Do not choose this company.

The owner of this company lied to us and cancelled our reservations when we arrived at to pick up the kayaks.

When we arrived at Taupo Kayaking Adventures at the time of our rental pickup, the "store" (his house) was not open. We called him, but he said that he could not let us take the kayaks out because the conditions on the lake were not favorable. However, we know that this was a lie because the conditions were perfect (blue skies, low winds) and we saw a Taupo Kayaking Adventure group tour out on the lake just 1 hour later and saw them returning to the storefront at the end of their kayak tour.

In addition, the owner of this business was extremely rude to me on the phone when I was trying to make a reservation with them. I asked for his recommendations for other places to kayak to on the lake aside from the rock carvings, to which he responded "You can do anywhere on the lake." So, I asked my question differently, hoping for some more specific tips for kayaking in Taupo. And he said, frustrated - "You obviously haven't read the website." (though I had and I was needing more info than it provided). He was of absolutely no help. Unfortunately, I chose to rent with this business because they are closest to the rock carvings. I don't recommend making my mistake.

*In addition to my own negative experience, my friends have attempted to rent kayaks with Taupo Kayaking Adventures twice during the summer but TKA has cancelled their rental both times due to "poor conditions." Try another company when kayaking Taupo.

Reviewed over 1 year ago and experienced in December 2024