Marahau Water Taxis
Water taxi history in Marahau
How it began
The Alborn family has owned and operated Marahau Water Taxis since 1997 as well as various other businesses servicing the Abel Tasman National Park.
In 1997 Peter and Sandra Alborn were looking for a change. After selling up in Waipukurau one of the businesses they looked at was buying the lease on the Marahau Beach Camp at the beginning of the Abel Tasman National Park. According to Sandra, Peter looked around the camping ground and then noticed an old water taxi out the back. Having always liked boats, that concluded the due diligence process and clinched the deal! The business grew quickly over the next few years and they started to outgrow the tiny camp shop and the one water taxi capacity. Around the same time their son, Gavin, and his partner Zoe arrived in NZ after a stint in Australia and started working in the business.
In 2001 the Alborns purchased an old house next to the existing leasehold property and developed that into a sunlit and well-proportioned shop, booking office and sensational waterfront cafe.
The Growth
Backed up with friendly and personal service and exceptional daily organization of the water taxi and other parts of the enterprise, the business continued its exponential growth. Boats were progressively added until Marahau Water Taxis had four water taxis and a decent chunk of the water transport market in the Abel Tasman.
In May 2012 the Alborn family purchased Abel Tasman AquaTaxi from Ngai Tahu Tourism. While Marahau Water Taxis has continued to operate under its own unique brand and identity, the acquisition of AquaTaxi provided the Alborns with a total of 15 water taxis and over half of the Abel Tasman National Park water taxi capacity. With complete focus on their own performance and in creating a great experience for their customers, the business has continued to grow. They are keen to show everybody the little spot they believe is the best place in the known galaxy!
The Merger
On October 1st 2025 Marahau Water Taxis merged into Abel Tasman AquaTaxis. This means you’ll just have to look for one website, one pick up spot and one great AquaTaxi service!
We’d like to thank all our loyal customers for travelling with us over the last 28 years that Marahau Water Taxis has been serving the region. Our intention is to streamline our service to serve you even better!
Come along and enjoy the ride!
