Jet Boat and Rafting

If you want a jet boat ride and white-water rafting in Queenstown on one ticket, the trip to look at is RealNZ’s Kawarau River Rafting and Jet Boat. It is the only jet-and-raft combo sold through Viator and GetYourGuide in our data. The jet boat is how you reach the river and the rafting is the main event, so book it for the rapids and treat the jet boat as a bonus. It takes about 4.5 hours and starts from $191 per person on Viator (4.9 from 183 reviews) or from $186 on GetYourGuide (4.8 from 148 reviews). Check the live price on the booking page before you choose.

How the day runs

Check in at least 20 minutes before your departure. The GetYourGuide listing describes a shuttle from the town centre to the rafting base, where you are fitted out with your gear, and then a ride back into central Queenstown to board the jet boat. The Kawarau River drains Lake Wakatipu, which is why the boat can leave from town and run downstream to the rafting station. The listing puts the transfer at 25 minutes, covering 22 km of the Kawarau at up to 95 km/h with 360-degree spins.

From the rafting station you paddle about 8 km of river. Between the rapids there are flat stretches where, the listing says, you can race the other rafts or jump out and swim. There is an optional cliff jump for anyone who wants it, and the trip finishes on the Dog Leg, which the listing calls New Zealand’s longest commercially rafted rapid, 400 m long and graded 3/4. Back at the base there are hot showers before the return to Queenstown. The Viator listing describes morning and afternoon trips.

How hard is the rafting?

The listings grade the rapids 2–3, and GetYourGuide adds that you may meet the occasional grade 2–4 rapid when the water is higher. GetYourGuide calls the trip a perfect introduction to white-water rafting for first-timers, and guides teach paddling technique before you set off. Viator asks for at least a moderate level of fitness. Guest reviews match that picture: one family, aged from 15 up to adult children, wrote that it was “thrilling without being intimidating”, and another guest described “a nice mix of float and rapids”. If anyone in your group is nervous about white water at all, the Dart River canoe trip is described as gentle paddling at a leisurely pace.

Who can go

The rules are strict and RealNZ can refuse participation if you do not meet them. You must be at least 13, weigh between 40 kg and 120 kg, and be able to swim. The listings say rafting while pregnant or with any heart condition is prohibited, and GetYourGuide adds that the trip is not suitable for anyone taking heart medication or with back problems; Viator says it is not recommended for travellers with spinal injuries. Everyone signs a waiver. The two listings phrase the guardian rule slightly differently: Viator says 13 to 15-year-olds must be accompanied by a guardian and unaccompanied 16 and 17-year-olds need a waiver signed by a guardian, while GetYourGuide says rafters under 16 must have a guardian travelling with them and every rafter under 18 needs a guardian-signed waiver. Confirm with RealNZ if your teenager is travelling without you.

What is supplied and what to bring

GetYourGuide lists a wetsuit, wetsuit jacket, spray jacket, paddle, helmet, wetsuit booties and life jacket, plus hot showers and the bus transfer between Queenstown and the rafting base. You bring swimwear and a towel. Leave valuables at your accommodation, the listing advises. Food is not included, so eat beforehand. For layers on the jet boat part, see what to wear jet boating.

When the trip does not run

GetYourGuide says trips may be cancelled because of river, road or weather conditions, or too few bookings, and that you are then offered a full refund or a different date. One Viator guest wrote that their jet boat and rafting trip did not go ahead and they were moved to a rafting trip on the Shotover River instead, with the price difference refunded, so a substitution can happen. If the jet boat is the part you care about, ask what the alternative would be. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before is available, per the booking page.

Viator or GetYourGuide?

It is the same RealNZ trip on both. Viator starts from $191 with a 4.9 rating from 183 reviews; GetYourGuide starts from $186 with 4.8 from 148 reviews. The GetYourGuide listing gives more detail on the gear and the cancellation rules. Book on whichever platform you already use, and compare the live price for your date.

Rafting, canoeing or just the jet boat?

If someone in your group is under 13 or cannot swim, the rafting trip is out. The Dart River Canoe and Jet Boat Day Trip takes paddlers from age 5, with an inflatable canoe, lunch and a full day in Mt Aspiring National Park, from $283 per person. If what you really want is the jet boat, the rafting trip gives you 25 minutes of it as a transfer. KJet gives you a full hour and 45 km of lake and river from the Main Town Pier, with a minimum age of 2, from $84 per person on GetYourGuide (4.7 from 2,017 reviews). There is no rafting on KJet.

Where to go next

See all the pairings on our jet boat combo tours page, read our KJet page, or compare the Dart River options on our Dart River page. Wondering how wet the jet boat part gets? Read do you get wet jet boating. Ready to book? Check availability.