I had an amazing time (I thought this was more fun than skydiving)! There is a free shuttle that can take you to the river from Queenstown. Our jet boat driver Maddie (not sure if spelled correctly) was so much fun and also taught us a little bit about the history and mechanics of jet boating. These guys are the only people allowed in this part of the river so you don't have to share space with anyone else. The scenery is beautiful and the boat ride is thrilling. A must do in Queenstown! read more

Shotover Jet - Boating Near Me - Otago, OTA

Absolutely loved our Shotover Jet ride! Even more fun and exciting than I expected, with awesome 360 spins and zipping past rocks and the sides of the canyon. Scenery was beautiful. I don't remember our driver's name but she was an awesome Japanese lady who was an amazing driver and kept up a comedic dialogue with us the entire time. Highly recommend doing this! read more

FFS! This was crap-your-pants kind of fun. We did this after the canyon swing (which I also recommend) and it was way more terrifying. At speeds approaching 100 km/hr we roared through the canyon. Sheer rock walls seemed close enough to touch. What a great experience. Afterward we had a bevy at Canyon Brewing to calm the nerves. Just do it! read more

Thrilling ride through the canyon! Shotover Jet had to be one of my favorite activities while in Queenstown! To put it this way, it is a roller coaster on waters! I expected it to be a fun, bumpy ride but what I didn't expect was the beautiful view of the canyon! The ride was 20 minutes but it definitely felt short since I was having that much fun. Our driver was super friendly and I loved how confident he was in giving us a ride of a lifetime. He does give a safety briefing that he drives very close to the rocks, waterfalls, and does a fast 360 turn so hang on and do not lend out of the boat. Sit back, hang tight, and enjoy the ride! Logistics - My girlfriends and I booked the ride online prior to arriving to Queenstown (you can also book in town at their counter). The company offers a complimentary ride to the canyon area which is about a ten minutes ride or so. We were given a locker to put away things that you don't want wet or carry with you. We then put on a life jacket and got on the boat. In my opinion, the best seats are the sides because you get the best thrill when the driver gets super close to rocks and waterfalls. You will get wet, accept it! :P read more

Shotover Jet - Let's go! - Boating Near Me - Otago, OTA

This is a thrilling attraction I would definitely recommend if you are visiting Queenstown, New Zealand. It is a fun way to get to enjoy the beauty of Shotover Canyon. This is literally an iconic NZ experience. The drivers are very experienced. They get really close to the canyon walls at high speeds and drift away last second. I sat in the front row on the edge and my adrenaline was sky rocketing, just being so close to the rocks. It rained extensively few days before, which flooded the Shotover Jet base and closed the attraction. Luckily, the water level receded, but was still higher than average. Apparently, the boats can operate over water as shallow as 10 cm. They provide a locker where you can place your belongings. They also give you a rain jacket and life vest to wear. You will get wet, especially when the drivers do 360-degree spins, but its super fun. As a precaution, if you do have pre-existing back or neck pain, just be careful. The ride gets pretty bumpy depending on the water level and I felt like mini "jolts" through my back and neck at some points. read more

Shotover Jet - Boating Near Me - Otago, OTA

See all

Exciting way to get your adrenaline running in the morning by taking a ride on the Shotover Jet along the narrow Shotover River! Views were breathtaking and it was amazing how skilled the drivers are! Watching the video at the end and seeing our reactions was priceless along with the facts they provide in the video such as showing how wide and deep different parts that we passed were. It was a blast and highly recommend it if in the Queenstown, NZ, area! read more

See all

WHAT A THRILL. When you're in the ADVENTURE CAPITOL OF THE WORLD, you do every zesty, bold activity you can do. And this is one of them (one of the less terrifying ones at that). The boat zooms off quickly down a channel between mountains. Not only is the view gorgeous, but the ride itself is thrilling. The boat drivers strategic dodge the boat between rocks, as water sprays up on the sides. You can get quite a big group on the boat and it's a fun bonding activity that allows you to see a beautiful part of New Zealand. You stay roughly in the same area of the channel, so while you don't go far, you do a lot of quick loops. Do it... why not?! read more

Another one of my most memorable highlights of my trip in New Zealand. You'll get sprayed from the 360 twirls that you do in the water, but it's so much fun. I say sign up in advance and DO IT!!!! You don't get to soar down a river channel at this speed everyday, unless you're one of these pilots. read more

See all

Did this for our honeymoon and it was one of the best things we did on the entire trip! If you get a seat next to the side of the boat in the back then you will get a ton of the splash and whiplash. Some of the kids that were sitting on the inside of the boat were complaining that they didn't get any water/splash. We did the combo ticket that also included the nomad safari. I would highly recommend doing this as well! We got to drive through the water and onto skipper's canyon with our guide Jenny! What an incredible day that we will always remember! read more

