In the UK, sea-kayaking is traditionally the preserve of dubiously dressed men sporting salt-encrusted beards and ill-fitting sou’westers. Doesn’t sound much fun, does it? In New Zealand, kayak instructors come with perky blond ponytails and 60-watt smiles. Sound better?

Everything is better in Abel Tasman National Park, an endless stretch of secluded coves and pristine beaches tucked into the sheltered reaches of Tasman Bay, at the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island. I’m here on an overnight sea-kayaking trip with Wilson’s Experiences, a local company with an eco-friendly outlook and a steadfast appreciation of some of life’s little – but nonetheless entirely essential – luxuries, such as crisp white linen, home-cooked food and oak-aged pinot noir.

After a masterclass from our own 60-watter in how to paddle a double kayak without losing any fingers (timing, it seems, is everything), I’m paired with Steve, a mustard-keen IT consultant from Auckland. No sooner have we clambered into our boats than he’s off, tearing at the water’s surface with his paddle like a prospector digging for gold. Within minutes, we’re way out in front, and gaining ground by the second. It’s all I can do to stop him from disappearing over the horizon.

Thankfully, it’s not long before Claire, our guide, decides to reinus all in for an impromptu history lesson. Tasman Bay, we soon learn, was named after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman, who anchored here in 1642. When Maori warriors came out in their canoes to issue their traditional “friend or foe” challenge, Tasman mistook it for a cheery greeting and responded with a fanfare of trumpets. In the confusion that followed, one of his crewmen and four Maori warriors were killed. It would be another 127 years before any European dared to return, but by then Heer Tasman had put Nieuw Zeeland well and truly on the map.

Picturing tall ships and trumpets, we venture north under a veil of muslin-cloth cloud, the warm water matting our hair and depositing pale, sinuous trails of salt on our sun-baked skin. Our first port of call is Stilwell Bay, a sweeping curve of sugary sand overlooked by lush, fern-clad slopes.

A majestic-looking bird, an Australasian gannet, darts fast and low over the water’s surface, while legions of cormorants line up along the water’s edge. Pint-sized blue penguins torpedo back and forth beneath our boats, their glistening bodies trailing long streams of bubbles behind them.

We alight on the perfect beach that lines the bay and spread our wet gear out to dry before delving into the neat little paper packages that have been stowed in the bows of our boats. Not for us anaemic pork pies or soggy ham-salad sandwiches; no, our reward for our efforts is angel-hair noodles with organic spring onions, sun-dried tomatoes and flame-grilled chicken.

Just beyond the bay, Claire points out a wooden cabin hidden high up in the trees to our left. It was once the home of Perrine Moncrieff, a local conservationist who spearheaded a campaign to save the area from logging in the early 1940s. Thanks to her, Abel Tasman National Park was established in 1942, to coincide with the 300th anniversary of Tasman’s original expedition.

AFTER LUNCH, we’re back on the water. One minute we’re gliding easily through mercury-smooth seas, the next we’re ploughing headlong into a succession of hull-slapping waves. We hug the coastline in a vain attempt to seek shelter from the wind. Even Steve, who up until now has been hoping to reach the Solomon Islands by teatime, is reduced to prodding ineffectually at the waves that are rolling and pitching beneath the hull of our boat.

That’s not to say it’s not exhilarating: with the wind and the salt spray stinging our cheeks, our busy, complicated lives are reduced to the three feet in front of our kayaks and the steady, intoxicating rhythm of our paddle blades striking the water.

Finally, after an hour or more, we emerge triumphant at Torrent Bay Lodge, an imposing clinker-built mansion that looks as if it’s been transplanted here from the Hamptons. Exhausted but elated, we peel off our wet gear and gather round the wood-burning stove in the lounge for homemade brownies and hot chocolate, before retiring to our rooms to try out our cotton-clad beds for size. In the event, they fit rather well.

At sundown, we reconvene for a beer out on the deck, then adjourn to the conservatory for a healthy helping of baked salmon with roasted parsnips and honey-glazed onions. In keeping with our journey’s environmental ethos, the food is all locally sourced and the aforementioned pinot noir is 100% organic, a fact that merely adds to our burgeoning sense of wellbeing. By the time we retire to bed, we are all in agreement that the waves we braved were at least 6ft high, and that the wind was strong enough to blow small birds backwards.

Day two dawns breathlessly still. After yesterday’s skirmish with the wind and waves, our kayaks seem to slice effortlessly through the water, their shadows gliding in tandem across the rippled sand of the inshore shallows. Gaining in confidence, we rock-hop along the coast, ducking in and out of little lagoons and darting through giant granite archways made smooth by sand and tide. At Falls River, we’re swept gently upstream by the fast-flowing waters of a tidal race. At Pinnacle Island, we watch in wonder as half a dozen seals dive, swoop and roll beneath our boats, belly up and close enough to touch.

And so it continues: with each new horizon comes a new revelation, a new experience to be savoured and appreciated, until finally we arrive at Medlands Beach, one of the most scenic spots in Tasman Bay.

Paul Grogan travelled as a guest of Air New Zealand and Wilson’s Experiences. His book Barbed Wire & Babushkas, about the first source-to-sea journey along the Amur river, in Siberia, is published by Virgin Books (£7.99)

Travel details: Wilson’s Experiences (www.abeltasman.co.nz) offers fully guided tours in Abel Tasman National Park, from a two-day sea-kayaking trip (about £270pp) to a five-day kayaking/walking trip (about £590pp). Prices include local transport, equipment rental, instruction, luggage transfer and full-board accommodation in luxury beachfront lodges; no experience is necessary. One-day itineraries are also available; from about £40pp. Bridge & Wickers (020 7483 6555, www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk) has a 10-day fly-drive in the South Island of New Zealand from £1,695pp, staying in boutique guest houses in Wellington, Nelson, Queenstown, the west coast and Christchurch, with flights from Heathrow to Wellington (and back from Christchurch, via Auckland each way) with Air New Zealand. Or try Tailor Made Travel (0845 456 8006, www.tailor-made.co.uk), Trailfinders (0845 054 6060, www.trailfinders.com), or Audley Travel (01993 838000, www. audleytravel.com).

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