Queenstown Jet 1-hour Jet Boat ride on Lake Whakatipu and Kawarau River
4.5

Queenstown Jet 1-hour Jet Boat ride on Lake Whakatipu and Kawarau River

By RealNZ
Recommended by 91% of travellers
91% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Ages 2-99, max of 28 per group
Duration: 1h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Jet boat ride across Lake Wakatipu and down the Kawarau River
  • Life jackets
  • Famous 360-degree spins
  • Driver commentary


Start:
  • Queenstown Jet Boat - RealNZ, Beach Street, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
    Please check in 20 minutes prior to departure.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Infants must sit on laps
    • Infant seats available
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3342P33

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Not recommended for travellers with back problems
    • Not recommended for pregnant travellers
    • No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
    • Most travellers can participate
    • Children 2 and younger are not allowed.
    • You must weigh at least 33 pounds (15 kg).
    • Check-in is 15 minutes prior to the booked tour start time.
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 28 travellers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 3342P33

    From
    AU$137.22
    per adult
    Select date and travellers
    Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • RealNZ
      406
      Queenstown, New Zealand
      Joined in February 2010
    • E106
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Highly recommended
      It was very professionally run. The guides, from the bus ride, the centre where we got changed, and the raft guides, were excellent. They provided thick wetsuits and booties, so we weren’t cold at all.
      Written 11 February 2025
    • gilchristroberts
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great day out
      Had an excellent day rafting on Kawarau. Well organised pick up and kit up. Fantastic guides, Jacob was great fun and informative and all staff were very friendly, helpful and safety conscious. Danny took pictures and emailed after which was great and no extra charge.
      Written 9 February 2025
    • Paul63825915378353
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Amazing whitewater rafting experience
      The whitewater rafting was excellent and highly enjoyable for our first time doing this. All the team went out of their way to make sure we had great fun while ensuring that we were safe and knew what to do. Thank you for a truly wonderful experience !!
      Written 4 February 2025
    • 344mandyk
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Exhilarating!
      This was an exhilarating trip which was so much fun. The guid Mark was both informative and very safety conscious. The drive down was breathtaking and scary. I loved the fact we could go for a swim and doing the 5m jump was a real challenge accomplished. Would highly recommend all of the staff for their friendly enthusiastic manner. Only shame was no photos! Thank you guys. đź‘Źđź‘Źđź‘Ź
      Written 4 February 2025
    • dougsW3110XZ
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fun rating/jet boat trip
      What a fun and well organized trip! The jet boat ride was a lot of racing across the lake and doing 360s! The rafting was equally fun - great for beginners who have never been and had enough rapids to entertain the experienced white water rafter. High recommend the group and trip!
      Written 2 February 2025
    • N5353PQshanem
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Queenstown jet boat ride
      Boat left on time. Safety rules were clear. A great experience . The boat performed well and we were all delighted with the quality of the trip.
      Written 2 February 2025
    • 906craigd
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic experience
      The experience was amazing. The guides made the trip an exceptional day. George, the bus driver, is the backbone of Queenstown rafting.
      Written 2 February 2025
    • Guadausandizaga
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A great adventure day near Queenstown
      A great day out in a beautiful river near Queenstown. Felt super safe along the way, and had lots of fun thanks to Dani s spirit and great guiding, and thanks to the cool group in the raft. Would highly recommend it!!
      Written 25 January 2025
    • adamgO8235OT
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great experience
      Harry and the team did a fantastic job and they really are the backbone of New Zealand tourism. The sing along to Taylor Swift songs on the bus ride home made our trip even more special. A great day out for the whole family. Thanks again and we will definitely see you again next time.
      Written 24 January 2025
    • ClaireM3345
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great experience
      A great trip , With lovely raft guides. They made us feel at ease but also encouraged us to step out of our comfort zone knowing help was on hand if we needed it . Great fun , highly recommended . I would do it again !
      Written 24 January 2025
    • slB5877WZ
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Awesome, thrilling and gets the heart pumping
      So, so, so much fun for us all. We had an amazing time, learnt a little about NZ history of the area and enjoyed the thrill of the white water.
      Written 23 January 2025
    • petam851
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A must do.
      This was an awesome day out! Benji our raft guide was fantastic and we had plenty of laughs. Shout out to George the driver who looked after me on the drive in … An activity in Queenstown that is not to be missed. Definitely add it to your itinerary.
      Written 22 January 2025
    • Q5439KFjessc
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A MUST: Incredible experience
      Such an amazing experience for the whole family! The rapids were awesome, pretty tame but still serious stuff! Our guide Danni was incredible, very lucky to have such a cool and calming guide- "keeping it sexy" all the way through;) Can't reccomend enough, would 100% do it again.
      Written 20 January 2025
    • Odyssey556499
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Beautiful fun
      Amazing experience, the instructors were funny friendly and cared about our safety. The best experience in nz the scenery was beautiful
      Written 19 January 2025
    • hollyd776
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Superb experience from a superb team
      Had a great time white water rafting with Real NZ. The Real NZ team were great fun, professional and on top of everything. Felt in very safe hands throughout and enjoyed every moment. The Shotover River is beautiful. Benji was our guide and he was great. He was very good at giving directions and keeping our raft working together. He was friendly and really good company. Again, we felt very safe with him. We had great chats and banter as a little group, Benji probably had more relationship advice than he was planning for, as he had 2.5 married couples in his raft! Shout out also to Wade (I think it was Wade) who kept our minibus entertained during the bus trip to the start point. Very funny guy and a welcome distraction from the frankly terrifying drop into the gorge!
      Written 18 January 2025
    See all 406 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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    4.5
    4.5 of 5 bubbles56 reviews
    Excellent
    46
    Very good
    5
    Average
    2
    Poor
    0
    Terrible
    3