I don't think it would be right to come to Queenstown and not do some sort of adventure-thrill activity! This is on the milder end of what the area has to offer, which was exactly the right fit for us! It is exciting, but not scary! (meaning...not at the level of bungee jumping or the giant swing...) All passengers are provided with long raincoats, and life jackets. I HIGHLY recommend grabbing a pair of their loaner clear glasses if you aren't wearing glasses. Constant spray in the eyes was not pleasant for those without glasses. A snug fitting hat that won't blow off or coat with a hood is also a good idea! Leave everything in your hotel room if you can; you can't bring anything but yourself on the boat (no cameras other than already attached go-pros). They don't want anything or anyone to go flying! The close passes by the canyon walls are exciting as are the 360 degree spins! You'll be instructed to brace with hands on the bar and feet on the floor for the spins, but honestly, it doesn't feel like you're about to fly out, so for those who might be nervous about this ride after hearing the safety briefing, don't worry...I think basically they don't want people doing dumb things like standing up or trying to grab the canyon walls as they go by...the scenery is beautiful and it is a unique experience to travel so fast down a narrow canyon! We really had a lot of fun! Our driver was great! He seemed to be having a lot of fun and made the trip very enjoyable! Pictures and a video are available for purchase after the ride at a very reasonable price. We ended up buying both as the video was pretty hilarious! As a side note...look on their website...William and Kate were here not long ago and their pictures are online! read more

The scenery is beautiful, the ride is thrilling and the whole process from shuttle to gear up to ride, runs like a well-oiled machine. The ride itself is not very long and it goes over some of the same parts of the river multiple times. The seats are curved and comfortable so you stay in place when the jet boat does a 360 degree turn - definitely a benefit. read more

Shotover Jet - Jet boat - Boating Near Me - Otago, OTA

See all

It was wet and it was cold. It was the last run of the day. It was INCREDIBLE. I was persuaded to do this by my wife having been somewhat reluctant to do it. Her persuasion plus recommendations from our hotel owners led us here for the last run of the wet and cold early spring day. Simply put, it really was exhilarating. Beats any white knuckle ride I've tried before. Yes, we got wet but oh how we laughed at the 25 min adrenalin rush. Don't miss this. read more

Shotover Jet - Boating Near Me - Otago, OTA

Ask for Ryan! He is the best and by far the fastest. Did I mention his name was Ryan?! Jk not giving him credit for his name but for his knowledge/ history of the river and excellent driving. Had a blast here for sure. Don't waste your time on the yellow boats. Shotover owns the river and you won't regret it. read more

Great fun. Awesome skilled driver beautiful views. No complaints booked through a 3rd party but check in was at their main office bus ride to the river and back. Awesome! read more

Shotover Jet - Boating Near Me - Otago, OTA

It was fun, but if you're an adrenaline lover, it won't be quite extreme enough for you. After the first 5 minutes (total ride duration was 20-25 minutes I believe), I was kind of wishing crazier moves and maneuvers would be done. The scenery is nice, and it will definitely get you a bit wet! Be sure to wear warm clothes! They will provide a waterproof jacket that should keep your upper body dry (except for your face) but your legs, shoes, and butt may get wet. You can wear a beanie or skullcap, but don't wear a hat or cap because the brim on those things will get them blown off your head by all the wind. You're given a neck/face warmer that you can keep, as well as a (musty and moderately smelly) set of a long waterproof jacket and life vest. The musty smell lingered on our outermost layer of clothing afterward. Try to book the time you want in advance because they do get booked up. At 1:30pm there were same-day 3:00, 3:45, and 4:00 slots still available, but by 2:30pm only 4:00 was available. The only cameras allowed are if you have a head strap to mount it on your head. They also have clear glasses optional for you to wear because it is quite windy. read more

My boyfriend has been talking about this for months. It's a pretty unique experience zipping through the canyon at top speed. The rocks jutting out were just mere inches from us. I strapped a GoPro to my head and the footage was pretty awesome. A few things I would recommend to make your experience more enjoyable: - If you go in the winter time or when the temperature is kind of chilly, make sure you wear sunglasses, a thick scarf, a hat or beanie, and gloves. We were there in June and it was SO cold. I had a massive headache during and at the end of the ride and my eyes were watering nonstop from the cold wind. - Eat something light. With all the spinning and stopping and going, it can get a little nauseating. If you sit in the back, you will also smell the exhaust - not pleasant. - While it was fun, if you're a huge adrenaline junkie, it won't be THAT great. The total ride was about 25-30 minutes long. Adrenaline level from a scale of 0-10 (10 being the highest and on the level of bungee jumping), I would say this is a 4. - Make reservations ahead of time. read more

