Queenstown Kawarau River Whitewater Rafting

Such a fun day! The team was very knowledgeable and felt in safe hands ! Great activity, even as a first timer doing it.

Had an amazing time white water rafting with our guide Guy, he made the trip awesome with his clear communication, humour, friendliness and cool facts about random things. We were a boat full of people who had pretty much never been white water rafting before, and Guy ensured we all had heaps of fun, were safe and well equipped for the journey. Loved the experience!

I loved the experience. It was fabulous the crew made me feel safe in their experience. I would do it again.

Such a great experience on a sunny day!!! Justin was a super good guide! We felt safe and well taken care of even during some wild rapids. Was very fun and beginner friendly!

Fun, engaging and capable staff especially driver, raft guides and safety crew. Any disappointment re: Shotover being unsafe, was long gone after an amazing high water run on this route. Crew chatted up our group and kept us laughing and engaged the whole time on, in and off the water.

Great fun, knowledgeable guides who constantly worked to ensure we were captivated and entertained. Very easy, low level rapids so it was perfect for beginners. Took us about 4.5 hours all up with only 1 hour in the water. Couldn’t be helped. Lots of travel, set up and prep required to ensure we had a good experience. Got to jump in, swim, jump off rocks, bump into cliff edges, all very fun and safe.

That’s fantastic experience for all of our family, Morgan and Benji are the best instructors I ever met, they are both so professional and gave us complete sense of safety, fun, and exciting moments, and I am the one who worried a little about this tour because I am not a good swimmer and I was panic in the previous day’s canyon experience when I was in the water during the tour - I found I could not swim correctly with the gears! But Morgan and Benji were giving me lots of instructions and confidence and I was prepared to try swimming if I was accidentally getting into the water - however I didn’t because of Morgan’s just right instructions to us all. It’s really exciting and fun moments, my husband and my son enjoyed a lot and my son even tried cliff diving, Dean watched out and keep the jumpers safe. All of the staff members are very experienced, and interact with us perfectly, Morgan and Benji are both so humorous. Anyway, thanks so much for their help and professional service. We will definitely recommend this activity to others! All the best! Vivien

One of the best experiences of my trip to NZ. Great way to see the beautiful terrain and also learned that the river was in a scene from Lord of the Rings. Benji was an incredible guide/team coach and made the river trip super fun.

Ok...I thought this was going to be fun ... it was way more fun than I thought. Highly recommend Real NZ' Queenstown Kawrau Rafting Trip. Dan, Dane, Heiggy and Asa were awesome...friendly, funny and knowledgeable. Made our first time rafting family comfortable...get ready to get wet (don't worry, they outfit you will full wet suit and the swimming was very enjoyable!) and have some fun. Thanks again to Dane, Dan, Heiggy and Asa for a great day...your friends from Wisconsin, USA!

White water rafting was an incredible experience. Our guides (so sorry cannot remember their names) were awesome and made the rapids even that much more fun. Even got an opportunity to swim a bit and do some cliff jumping. This is a very family friendly event since the rapids were only level 2/3 (not bad at all), so for first timers, this is the one for you.

Amazing place and amazing instructors who made the experience even better!

The team was amazing. From the driver to the tour guides on the water, we had so much fun. The scenery was amazing the Rapids were good for a beginner.

Stupendous! So much fun & beauty. The crew was outstanding!! We are coming back again.

A well organised day from start to finish the crew were capable and enthusiastic in there jobs encouraging us new to rafting to get the most from our day, next trip I will try a more challenging white water rafting experience

Thank you to Dane and team for a wonderful day. You all were fun, provided great safety tips, and made great jokes. We also had a wonderfully diverse worldwide group that had a great day chatting it up. Thanks again!

We had so much fun on this raft ride. It’s listed as level 2-3 rapids, great for fun and a bit of exhilarating ride. Good for those just starting to white water rafting. There was opportunity to swim or float along side the rafts and n opportunity to jump off a small cliff.. It was relaxing in some parts a bit of pad dealing in others. We had a wonderful group and great weather! The guides were fun and knowledgeable. Safety was number 1 with great instructions given. Definitely would do this again

Would recommend this to anyone who fancies a little bit of and adrenaline spike without being life threatening. Two boats went down the Kawarau with one H&S guy in a kayak in front with a GoPro. As long as you are comfortable in the water, fully kitted out in lifejackets and helmets, this is an easy float down a beautiful canyon. The guys add in a few thrills for those that want them, like a little cliff jumping, and the rapids on my day were fairly gentle. I didn't note down the guides names but they were fantastic, informative ,professional and encouraging to those on the boat who may have been a little apprehensive. I would do this again tomorrow.

