Kawarau River Whitewater Rafting with Jet Boat Ride
- Pair two iconic on-the-water experiences: jet boating and whitewater rafting
- Experience a fast-paced 30-minute jet boat ride with 360-degree spins to the rafting launch
- Rafting through the historic Kawarau gorge, famous for its gold mining, wineries, and stint in The Lord of the Rings franchise
- Paddle and swim your way through grade 2–3 whitewater rapids with a brand-new cliff jumping section added for adventure junkies
- Complete your journey by tackling the famous 400m Dog Leg Rapid, the longest commercially rafted rapid in New Zealand
What to expect
Here is your chance to pair two of Queenstown’s most iconic experiences. Pack in those famous 360-degree spins and dramatic canyon walls as you discover the Kawarau River and its pristine wilderness. The Queenstown Jet Boat will race down the river to your next mode of transport. Jump straight into a raft with the team to complete the last section of the river, where jet boats fear to go. Soak in the impressive sights while rafting through the historic Kawarau gorge, famous for its gold mining, wineries, and stint in the Lord of the Rings franchise.
Paddle and swim your way through grade 2–3 whitewater rapids, with a brand-new cliff jumping section added for adventure junkies. Complete your journey by tackling the famous 400-meter Dog Leg rapid, the longest commercially rafted rapid in New Zealand. Then head back to Rafting Base for a hot shower.






Reviews
had a sensational time. rafting + jet boat experience allowed you to hit two birds with one stone for queenstown activities. Our guide, Guy, made the experience feel safe but still really fun! would tecommend doing this.
Very experienced Raft guide, their accessories and gears for Rafting are very equipped. Great experience in Jet Boat ride and river rafting. Thank you RealNZ for the great experience
the guides was good, helpful and professional. The equipment provided was full and comprehansive to ensure u are safe and stay warm to fully enjoy the rafting trip.
Very easy booking with Klook that saved us $$. Excellent half day trip with Real NZ. Jet boat was exhilarating (although a bit short). Whitewater rafting was amazing fun. All gear provided, just show up in your swimsuit and bring a towel. Guides focused on safety but made it fun with lots of jokes too. We were 6 people in a raft with guide Chris including some first timers, had a chance to jump in & swim, cliff jump, and play games in the water. You should be a comfortable swimmer in moving water for this activity. Sad that the rafting was over so quickly. Would recommend!
instructor: Niko/Nico. Great instructor and funny guy. Please support him in his role as an instructor and he will give you the utmost of fun while preserving the best of safety :)
My first time doing white water rafting in grade 3 rapid. It does have certain level of risks even for grade 3 and would say do it only if you have strong lung capacity and confident in water.
It was so exhilarating! A must do. Guides are all very friendly & knowledgable. Great experience with family & friends.
This was a fun tour, but do read up about it carefully as it won't suit all levels of thrill-seekers. The rapids you go through are very mild, mostly levels 1-2 and one very short stretch of level 3 rapids. Its great for first-timers who want to tick off "rapids" on their bucket list, but if you have done your own steering of a boat through rapids, or even done a similar level 1-3 rapids experience before, this might underwhelm. Some key things for those considering: - Clothing. Just wear swim-wear. For men, try to wear tighter fitting instead of baggy surfboard shorts, for example. As you'll need to put on a tight wetsuit. Or you can choose to eschew clothing completely and go commando in your wetsuit. - Glasses wearers. They offer a "string" you secure your glasses. It looks very dubious that it will hold. Bring your own glasses strap that are sold for water sports. Contacts will be fine too. - Time spent on water. Barely one hour, of the 4+ hours you will need to dedicate for this trip. For the 9am tour, you'll arrive at their office in central Queenstown at 8:45ish. Then go to their equipment depot by bus. Then again by bus to the actual launch site. Then when the rafting is finished, back in reverse to the depot, then back to the Queenstown office. You finish like at 1pm to 1:30pm, so that's a total of almost 4.5 hours spent to get 1 hour on the water. - Bring snacks and water, none are provided. - Parking in Queenstown is difficult, plan ahead. For the 9am tour, the closest car park is the Man St parking, but its expensive as it is private. Just a bit further is the Lakeview public parking, $2 per hour. Plenty of spaces at that time of day. But probably not for the 2pm tour.
Filled with adrenaline. Worth experiencing at least once in a lifetime l.
We had an amazing time with Morgan!
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