Jet Boating in Winter

Yes, the Shotover Jet runs in winter. Its GetYourGuide listing includes heated handrails during winter and tells riders to dress warmly, with a hat, gloves and warm layers. Several other Queenstown jet boats say the same kind of thing in their listings, and a winter ride is a different experience from a summer one mainly because of the cold. This page covers which rides say they run through winter, how cold it gets, what to wear and how long each ride keeps you out on the water.

Which rides run in winter

Going only by what the booking listings say:

• Shotover Jet: heated handrails during winter, and advice to dress warmly in a hat, gloves and warm layers. Eyewear is recommended all year.
• KJet: runs rain or shine, 365 days a year, with heated handrails, which the listing says is so the boat can run through the winter.
• Dart River Wilderness Jet: the Viator listing says it operates in all weather conditions and asks you to wear a warm outer layer, with extra layers on colder days. Spray jackets are supplied, and the GetYourGuide listing mentions water and windproof jackets.
• Skippers Canyon Jet: life jackets and spray jackets are supplied, with gloves in winter.
• Dart River canoe and jet day: wetsuits, life jackets, booties and thermals are supplied, plus gloves in winter.
• Kawarau rafting and jet boat: wetsuits, rafting clothing and the rest of the equipment are supplied, and there are hot showers at the rafting base.
• Thunder Jet: its listings don’t mention winter, so check the booking calendar for your dates.

How cold is Queenstown in winter?

Queenstown’s winter runs from June to August. NIWA’s long-term averages for 1991–2020 put Queenstown’s mean daily maximum at about 8°C in July, the coldest month, with a mean overnight minimum of about −1°C, so frosty mornings are normal. June is similar, and August is slightly milder at about 10°C by day.

On a jet boat the air feels colder than that. The listings quote speeds of up to 90 km/h on the Shotover Jet and up to 95 km/h on KJet, and you are sitting in the open. Riders say as much in their reviews. One KJet rider warned that it was “very VERY cold”; another advised dressing warmly for the 10am ride in winter. A Shotover Jet rider said it was a little cold on the day, but the heated handrails helped.

Which ride keeps you out in the cold longest

If you feel the cold, the time on the water matters more than the ride’s name. From longest to shortest:

• Dart River Wilderness Jet: about two hours from the Glenorchy base, or about four hours as a round trip with transfers from Queenstown.
• KJet and the Thunder Jet 1-hour ride: one hour each.
• Skippers Canyon Jet: about 25 minutes on the upper Shotover inside a three-hour trip, with the rest on the bus and a stop at the Pipeline Bungy area.
• Thunder Jet 30-minute ride: 30 minutes.
• Shotover Jet: 25 minutes.

Of the rides above, the Shotover Jet has the shortest time on the water, and it has the heated handrails. For a winter ride with the least time in the cold, it’s the obvious choice. The Dart River canoe day and the rafting trip keep you outdoors much longer, but both supply wetsuits; the rafting trip’s GetYourGuide listing gives it as a 25-minute jet boat transfer followed by an hour of rafting.

What to wear jet boating in winter

The Shotover Jet listing asks for a hat, gloves and warm layers in winter, plus warm clothing and sunglasses. Choose a hat that stays on at speed: one guest lost a beanie to the river, and the operator says phones must stay secured in a pocket while the boat is moving, with lockers at the base for anything else. KJet’s list of things to bring includes gloves, a hat, sunglasses or goggles and weather-appropriate clothing. The Dart River asks for a warm outer layer and supportive closed-toe shoes, with extra layers on colder days. Skippers asks you to dress for the conditions, with warm clothing and a hat.

Eye protection comes up again and again. The Shotover Jet recommends eyewear all year, and a Viator reviewer found it very windy and recommended layers and eye protection. Our what to wear jet boating guide goes through the full list, and do you get wet jet boating covers spray.

Weather delays and cancellations

Running through winter doesn’t mean every trip goes ahead. One Shotover Jet reviewer’s tip was to expect possible delays due to weather and lake conditions, and to tell the operator if you have other activities booked that day. The rafting listing says trips may be cancelled because of river, road or weather conditions, with a full refund or a new date offered. The Shotover Jet’s minimum height of 1.0 m may also rise to 1.2 m in high river conditions, which matters if you are travelling with children. Each listing shows free cancellation up to 24 hours before the ride, per the booking page, and it helps to book early in your stay so there’s room to move.

The Shotover Jet is from $118 per person on Viator, rated 4.8 from 2,907 reviews, or from $113 on the GetYourGuide listing, rated 4.9 from 1,743 reviews.

Where to go next

To compare winter with the other seasons, see the best time for jet boating in Queenstown. Compare the two most popular winter options on Shotover Jet vs KJet, read more about the canyon ride on our Shotover Jet page, or see how long each ride lasts on the longest Queenstown jet boat ride. When you’re ready, check availability for your dates.