Very enjoyable rafting experience in a beautiful setting and with first rate guides. Well worth the outing and reasonable value

Lots of fun. We had no previous experience but everything was well explained and felt safe. Will, who accompanied us in our raft, was a fun guide and made sure we all stayed safe and enjoyed the trip. Would recommend this trip.

Kawarou River White Water Rafting. This one would be a challenge. Not just because of the subject matter, but because of the logistics involved. First, Sashi kindly drops us at the bus pick up from the heart of Queenstown which drops us off at the Rafting base at Arthurs Point. Then, mixed with 16 other victims : three young Japanese and one elderly German tourist and a bunch of young thrill seeker Aussies ready for action. At 59, I was the second oldest there. We would be required to leave everything behind (even glasses and certainly hats – a challenge for me and my “burn in 10 minutes” white skin on my face.) Wetsuits on, we were firmly warned against peeing in them. With the complete return trip lasting over 3 hours, I knew that was at least one order I probably wouldn’t be able to follow. Then, on to the second bus for the trip to the river, where we received plenty of comment from our thirtysomething guide team who like many working in this field, follow the seasons working around the globe. They had just completed similar work in the Northern hemisphere and hadn’t seen a Winter in at least five years. However when you want the best people (and it’s having the “best people” that New Zealand is so well known for) then that’s the deal I guess. Most older folk could be forgiven for feeling they’ve stepped into a world where they don’t belong. However I generally feel crazily at home with much younger people than myself. This is probably because part of me never grew up and I was denied such freedoms at young age. I was going to get on with this crowd just fine. No mincing words though : this ain’t no carnival ride. It ain’t been checked a dozen times over by all manner of authorities. This is out in the wild. If you do dumb stuff, you’re gonna get dead. There’s even a chance you’ll end up that way if you’re not dumb. So.. no lying about your swimming ability please! 45 minutes later, the bus towing a trailer loaded with three inflatable rafts - pulls up into a dusty outcrop off New Zealand State Highway six, around 80 metres vertically higher than the river – we’re here. They’ve rigged up a rather elaborate flying fox scheme to get the boats down to river level. However that’s not accredited for humans.. so we’re hiking down. But not before the wetsuit jacket’s on and then over the top, a life jacket. Our lead group is a team of five. One “coxman” per boat, one in a kayak that will ride cover for anyone who falls out of a boat and also serve as a pseudo camera platform with a go pro, and one bus driver to drive the empty bus & trailer to the pick out point. By the time we’re down the bottom by the river in the blazing sun, everyone’s overheating in the suits so despite being told not to get in the river, everyone’s in and wet in the 12deg C water just to prevent overheating. I do the same, special care to swish extra water down my neck. The suit and jacket is super boyant There’s no way you can put your head underwater. Just getting water down my neck is a chore. Then comes the inevitable split – into teams of six victims per boat plus coxman (for one boat its actually a coxwoman). Then hand out the oars. Oh no, people: this ain’t no cruise ride, you’re gonna have to work. And if you don’t, then the boat will probably end up tuned over in the rapids. It’s all dutifully explained. Somehow me and Kimby get dobbed into being the front pair of our boat. It was only towards the end of the trip, that I find out why the coxman probably did this. After a bit of practice rowing, command taking and at least one collision with rocks on the shore, we’re ordered off the boat and into the water for a swim. This of course is really an invitation to learn how to get back into the boat again, which is impossible without you being assisted by a team mate. The process is to grab an outbound human by the life jacket and yank them up far enough so their belly can mount the side of the boat, with their bum hanging over the side. Then, once they can grab the ropes, they should be able to get themselves in by flailing their legs around. The course down the Kawarau consists of a few mild rapids, interspersed by a number of calm, wide river moments. The trick in the rapids is to (apparently) make sure that your boat power is more powerful than the river. That means in a rapid, all six oarsmen are supposed to paddle hard forward regardless of where the boat is being thrown. Your position is one of sitting on the sides of the boat, with both of your legs locked into this weird key that jams your feet into the sides of the boat, hopefully preventing you from falling out. If it becomes apparent that the boat is about to be swamped, the coxman yells “down” and you adopt a kind of crash position deeper in the boat with your oar safely stowed outwards so it can’t hit anyone. The calm waters become a bit of an excuse to play. We swish past “competing” boats, trying to splash them. Or run along the middle of the boat, jumping into the water. There’s plenty of opportunity to practice floating with the rapids and then trying to swim back towards the boat to re board. The second calm water segment includes a favourite rock stop where everyone is encouraged to get out and go jump off the rock into the river, which I of course do. It’s the only time my head will actually go under water. By this time I’m thirsty, so deliberately let my mouth open to take in some of the crystal clear waters which are totally drinkable. That said, it was around this time my cancer damaged 59 year old frame had to warm the suit’s midsection too. This was done after my drinks, making sure to swish plenty more water through to wash it out. The Kawarou Gorge bridge is famous for being the place where bungy jumping was born. True to its name, just as we come around the corner and begin to go under it, off comes a bungy jumper at the original AJ Hackett facility. After settling, she’s rescued by a pair of chaps in another boat as we drift past. For us, it’s on to the major rapids, the place where most mishaps and fall outs occur. A few more swims for us then back into the boat for the final drive. It comes quite sudden and fast. Kimby and myself going nuts at that stage, rowing to keep the boat progressing forwards instead of turning sideways and thus turning over. The others.. well… they were making the moves but the paddles weren’t touching the water much. My upper arms and mid section now thoroughly drained of blood and full of lactic acid but not wanting to really turn the boat over, I keep going. Now I know why the coxman had out us at the front. His calculation was probably that both me and Kimby had the strongest upper body strength of the group. Seems he was right, as we successfully passed the rapids without anyone falling out or us tipping over. High sixes in the boat with our oars after that, although later that night my body would complain bitterly about the abuse I had just put it through. Maybe next time.. someone else at the front please. Soon it was all over, we approached the final extraction point, pulling the boats up onto a rocky outcrop and then lifting the whole lot up to the trailer and waiting bus. Off with the life jackets and most (including me) took the opportunity to also remove the upper wetsuit jacket before all squeezing straight back on the bus for the 45 minute drive back to the rafting HQ at Arthurs Point, where we were able to finally get out of our wetsuits and gear, wash it all out, have a short hot shower and prepare to return on the other bus back to Queenstown. The river rafting once again left me with one of those “oh hang on, I get it now, do you think we can try that again” moments. Next time maybe I’ll take on the Shotover River. Only negative point was that somehow me and Kimby missed out on most of the photos taken. Oh well.

