Queenstown Kawarau River Rafting And Jet Boat

What an incredible experience! From start to finish, it exceeded all of my expectations. Our guide, Franci, was absolutely awesome. Friendly, knowledgeable, and made the whole trip even more enjoyable. The water levels were quite high on the day, which made the experience much more extreme than I had expected, and I loved every minute of it! It added an extra level of excitement and adventure that made the trip unforgettable. The jet boat ride was incredibly fun, with plenty of thrills and excitement along the way. The scenery was also absolutely beautiful, with stunning views throughout the entire journey. If you're looking for an exciting adventure combined with breathtaking scenery, I highly recommend this experience. A definite 5-star experience!

I was disappointed that the shot over jet boat didn't go in-between the rocks like the advertisement in Australia, but we had a great time with the white water rafting with Mathew as our guide, the people with the rafting were terrific & I'll come back and do it again with them 💯

Amazing trip. Our guides Finn, Matt and Rajou were great. Felt super safe and had so much fun including river swimming, rock jumping and mastering big rapid sections. The jet boat ride to the start of the rafting was a great add on.

We traveled from Europe to New Zealand, our rafting trip, which we booked for 2:00 PM, was canceled upon arrival by the company, saying they didn't have enough guides. They told us to come another time! We were very disappointed, I do not recommend this company!!!

Absolutely fabulous! Great fun! Very professional outfit with lots of laughs along the way. Harry’s stories kept us amused and Morgan’s excellent raft guiding skills kept us engaged and safe, and ensured we had an amazing time!

The double-play of the jet boat AND the river raft was perfect!!!!!!!!! Our driver on the jet boat was BADASS!!!!!!!

Did Kawarau with Sia and had such a blast we came right back to do Shotover. Lucky enough to have Sia again and Olly as our guides. If you’re in Queenstown rafting with this team is a must!

My wife and I reserved a white water rafting trip near Queenstown with RealNZ earlier this week. Just an hour before we to report for our tour today, we received a phone call saying the trip was cancelled owing to too few people having signed up. The person who called offered no apology and no option besides a refund or a tour the next day which he said would probably also be cancelled. I was stunned that a large and supposedly reputable company would behave so poorly. While cancelling was within their rights by contract, informing us so close to the departure time and offering no apology is simply bad business practice. Before booking, please be aware that this is the way they do business.

Very good rafting guide (Cai). Nice folks. Beautiful blue-colored water and several opportunities to swim. Wet suit, jacket and booties kept me warm and equipment was in very good condition. Clear safety instructions on how to paddle and ride in the raft. Jet boat to the rafting launch site was fun.

The rafting was so fun - jumped in the water several times - natural cold plunge! Our guides Kai and Raju were awesome. Can’t wait to come back and do it again!

Francie and Sia we’re amazing

Amelia, Jesse, Finn, and Harry were a top notch crew who ensured we had a righteous good time! Whole experience was timely, well communicated and full of good humor. Had a great time and look forward to booking the gnarlier experience on the next go.

We were originally scheduled for a jet boat ride and rafting tour, but since that option didn’t make, the company shifted us to a different rafting trip on the Shotover River. There was about a $40 price difference, which was promptly refunded, so we appreciated the transparency and adjustment. Overall, the rafting trip itself was very good. Our guide was knowledgeable, fun, and made the experience enjoyable. We were provided with all the necessary gear, and there were six of us in the boat plus the guide, which felt like a good group size. My personal goal for the trip was simply not to fall out of the boat — mission accomplished! The river was rated around Class III–IV, and the trip lasted about 1.5 to 2 hours, with several exciting rapids mixed with calmer pools in between. The only reason I didn’t give this experience five stars was the quality of the photos provided afterward. Since you can’t take your own cameras on the rafting trip, the company photos are the only way to document the experience. Unfortunately, the images were low quality and limited, making it difficult to capture the memory of the trip. I would definitely recommend this rafting experience, but I’d also encourage the company to improve the photo quality and offer more photo opportunities so guests can better remember the adventure.