    Russ T
    Maui, HI26 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    I’d recommend this jet boat ride to anyone The driver was skilled and informative. We had planned on the 25 minute ride, but there were only us for that ride so they offered us the 60 minute ride. That was wonderful as after the ride we agreed that 25 minutes would have been too short

    We had great weather that day
    Written 31 January 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    The 60-minute trip is the way to go! We're glad you were able to experience the whole Kawarau River adventure.
    Written 1 February 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Joshua Mitchell
    5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2021
    Easily the best tour in Queenstown. You reach the start of the rafting tour by jet boat, which is beyond fun. The Jet flies down the river taking you exhilaratingly close to obstacles and doing 360s across the water. The Driver also takes the the time to explain some local history and characteristics of the lake and surrounding areas.
    The rafting is the perfect mix of adventure and bliss. Between some really cool rapids there are a couple of sections where you can jump into the water and chill out as you drift down the river (there's also a rock jump if you are brave enough!).
    Tour is a 10, staff are an 11/10. Perfect mix of fun, genuine and professional, it's really easy to have a good time when you can see the staff genuinely enjoying their profession and sharing their love for it. Their professionalism really makes you feel safe throughout the rafting tour as well, I felt like I if I was to fall out of the raft at any point I would be 100% safe.

    Don't be silly and miss out on this one.
    Written 6 November 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Wow, thank you for this incredibly informative and positive review! You've explained the entire trip perfectly and we are so glad that you enjoyed your Jet to Raft experience with us.
    Written 28 November 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    michael m
    California137 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    This was a well done tour, boat was fun and great shape, felt very safe even though going at high speeds. The only negative is I am 70 years old and there was lots of turbulence on the water which caused some hard bumps that I think affect the older body a bit more than young ones. While I had a good time I am not sure I would go again uncles the water was very calm.
    Written 27 January 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Charles H
    Bermuda14 contributions
    3.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2024 • Couples
    I have done previous trips with other companies and much preferred the Dart river excursion in Lake Whatatipu. In hindsite I regret we did not do a jet boat out of Wanaka this time. The Kawarau river scenery was average.
    The 12 March afternoon trip was marred during our return ride when we encountered a short steep chop head-on as a rain shower passed through. Incredibly hard and jarring ride which the boat operator did little to mitigate. I am a skipper myself and he should have slowed down more and taken the waves at an angle. He was in a comfortable spring-mounted seat so was oblivious to the discomfort of his passengers. Perhaps he was in a rush to get back to the dock.
    Written 18 March 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Ruth A
    Lower Hutt, New Zealand17 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    July 2024 • Family
    It was freezing cold but we wrapped up warm and survived. The thrill of the big jet engines powering up on the lake is awesome. The 360 spins were fun and not at all scary. The staff are friendly and professional. Good value.
    Written 31 July 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Mohsin J
    Greater Sydney, Australia4 contributions
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    My wife and I had initially booked the white water rafting experience on the Monday 8am and rocked up on time only to be told that it was not going ahead due to unsafe weather conditions (minor drizzle). We did NOT get any prior communication of this so we’re a little disappointed but rescheduled for the jet boat the next day at9am rather than refund as we wanted the experience.
    Next day was bucketing down with rain and thought there is no way it would go ahead, we tried calling them and got to the answering machine but no one picking up.
