hour late to pick us up on the last day.

One positive was the boat driver was the nicest person I've ever come across - his superiors could learn a thing or two..

Great service! We were dropped off at Bark Bay and walked back. Booking was easy online. Staff helpful on check in and informative on the boat. We were pointed out few nice spots on the way including seals that I did not expect. Fun experience. I would recommend

We recently walked the Abel Tasman and caught the Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi from Totaranui to Marahau. The skipper was terrific - professional, friendly and knowledgeable. Awesome boat trip back to Marahau, with a slight detour to check out a hidden inlet, and seal colony. Once back in Marahau, we were driven back to where our car was parked to save us lugging heavy packs. When booking the trip, the staff were really responsive and helpful. Would definitely highly recommend this top-notch Kiwi company. Thank you.

Great experience! We walked Marahau to Totaranui and took the taxi back. We were expecting just a ride but it turned out to be a tour of its own! Saw a penguin, baby seals and more. Thanks Jared!

Just terrible. Took the taxiboat back from the Abel Tasman track and the boat was 35 min late, came to a different location and the back of the boat was open so the people who sit there were completely wet for over a hour(there is no shower for their costumers). There are so much better companies that offer the same services (and have faster and closed boats).

Very efficient and smooth service. There is a free overnight private car park behind the office if you re camping inside the park. Twice a timely service, also in the park. We were able to get last-minute an earlier departure time from Totaranui to Marahau since there was still availability.

The directions where to be might be more prominently explained on their website: you need to be their office about half hour before departure time to exchange your (online) booking for a boarding pass. You get on the speedboat there and brought to the waterfront on a trailer while you re in the boat. Same if you re coming back to Marahau: you stay in the boat, gets hooked on a tractor on the boat ramp and dropped back off at the office.

The boat arrived at Totaranui with time to spare and the skipper has us off the beach easily, despite yesterday s challenging sea conditions. Thanks also for holding our keys at HQ, that we had misplaced at Anchorage. We would highly recommend this service any day.

AquaTaxi was on time to pick us up and transfer the luggage. The booking process is really smooth and the driver was really good to give us a fun ride back. Highly recommend to all.

I accidentally booked a day later than had planned after tramping the Abel Tasman track but these guys happily picked my friend and I up. We were even able to grab a 10:45am taxi rather than the 12:15pm! Brett was awesome. Thanks guys!

Booked the aqua taxi for a Sunday morning in winter to bring us to Bark bay for a hike to Anchorage for pick up which is under the Beaches and bays package. Great value and some of the proceeds go towards the Abel Tasman birdsong trust which is more than worth it. Sean our skipper was great fun and gave us some local info on the area and islands. The boat was super quick, safe and a lot of fun bumping through the water! We really enjoyed the boat, it was a great start to a great day through the park. The walk was beautiful, thanks again!

We rocked up 2 hours early to Totaranui after a slog over Gibbs Hill in the rain to find Paul already anticipating our arrival. After 15 minutes waiting for a couple of campers to pack up we were off. Paul even stopped to show us some places of interest on the way back. Thanks for the great service.

Worth every dollar!

We decided to cut our trip a little short and was hoping to jump on our pre booked taxi the day before from Totaranui, when we stumbled across the AquaTaxi, we were told to hop on board with no issues what so ever!

The captain was super friendly and joking with us the whole time, he even stopped to show us some local penguins.

When he stopped on some of the islands, he was greatest by many familiar faces that all seemed to love interacting with him which shows you how popular he was. Just a genuinely awesome dude!

When we got back to the port, he even drove us back to our car park to make sure we got home safely.

Wonderful experience and I would highly recommend anyone using Abel Tasman AquaTaxis!

The Abel Tasman Aqua Taxi service was one of the best experiences myself and my family had ever had. All team members were exceptional and incredibly helpful with any questions we had before or during our trip. Paul, who transported us for part of the morning and the rest of the afternoon, was able to help us catch an earlier boat due to the fact that we had finished our walk much earlier than previously thought. He was able to fit us in, work around us with extreme professionalism and was exceptional while doing so. We couldn't be happier with their service and would 100% recommend them in the future.

It was an amazing ride from Marahau to Totaranui. We started by almost high tide. The skipper made some side trips. What was absolutely amazing. We saw a seal Colonie on a little island and a seal in a bay he was eating. As well we drove in the part where the low tide crossing is by Awaroa. It was incredible and a day later i was walking there.

Great experience- on time pick up, quick to get you back to Marahau. Even point out local fauna and wildlife on the trip.

The skipper was lovely, but overall disappointed.
I didn't receive the Slice of Paradise package I purchased - having to get off at Bark Bay instead of boating down to Totaranui and back.
I also believed I could catch a return boat at 2.30pm - however had to wait around until 4pm.

Brilliant skipper with ray and seal sightings an unexpected highlight. This is a company that knows how to go above and beyond. No hesitation in giving a top rating. 6 out of 5 stars

On time departure and pickup. Great service would recommend. For departure, make sure you are in the right spot as there are several companies that look/are named similar things and google maps might not take you directly to the right location. As long as you arrive a little early and ask around you should be fine.

The skipper Paul was crack up and made the boat ride funny as. Pretty mean experience in the park as well.

Very easy to book - I emailed them with my schedule and budget and they were able to plan a trip for me that fit my preferences! Staff was friendly and knowledgeable, and it was always on time. Pro tip - if you don t want to get wet/cold, sit closer to the front, but if you want a less bumpy ride, sit closer to the back!