This was the best day of my Queenstown trip! I finally checked cliff jumping off my bucket list, followed by a refreshing swim in the clear water. The sunny weather made everything feel perfect and full of life. The Show Over Jet Boat was a blast! Our French captain (sorry I forgot your name!) cranked up the rock and roll, making the ride as fun as the stunning views. He was super professional and kept us safe while we had a wild time. Rafting was equally amazing. The three young guides (captain + two boat hands) were attentive, kept us safe, and chatted nonstop to keep the mood high. Our driver was also lovely—sorry I can’t remember her name, but she made the whole day smooth. The team took great photos to capture our memories. I highly recommend this to anyone in Queenstown! It’s exciting, pushes your limits, and shows you a new side of yourself. To the boss: please praise this amazing team—they’re truly outstanding! ✨——Monica

Fantastic Trip, what an experience. First an adrenaline filled jet boat ride and then a fabulous adventure down the river, riding the rapids, floating in the water and some cliff jumping. Don’t miss this amazing trip. Thanks to all the guys and a special thanks to our guide Mark for his expert rafting skills and for making the trip such fun 👏🏻👏🏻

So much fun! A great way to cover both rafting and the shotover boat ride in the same experience. We loved it

We laughed, we played!! Seamless easy, fun…great guides and driver! Professional… made everyone feel like family and safe !! They rocked it!

Super fun and well instructed! All the staff are super friendly, informative and make sure you’re having fun the whole way through

Very well organized, fun guides, good rental equipment, and overall exciting experience! 100% recommended

Very professional and well run rafting experience. Guides were very particular about safety. Our guide Jess was great and steered our boat expertly. Wish there were more large rapids during the rafting.

Awesome trip. From the check in, transportation, debriefing, equipment to the jet boat and the rafting, everything was well organised, very professional and with a lot of humour. The jet boat was fun and Dan gave us some 360 and showed a tip from the boat abilities. In the rafting part, the river was amazing and Josh, our guide, took us safely through swimming, rock jumping and rapids crossing with a lot of funny and interesting talks in between. It was perfect! Everyone in the family loved it😎

Super fun trip. Jess drove us down in the jet boat and we got some great view of the lake and Shotover river. Maria was a great rafting guide, and the whole team was super friendly.

We had an amazing experience, all the guides were awesome, the river was gorgeous and we had so much fun!

I have been on river rafting experiences before but this was the best! The guides Nelly Harry and Jacob were amazing! Friendly and wanted us to have an exciting experience without compromising safety. First time I was able to get off the raft and experience a rapid .

It was really nice and fun. The river is beautiful, and the staff was awesome. Thanks!

This is a great combination! The jet boat ride disappointed but the rafting was terrific! Fun, professional and personable guides! We've experienced both venues before and the rafting was a must do!

What an absolutely awesome experience! We did the Kawarau River rafting and jet boat with our family, ranging in age from 15 through to adult children, and it was a hit with everyone. The experience was thrilling without being intimidating, making it perfect for families with teens and adults alike. The water was exciting, the scenery was stunning, and the whole adventure was incredibly well run. Our guide was outstanding—fun, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel safe and confident while keeping the energy high. From start to finish, the team were professional, friendly, and clearly passionate about what they do. It felt like a really well-organised operation that genuinely cares about giving people a great experience. A fantastic company, an unforgettable adventure, and a real highlight of our Queenstown trip. Highly recommend for families looking for something fun, exciting, and memorable!

We had such an easy going and fun trip. Lovely guides well organised and entertaining. Jet boat was fast and exciting. Rafting was through gorgeous countryside, exciting and fun. Travelling with my daughter and we both enjoyed it greatly!

Booking, waivers, information was easily accessible on line. The Real NZ sent everything that was needed from waivers to confirmation. We felt well prepared and when we arrived, we were suited, and oriented for safety and off to jet boat in no time. We met the others after our jet boat and it was a blast. The only sad part is the pictures they took didn’t have any pictures of the rapids or boats going through them

My husband and adult son did the jet boat to rafting 1/2 day experience w RealNZ. It was terrific! In hindsight we would have skipped the jet boat and only done the rafting trip.(The jet boat was like a large jet ski that you couldnt control) the rafting was so beautiful and our guide Nico was great!

Wonderful rafting experience with bonus jet boat ride. Nice mix of float and rapids on the raft. Very well organized and felt safe. Guide Matt was great and keep it fun the entire time. River is spectacular

We had a wonderful time with Matt on the raft and Jess on the jet boat. Felt well looked after and it was very well organised. My daughter found the rafting the most fun of our activities in Queenstown.