Loved every minute. A beautiful warm day, sparkling water, clear blue sky and dramatic scenery - and rapids :). Wonderfully led by Jess, Harry and Jacob.

We’ve had so much fun rafting on Kawarau river with RealNZ. Staffs (Morgan, Matti, Maz) are super friendly. Beautiful water & view, fun experience jumping in icy cold water. Will definitely do it again when we return.

Super fun, beautiful views, and Nico was an excellent guide! Felt very safe while still getting the thrill of rafting. Highly recommend.

Great experience rafting with the help of Guy, Benji, Matt, Matt and Ryan. Benji, who piloted our boat, easily guided us through some very rough water.

The rafting itself was great, but of the 4 hour experience, we first all changed into wet suits, then we took a long, boring, long bus ride into the country. We stopped on top of a palisade, then had to walk down the gravel path, then wait until the boats were conveyed down. The rafting was great, then the boats had to be winched back, another long, boring ride back to headquarters, then changing. Did I mention we spent like 1 11/4 hours on bus rides?

It was a great experience and a good intro to rafting. Everyone was so lovely and helpful. The set up was well organised and managed, letting us get to the rafting as soon as possible. Nico, our guide was the best, he made the experience fun while managing the raft through the water and rapids expertly.

Wonderful guide, gorgeous river and fun rapids. Our guide Niko (sorry if I’m spelling that wrong) was funny, entertaining and great at his job. Really knew the river and made it a great trip for all.