Kind of expensive but totally worth it. Tip: Layer! Layer! Layer! It gets super cold on the water! I suggest a scarf and beanie yet nothing you need to hold onto the entire time. No cameras allowed except for GoPros on the head holder. Super fun but beware that if you have back issues this could aggrivate the issues. read more

Worth your time. Worth your money. And definitely worth those butt-squeezing moments. Tip: If you go for a second ride, it'd be cheaper. Take advantage of that! read more

OMG! What an adrenaline rush. Similar to the rocket boats on San Francisco Bay. The difference is that the Shotover Jets are much smaller boats to enable nimble access to all the twists and turns of the river. What a thrill to rush down river canyons at high speed. My heart really got pumping as we got really close to the steep cliff walls that rose above the river. Everybody screamed when the boat did a 360 degree turn at speed. At the end, you can buy photos of your watery adventure, just like at Disneyland. read more

Spent a great 25 minutes or so on the jet boat on a nice summer day. The four of us were in the second row of seats on the boat, good views and not too wet! Our driver Glenn was great and was happy to talk and answer questions during our 3 or so stops on the river. Our kids (11 & 12) had a great time as we'd been on the Huka Jet before and we're looking forward to Shotover. Good value for the family price of $329. We're all keen to do the ride again! read more

Thrilling and unique way to see the canyons and Shotover River! Cannot recommend enough! Be prepared to get wet during those 360 spins and to scream your head off when you narrowly miss the canyon wall! 25 minutes fly by and you will want to do it all over again! They do provide waterproof jackets that extend to the knee and a locker for valuables :) read more

1, This was the most expensive 20mins of my life. 2, This was the best 129 dollars i have ever spent. Haha, some people might scoff at their 129 per person pricing. But, if you only get to do one thing in queenstown, this is it. We got there at 10am, so it wasnt busy, but it pays to book your places on the boat days before you want to take the ride. The cafe across from the ticket office also does nice coffee, and very decent sausage roll. I know, I know what was I thinking? Eating massive amounts of food just before a bumpy ride. It turned out ok, the ride might get harsh during the bends, but overall it is enjoyable for most people. The 360 turns are just amazing, considering most of the river isnt very deep during the summer months. They do provide full size rain coats, and lockers for your semi valuables, hats and cameras are not recommended. And if you would like to have your photo taken, then you must sit at the 2 seats right up front, next to the driver. So you are closer to the vid camera, and yes, the privilege of having the Video and photo combo is at a cost of 65 dollars. read more

Shotover Jet - This shot was taken before my own ride in the jetboat, please dont take any cameras thats not waterproof onboard. - Boating Near Me - Otago, OTA

The boat broke down and we were waiting for close to an hour in the water. No one felt too bad about it and they still tried to sell you a photo read more

When in Queenstown you have got to do the Shotover Jet. Awesome and well worth the cost.

Dear friends of fair entertainment... I just came back from my New Zealand holiday and feel obliged to give you a short review of my jetboat trip with "Shotover Jet". Shotover Jet says "allow 1,5 hours for the hole trip (including fetch and drop off after the trip in Queenstown again)". In addition they advertise that from Queenstown to their Jet Boat starting point takes less than 10 mins. ... What the do not explicitly say is that the jetboat trip itself ONLY takes 25 min! I was disappointed ... yes of course you can read about the duration somewhere but everything sounds like a great trip on the river canyon. Now you might say: ok 129 NZ$ is ok.... as a Jetboat might be an expensive thing? I'm quite sure you will change your mind when you experience that they are not, as they say, go "along the famous Shotover River and deep into the spectacular Shotover River Canyons" .... they drive up and down the same areas of the river 3 times which is dead boring just like their 360° spin after the 6th time. To finally be able to complete their 25 mins ride the driver stops 3 times to tell you about a few rock holes ans history stuff ...which was not the reason why I chose a "thrilling" Jetboat ride. So if you ask me I felt pretty spoofed to spend almost 80 € !!! for such a tourist trap. Thanks for reading and make a better choice than I did or at least be aware of what I wrote. read more

One of the best ever activities in Queenstown! This was our 2nd time on the Shotover Jet in Queenstown and it didn't disappoint! A thrilling and memorable ride with gorgeous scenery! read more

This was the most exhilerating 25 minutes ever! We were a party of five - even convinced an almost 70 year old to join us for the ride - and was it worth it!! Fantastic ride - best way to see the canyons - and didn't get too wet either. The driver warns you with a shake of his hand when he's about to do a full 360 degree spin and its sooo cool! Fantastic day out...... read more