This combo package was exceptionally well run from start to finish. Logistics were completely seamless between gearing up, transfers and timing between activities; all worked effortlessly, which made the whole outing very fun. The guides really made the day. Everyone was professional, fun and genuinely engaging, with great chemistry as a team. Morgan was my raft guide, she was confident, calm, and entertaining, with a great balance of clear instruction, humor, and local knowledge. The combo of strong teamwork and great personalities made this a standout experience.

The rafting experience is short compared to other similar activities i have done in the rest of the world. However, our guide Nico (not sure if this is how it’s spelled), who is from Chile, did a very good and professional job maintaining safety, keeping good vibes and making sure we enjoyed!

Had a great time with the jet boating and white water rafting. The staff were very professional and knowledgeable which gave us confidence going through the rapids.Our rafting guide Kye was an absolute legend. I would highly recommend this. Thanks Real NZ !!!

I was nervous, but after the first rapid I wanted to do it all day! Our guide Mark was absolutely outstanding, so friendly and knowledgeable!

Jess was an awesome driver for the Jet Boat! Gabe, Guy & Libby were epic guides for the rafting! We were lucky to have trainees on our trip and Corben was great, so lovely to see the passion being passed along! Shout out to Dylan who drove the bus and made the whole thing seamless. Thanks for an epic experience team :)

This excursion was the very best that I've ever experienced. First of all the RealNZ staff, right from the beginning at the booking office, were friendly and helpful. However, the boys and girls running the boats and rafts were next level! They were immense fun and very, very entertaining - we laughed A LOT. Despite their jocular nature, they were clear and firm in respect of all safety briefings and requirements. Any apprehension we felt prior to embarking onto the river quickly disappeared. It truly was the best entertainment we'd had since arriving in beautiful NZ. The organisation was extremely good. Everything went smoothly and we felt safe throughout. I'd thoroughly recommend these activities to anyone.

Our favourite activity of our NZ holiday!! The rafting was so much fun, as there had not been much rain, the rapids were tame but the fun had by jumping into the water a few times off the raft and floating down stream, jumping off the 5M rock was awesome and our guide was so informative of the surroundings and guiding us on the journey

Great afternoon of rafting in Queenstown. Started with the jet boat which was fun. Guides were fantastic, with plenty of humour mixed with their expertise.

What a great day!! The guides were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and fun. We started with an amazing jet boat ride on the river and then fun white water rafting. Everyone on staff was super helpful and friendly

The jet boating was fun, not scary fun though! The rafting was very enjoyable but because the water level was low the rapids were smallish. The guides did a good job making it fun anyway

The speed boat was lots of fun - high energy and unique. Rafting was also a blast, manageable rapids, always felt safe. Guides were super friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend Gabe! Would absolutely book again.

Absolutely brilliant afternoon! 30 min jet boat ride was exhilarating, 360 degree turns and twists and turns made it so much fun! Then onto the rapids, our guide was brilliant, had as much fun as his team (we were all ladies of a certain age and adrenaline junkies) we swam in the beautiful river, went through some fun rapids and got purposely flipped. To top it off we jumped from a 6m cliff. Would recommend this to everyone. The health and safety spot on and the processes for kit on and removal like clockwork.

Me and my partner had an absolutely amazing time on the shotover boat/rafting day. The team were all great fun and friendly and we had the amazing Emma as our guide on our rafting boat and she was extremely informative and made it great fun for all of us on our boat. 100% would do again and recommend to anyone thinking of doing it!

We really enjoyed this experience! The river was beautiful and they took some great photos (which was great since we didn't have cameras on the boat). We were outfitted with wetsuits and got the opportunity to jump in and swim in a few places and then do the cliff jumping. A beautiful day and lots of fun. We'd only been river rafting once before but they told us what we needed to know and it was a pretty easy raft ride! Definitely recommend!

Wow, really fun! First time jet boating, and it was great. Friend was concerned it would hurt her neck with the turns, but no problem. Next part, the rafting, was my conern. I have a lot of experience but just don't like the big water anymore. This was pretty tame in Feb., a few real rapids but nothing crazy, and the river was gorgeous. Opportunity to swim, cliff jump too

The jet boat and rafting tour was a great experience. The staff is friendly, explained everything well and gave all the necessary safety instructions. You also have the opportunity to jump out of the boat during the rafting to swim. Even if you are traveling alone, this tour is more than worth it.

We had the best time in the sunshine with our guides. They are knowledgeable and kept spirits high, always making sure everyone felt comfortable and safe. Can’t recommend enough!