OH MY GOODNESS THIS WAS SOOO FUN! We had an absolutely awesome time and it went on for longer than I was expecting (yay!). Our instructor Nico was fabulous- very funny and good at making conversation! But he also made sure we all felt very safe. The rapids are really such a cool experience!

Brilliant fun!! Would highly recommend 👌 Family of kids and adults. Everyone had a great time thanks team! Ready for grade 5 next time 😜

Finished the trip and wanted to go again! Our guide Matt was fantastic guide and we had plenty of time for a swim and to go through the rapids. I would highly recommend!

Good starters rapid trip. Lots of time to chill in the river with a few fun rapids. Guides were great. Beautiful views driving and great on float trip.

We loved our afternoon with Queenstown Kawarau River Whitewater Rafting! The rapids were exciting and fun - at times fast and challenging, at times relaxing enough to soak in the beautiful surroundings. Most importantly, the guides were OUTSTANDING! They made even the most difficult rapids a joy to ride. Highly recommended...

Awesome experience for 1st time rafters ! Would like to thank Instructor Mark and RealNZ team for their excellent support/service ! Appreciate it !

Amazing rafting experience. Great fun for our family. The crew was superb! Morgan was great - took good care of us and shared useful tips during rafting! Would highly recommend for 1st time rafting.

Fabulous staff made the experience awesome. Much travel and preparation for a great but short ride. Beautiful experience

Fantastic rafting experience with RealNZ. Mark was a brilliant instructor as were all the team. Safety was a key component and still we had a really fun and exhilarating afternoon. Would highly recommend it and what a fabulous river to raft on. Thanks

it was an amazing afternoon. The rapids were such fun. The team / instructors all looked after us so well and whilst being fun, friendly they were also very professional.

Must do activity when in Queenstown! We booked on the day before and are so glad that we did. The staff were super friendly and gave a thorough safety briefing about the equipment and the rapids. The activity itself was so much fun and we got to ride a grade 4 rapid at the end! We have never done white water rafting before but after this experience we would love to try it again!

Great experience, mad fun. This was my second time rafting but this one was definitely a lot of fun. The guides were great, Morgan was guiding the raft I was in and it was a perfect experience. The bus dropped us close to the river but we had to walk down a narrow trail closer to the river. Senior adults might face some issue there but there’s also an option of a Jet Boat that’ll drop one directly at the rafting spot. You also have the option to take a dip in the river, which was also great.

Such a fantastic experience!!! A perfect river for first time rafting - all the guides were so friendly and helpful, really couldn’t recommend enough

A great experience for first time rafters . Guides were awesome- experienced, skilled and very funny. Gorgeous scenery and a lot of fun.

Had an amazing time, Matt was our guide (we also had the bonus of Frances) and they made the experience great. The guides took great care in making this adventure safe. Matt was funny, engaging, calm and clearly knew his job well. Would 110% recommend this experience to anyone and would do this again.

had the best white water rafting experience with Raju, Benji, Guy, Harry, Danny & co!! Such fun and experienced people. Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for an exciting and also beautiful experience of the river.

Zane was the GOAT of all guides and made the day an absolute cracker. There was something for everyone in my family from the thrill seeking kids to the nature loving wife. I would recommend this to everyone! Thanks for a terrific day Zane and the rest of the Real NZ crew.

This was our first time white water rafting, and it was a great experience. Everything was well organised, Mark and the team made sure we felt safe and comfortable throughout. From cliff jumping to swimming in the refreshing water, riding the rapids was fun and an unforgettable adventure. The autumn colours along the Kawarau River were stunning and made the whole experience even more memorable. Highly recommended for first-timers!

It was an incredible experience, and the rafting guides were so friendly—it made the whole adventure even more enjoyable.

Had the most amazing experience on the Kawarau River. Perfect day, awesome scenery, just enough thrills to not be too overwhelming. The guides were all fabulous and did their utmost to ensure we had a fantastic experience. Loved every minute :)

Absolutely brilliant experience. Scenery is stunning and staff are very competent and great fun. Thoroughly recommended.

The guides were fun and we had the extra privilege of having 3 Polytech students on the trip too! Great work looking after the guests AND THE students! The students were fantastic too! Thanks to all!! Well done.