    We got to the place in person and the worker there was hostile from the start (could tell he didn’t believe us in regards to the reschedule and no call going through).
    After consultation with his supervisor they offered us 5% off if we book again, such a piss take. Extremely disappointed with the communication and service! Waste of money and waste of time.
    Written 26 February 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    We're sorry to hear you had a poor experience with RealNZ last week. We'd love to resolve this issue if you wouldn't mind sharing more information on what happened. You can contact us at marketing@realnz.com. Please include your booking reference number so we can investigate further.
    Written 26 February 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Paul Hill
    Wroughton, UK336 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    My wife and I decided to have another go at Jet boating after having a similar ride on one in Wanaka.

    What drew us to this one was rather than 1x 6.2 litre V8 with 300 horses, you get 2x with 800 horsesđź‘Ś

    We had a great time and the boat sped across the lake and down a river, with some high speed turns and 360 spins thrown in!

    I must admit, the smaller boat at Wanaka was alittle more fun as it was more nimble and could be chucked around a lot more. But nothing beats the sound of 2x V8’s, and it was super quick 🚤

    Well worth the money!
    Written 6 January 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Sound like you might be getting the jet boat bug Thanks for coming out with us, safe travels :)
    Written 9 January 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    noelleAB
    Sydney, Australia67 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We did the 45 min jet boat and then the rafting. Jet boat was fantastic fun. We had an issue with the oar’s not turning up fir the rafting but the company did everything they could to make sure it happened. They were so professional and at the top of there game in regards to safety so we all felt very safe. They made it up to us and as I said an awesome company to deal with. Everything was organised so well, I was very impressed and will go back again.
    Written 26 January 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thanks for your review, always great to hear you enjoyed your adventure and felt safe with our crew:) We would love to see you back
    Written 28 January 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    dawn s
    Camberley, UK232 contributions
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2020
    We phoned on Sunday to book a ride and they said they were not doing rides on Sunday so we booked on Sunday to do the jet boat on Monday at 10 o’clock on Sunday they phoned to say could we change our time to 11am on a Smaller boat, we had a party of 4 adults and 1 child, we were not sure if the other couple could do 11 o’clock so left it at 10 o’clock
    We parked up on Monday morning and had breakfast we were just walking over to board at 9.50 am and got a phone call to say it had been cancelled and we could get a refund. So unprofessional they could of phoned Sunday evening or 8 am onwards to let us know. They did refund our credit charge fees but wish they hadn’t messed us about in the first place. We went to K Jet and booked a ride with them which was awesome and worked out slightly cheaper.
    Written 29 January 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Very sorry about your experience, as we are sure you can understand sometimes everything doesn't fall into place for the operator too, We are glad you got to enjoy jet boating in Queenstown :)
    Written 4 March 2020
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Justin Rosini
    Auckland, New Zealand45 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2020 • Couples
    Had a great time on the first one for the day, the driver was professional and courteous and didnt treat you like a number.
    I see that other companies do 30 minute and 45, the hour one is the best it takes you further in the river.
    I did thibk about doing the 45 minute one but glad paid another $15 or so dollars. After all it is not as if you do this everyday.
    We went through bookme and found a great price.

    Will do again next time am down and would use same company.
    Written 11 October 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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    *Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.

    Queenstown Jet 1-hour Jet Boat ride on Lake Whakatipu and Kawarau River provided by RealNZ

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